Jolena training log

I decided keep a training log for Jolena- who is pretty finished except for that lead change to the left. My goal is to get her broke and in the show pen.

I got a little messed up trying to change leads on a striaght line from arena corner to corner with her- I was doing good before the clinic getting her bridled up and changing in a slow circle- also I really got her hips broke loose and worked on countercantering squares. Also I moved the hips at a trott going from left to right- getting her use to the transition from side to side she did best when I worked on hip control and countercantering and didnt change often.

I got in trouble riding her forward from corner to corner and letting her come out of the bridle and speed up- I was trying to ride her strait and look up and move her forward but that doesnt work to good for me right now.

I need to remember to bait her going from corner to corner so when she speeds up I can stop her, pull her into the ground, say whoa and keep her listening and not speeding up. She's starting to think when we round the corner in the circle to speed up - need to remember not to panic but repeat stopping her when she speeds up corner to corner and give her a few days to get it instead of trying to make her perfect in one day, even if she picked up the bad habbit pretty quick- like in one day-

I changed her once today countercantering a sqauare- I changed her on the corner and she changed ok but lifted up but still stayed in control.

Also- in her stops she was getting stiff in the jaw and lifting up at the end but a day in the snaffle really concentrating on putting the head down helped that a bunch. It helped on both her and Sally to adress lowering the head and giving the chin- a lot- not just getting a little but really making them turn loose

Also- the get a lot better in the circle when I bridle them up as much as possible- making them really really give and turn loose - the chin and the poll and the withers as much as possible- then they know I mean buiseness and quit dropping shoulder in the circle.

Also they really seem to hyperventilate when stressed. They seem to catch theyre breath quick if you get off and tie them up or even when I led Jolena to the trailer and back- after unsaddling her- she caught her breath in a hurry. They are really getting fit or getting their mind on something else calms their nerves and they catch their breath- either fit or nerves.

Jolena does good if I get off or at least let her stand 5 minutes and gather her wits - then back to loaping a circle and seeing if she wants to go slow.--After that she will.

anyway- a guy needs to think- not just try to fit in someones program or do someones drill but to experiment and think and do what works best for him.

Turn around

I rode Audries mule yesterday- I couldnt get his face soft in the turn around because he had been taught to turn by being legged on the outside rib and stiffening his jaw and looking at the spur. (I guess) Anyway I see and feel this a lot and its because the horse hasnt been taught to take an outside leg and give in in the face at the same time.

What finally ended up working on this mule - after much bridling up, counterbending, circling, softening, mostly at the walk, some at the trot. I was getting nowhere untill I finally brought the head way to the inside and used my outside leg a little- with the rockgrinders so it jus took pressure, not pounding- and not much pressure. When the mule stiffened his inside jaw- which he couldnt much because I had him bent, I applied more outside leg, then released the leg when the face softened- namely the inside jaw, so, it didnt take long before the mule softened his jaw at the use of the leg, as opposed to stiffening the jaw at the use of the leg- then when I loosend him up and let him streighten out in the turn around he stayed soft and turned correctly.

rock grinders

I love my rock grinders occasionally- very occasionally- but maybe a little more on some horses because I'm finding a little touch from the grinders can be more effective that having to overuse my dull spurs- which may be a little too dull.

The rock grinders can sure clean things up in a turn around and draw clearer lines for certain horses. - where in some cases the dull spurs are counter productive.

The Globtrotters

I wrote about the Globtrotters here and must comment on how being inspired by their life can influence the way I train horses. There was some talk at the last Irish clinic about being and looking and riding frustrated. Not what I'm going for. To some. Like Bettina Drummand a well trained horse is an expression of art. And I guess deep down maybe thats what I'm going for although I've not thougt of it like that. Anyway frustration probobly doesnt go to well with expressing art, because its ugly. So I think my Globtrotter inspiration will help me to be more carefree and have more fun training horses, not to try and controll everything but let mistakes happen occasionally and not panic but trust that everything will be fine if I do the right things and loosen up.

John Irish workshop

Things I learned at the John Irish clinic

John has really helped me ride square and stay in the middle of the horse - look where I'm going, drive with my legs, keep my hands still while driving the horse into the bit- not chasing the face around with my hands- drawing both reins in one hand straight to my bellybutton - sometimes my sternom.
We worked on keeping the Shoulders the up in a twelve foot circle and in a straight line.
Not to brace or lean back at the stop,
Have someone watch and tell you what he sees
Releasing after bridling up is like hitting the reset button
My horses are too backed off
I need to ride my horses more forward
I need to keep my horses shoulders up in the turn around - which later felt like more compression, more bridled up, straighter

I watched John help his wife Rose whose horse seemed to want to run pretty strong in the big fast circles- instead of just letting the horse run hard until he tired John had Rose bridle the horse up, (I mean really bridle the horse up) while keeping forward motion, then turn the horse loose. (hit the reset button) After an aplication or two of that the horse was more willing to slow down

After practicing the twelve foot circle with the shoulders up my horse that over bent in her right circle traveled straighter and guided better in the large fast.

I'm still working on getting more forward in my horses- it helped to use a leather curb strap and a bit with less port- I lowered it in the horses mouth and it helped her from lifting her chin a little when transitioning to being bridled up- I'm working on taking out the resistance and adding forward.

Also I leaned, in so many words, to pick a direction and go for it, even if its not exactly right- which is what I did after his last clinic last fall- I miss interpreted some of the things I thought I was seeing him do or immagined him teaching- It may have not been exactly what he had in mind but nevertheless it helped my horses.

Also today two days after the clinic I experimented with lots of rollbacks in the bigger faster circles, not real fast, - just used woa and rolled back the other way- after lots of bridling and forward and reset button- the combination of the two worked nicely to get the mare backed off - didnt pull on her at all. just said woa- the first two times it scared her to death and she tripped over the dirt and 'bout fell over- anyway the rollback drill worked- not something John taught or probobly would condone- but hey, I picked something and went with it, and it worked, at least for me, for now. We'll see.

elevator bit article

Les Vogt’s California Classics Elevator Bits “People think I borrowed my elevator bits form an elephant trainer, but they’re really quite mild and can do magic things for a horse,” says California reinsman Les Vogt. He explains that the unusual snaffle bit was designed by the legendary horseman Jimmy Williams to establish and maintain an efficient working frame, without disturbing the horse’s momentum and balance.Les gets technical: elevator bits have a neutral 1:1 leverage ratio because the mouthpiece is located equidistant between the headstall ring and the rein ring; but the shank’s overall length of about 8” helps a rider to lift his horse’s shoulder without “putting on the brakes.” An ordinary grazing bit has a leverage ratio of approximately 1:3, which means that for every unit of lift, you create three units of “whoa.” For a horse that drops his inside shoulder in turns or circles, trying to lift the shoulder with an ordinary bit causes a contradiction: the more you lift, the more the horse thinks you want him to slow down.Les adjusts the elevator bit very low in the horse’s mouth, just missing the eye teeth. He says, “The lower you hang this bit, the more a horse will lengthen his topline as he stretches down toward the mouthpiece. Horses like to cradle a snaffle with their lips and tongue because it gives them security that they’ll feel a pull with their mouth before they get in big trouble, so I use elevators low to get horses to relax in their necks, shoulders and backs. If a horse braces against the bit, he’ll be stiff, hollow his back ad be harder to fix.”Also, Les uses a very loose curb chain to allow the horse a long warning time before the chain contacts the chin. “This is a training it, so I want the horse to have a fair chance to pay attention and respond before the bit takes firm action.““I like elevator bits for nay horse and train with them almost everyday, because they act like a plain old snaffle---you can even thread your reins through the direct rein slot---until you need more sophisticated action. If I run into a shoulder or stiffness problem, I can help the horse right away,” said Vogt. “They may look a little unorthodox, but elevators bits are very humane because they help a horse to balance himself efficiently,” he added.