Hi,
In the first emails of this series, I introduced you to my dear friend Giulia Gaibazzi. Giulia and her husband board my horses and take wonderful care of them. She is also a skilled trainer with tons of experience and a big heart.
Explore her Webseite and Instagram to know more (in Italian). She is doing amazing work and offers a recognised alternative programme for young professionals who do not want to go take the harsh horse sport career path.
Malou’s training was done by both of us, in parallel and together.
Giulia’s experience with young horses taught her to introduce the rider first by sliding gently on the horse’s back without saddle. This allows the rider to slide off quickly and effortlessly in case the horse has doubts about the process.
Giulia and her working student Sofia played with this while I worked on leading, saddling and the mounting block lesson.
When all the components were in place, we decided that it was the right moment to get on Malou.
The setup was familiar to Malou. I worked her from the ground around a circle of cones. Giulia waited on the mounting block and got on only when Malou stood confidently next to her. She got on carefully and remained passive while I guided Malou through the familiar lesson.
Balance is even more important now
Malou experiences the weight on her back while continuing the lesson. I can give her confidence from the ground and help to find her balance. Here you can see how I can highlight a nice shift of balance with a click and treat.
Transferring cues
Eventually, we want that Malou responds to the rider’s signals. She needs to understand the cues for go forward, slow down and sideways.
There are many ways to teach these signals. The easiest is to transfer the cues from the ground person to the rider in a New-cue Old-cue Procedure.
For example, I start presenting the cue to go forward which Malou knows. Then Giulia presents the new cue, which is a gently squeeze with both her legs, and Malou starts to walk on. Initially, feeling Giulia’s legs at her sides, means nothing to Malou. But with this transfer process, it will become relevant.
Now instead of the ground person presenting the forward cue, the rider tries, and if Malou responds, big FESTA !!!! Brava Malou !!!
If the rider’s cue is not followed by the desired response, the ground person can help by presenting the familiar cue.
Repeating these steps a number of times will result in the rider’s cue becoming relevant. Malou has learned the new cue from the rider.
Using this procedure, Malou learns to go forward, slow down, and turn from the rider’s signals.
I am sharing a video of an entire training session which I really enjoyed. In this lesson, we reversed the roles, I am in the saddle and Giulia helps from the ground. Malou knows Giulia’s cues as they have worked together as much as we did. It’s a long video but I didn’t know what to cut because I loved how this unfolded.
This was the first trial and a little chaotic at first as Malou was glued to Giulia. But as the lesson proceeded, Malou responded more and more to my signals and was able to go out and around the cones.
Note:
I am using the Single Rein Riding from Alexandra Kurland. In a nutshell, it means that I don’t pick up both reins but only the inside rein. This way I do not trap Malou between two reins and it is more likely that she stays relaxed.
Malou doesn’t know this technique yet but she was prepared through the leading exercises. Initially, single rein riding is always a little messy, but I love the results of this work. I am not expanding it here (or should I ?) but I assumed the explanation is needed as you watch this.
If you watched the video until the end, you saw that we even did a few steps in trot. In the next email, I will suggest a few ways how to develop trot and canter under saddle.
But before doing that, I want to give you a few suggestions for training these steps if you do not have help.
First suggestion: ask a friend to help you. Seriously, it so much easier and safer with the help of a second person.
If you are alone, you can use environmental cues to help you.
BEFORE getting on your horse:
- Establish a solid pattern that your horse knows without your guidance. The pattern that I used for Blondie is a good one (Cone circle series – if you haven’t received these 10 email, you can click on this link to receive them). You want the environmental cues to cue the behaviour in your “absence”. Mats and cones are great for directional cues. (If you have used cones as fetch toys, they may not work as directional cues. You can try with differently coloured cones or bigger ones)
- Build “go forward” and “whoa” cues that you can transfer to the saddle, e.g. verbal cues.
- Set up the pattern in an environment where your horse is calm and relaxed and in a somehow limited space. An area the size of a circle is a good size. Your horse may not know where to go once you are in the saddle.
- Use the mounting block lesson to get on. Do not get on, if your horse is not lining up next to you and waiting for you to get on.
- If you use a saddle, get on in one careful move. I would not step repeatedly into the stirrup. If she stands perfectly, get on and land softly, click and treat.
- Hopefully she waited for your “Go forward” cue, but if she walks off, let her go. Don’t try to stop her. It’s not easy for a young horse to stand still with the rider on her back. If you prepared her well, she will stop at the next mat.
Remember:
Forward trumps everything else!
~ Anja Beran
We are in the saddle!!! It’s amazing.
We are almost there. I have planned two more emails to complete this series.
Happy training,
Michaela