Hi,
The Runway is a ‘complete’ lesson as it contains fine rope communication, “magnetising” the mat, leaving the mat and a break.
Going through the Runway lesson, you will probably find yourself in the situation that your horse is not lined up well to get to the mat. What to do?
If you go straight, you leave the runway somewhere between two cones instead of passing the mat. Backing straight doesn’t solve the problem but backing in a curved line would get your horse aligned for the mat.
What I am getting at is similar to parking a horse trailer. Imagine you have to back up a trailer into parking spot. You have to turn your car’s wheels in the opposite direction than usual to get the trailer to move in the direction you want? If you are like me, you probably started the wrong direction and have to turn the steering wheel full circle.
You can navigate your horse by positioning her head and neck. If you want the hindquarters to come in, you displace head and neck to the outside. If you want the hind end to go out, you displace head and neck to the inside. The latter is combined with forward movement, the former to backing and the topic of today’s email.
In this next clip, you see Bernadette and her Icelandic mare Helga working for their second time on the Runway lesson. You see that Helga is not in a direct line to the mat. Her handler is asking for backing in curved line to straighten her out so she can invite her to the mat.
The handler is new to Alex Kurland’s rope handling, so we use the treat delivery to get the behaviour. She offers the treat to the off-side, and as Helga bends her neck to take it, she steps into that space and waits.
In this position, Helga is off balance, probably a little uncomfortable, and wants to straighten herself. She can solve this puzzle by bringing her hindquarters in.
The precious moment here is second 0:41 and Bernadette landed her click spot-on. Hurray!
Backing in square
The lesson to connect the hind legs to the reins (or lead rope), is what Alexandra Kurland calls “Backing in a Square”.
The side step is accompanied by a slight drop of the head, which is why you can use to teach head lowering cued by the lead rope.
Let’s look at Malou’s second lesson, and the first time going through a solid corner. During the first round, I set up both corners with cones and a light barrier.
This lesson needs to be done carefully as backing into a corner can easily create too much pressure I aim for maintaining a relaxed expression and provide many releases with the lead rope. Should it become too difficult, we walk out of the corner.
Malou is doing it very calmly despite being asked to back into a corner with people watching.
How you position yourself is crucial for success. You want to be a visual barrier and encourage backing. Play around with your position to find the best one for your horse.
When you go through the lesson, you will notice that one side is easier than the other. If you ask of a bend to their hollow side, they can stand there longer comfortably because that’s what they naturally do. Bending to the stiff side however, will likely result in a step that straightens them out.
Applications
I have already mentioned that you can use Backing in a square in the V area of the Runway lesson to straighten out your horse. But obviously you can use it anywhere where you need backing in a curved line.
It is also useful to have for e.g. trailer loading or navigating small places in general.
Here is example with Malou, where I could use the lesson for a redirection during the work on the cone circle. It’s not as pretty but it is an important lesson to teach your horse that barging through you is not an acceptable answer. This is a safety measure to protect you.
This skill saved me many times with Graya, who can be a tractor, at times. (PREs are carriage horses, maybe that’s why. Asfaloth would never do that). Instead of running over me, I create what Alex Kurland calls Tai Chi Wall, and redirect her into Backing in a square, which keeps us both safe.
Here’s a comparison of a puzzle I gave Malou before and after going through the backing in a square lesson. The first time, she did not know the answer and asked, politely, to leave. With the skill in repertoire, it was easy peasy.
Remember that this lesson can put a lot of pressure on your horse. Make sure you watch for signs of concern and let her out of the lesson. You can always restart. Be patient and wait for the step to come. At some point in time, she will want to move. Be observant when the weight shift happens, release, click and reinforce.
Have fun,
Michaela