|
|
 Expert
Posts: 2457
  
| Bibliafarm - 2015-12-30 11:07 PM
RnRJack - 2015-12-30 1:25 PM I got an older horse that is very green to ride for someone for a few months, she is veeg green but progressing fast. We have bend and flex, we can walk and trot perfect circles, we still need work with leg cues and lateral movements.
I am a big Clinton Anderson fan and use a lot of his techniques with my horses. I have been doing ground work with this mare before I ride her because I believe everything starts on the ground
anyway, long story short - anyone who follows those techniques knows that when you ask them to lope first you don't worry about leads or circles, you just keep their feet moving no matter where you go. So today we loped the whole 20 acre pasture and our Arena just to keep her moving. I have tried slightly to keep her in the arena and in a circle but she won't.
Im wondering if I should try loping her in the round pen or just keep loping. Until she can do a circle doing what I'm doing. She's a big girl and my round pen isn't huge. She's also lazy and gives me a workout!
just looking for different suggestions at getting her to lope a circle.
There can be several reasons.. one is strength or sore hocks.
Id keep her moving forward but id insist she stay between my legs and go where I want to go.. with that said make sure she can do what your asking. forward isnt just going where she wants.. forward is good but in the direction you ask. lope out and then ask for a huge circle and as she gets stronger you can spiral in and out.. fields are great for breezing and loping long areas.. but Id work on lateral work so she understands moving in and out.sounds like she isnt strong enough to. with time she needs to understand better your legs and body and seat so you can manuever her body anywhere..
THIS ^^
I started my current filly with the CA basics just to try it out. I skipped the "free" loping in the arena. I loped her in the round pen instead for a couple weeks to build up her strength - I stayed out of her mouth and let her go where she wanted but just kept her moving. Real quickly, she built the muscle, the strength, and figured out her leads and such to keep going in one direction.
The whole point of the lope in the arena without direction or steering is to keep that horse going whatever speed you asked, no speeding up or slowing down. The whole you ask once, get what you want, and then leave them alone until you want something different is not new to CA but he bills it that way.
You have to build lateral strength to get a circle ... and as someone else pointed out, look where you want to go with confidence - the horse will get there eventually. |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 1612
 
Location: Cocoa, Florida | I really like Clinton andersons ground work techniques, I never used to a lot of ground work until a friend turned me on to his DVDs, plus her husband is a certified instructor so I've actually taken lessons just on ground work and I've seen a HUGE difference in my horses. What we teach them on the ground helps them under saddle as well and they have a new level of respect for you.
I also like his forward motion drills since I feel like that applies to barrel racing a lot. I never teach mine rate until they need it, some say it helps them use their hind end but i do different drills like fence for for tear end work.
I feel at this point after reading all the info that she is really out of shape and I'm going to have to do a little at a time until she gets there. |
|
| |
|
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 509
| I do a lot of work on the lunge line, buck has some good exercises also. I understood you to say this horse was already started and not loped much when i rode for the people who were clntnandrsn followers most of there training horses were spoiled trail horses and they really resented being made to lope i use to take them out to there big 50 acre flat field and just ride guiding them in a lope and keep them moving in big circles always in the correct lead and try not to hang on them have a lot of patience and one day they will get it I'm always mindful also more of what my body language is allot of times its me and concentrate on your hands |
|
| |
|
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 501
| I didn't read through all comments so hopefully not repeating. Completely get where your coming from on the ones used a lot but never taught to really lope a nice, collected circle. It can be tougher than a colt.
Is he fading or diving in? Might be two different fixes. I'd agree with whover posted to do straight lines but rather than a 90 turn we just do a box with curved corners. Shape them, nice turn and let go before they dive. If they are fading ask them to really turn it, pushing up under themselves, 90 degrees, straight, work up to 180, etc. Good luck! |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 1218
Location: South MS | RnRJack - 2015-12-30 12:25 PM I got an older horse that is very green to ride for someone for a few months, she is veeg green but progressing fast. We have bend and flex, we can walk and trot perfect circles, we still need work with leg cues and lateral movements.
I am a big Clinton Anderson fan and use a lot of his techniques with my horses. I have been doing ground work with this mare before I ride her because I believe everything starts on the ground
anyway, long story short - anyone who follows those techniques knows that when you ask them to lope first you don't worry about leads or circles, you just keep their feet moving no matter where you go. So today we loped the whole 20 acre pasture and our Arena just to keep her moving. I have tried slightly to keep her in the arena and in a circle but she won't.
Im wondering if I should try loping her in the round pen or just keep loping. Until she can do a circle doing what I'm doing. She's a big girl and my round pen isn't huge. She's also lazy and gives me a workout!
just looking for different suggestions at getting her to lope a circle.
What I do on my young horses is this... I work up to loping
I ride them all in a c-gag (loomis) and I use split reins. I tie them to each side and lunge them - I dont tie so tight they cant move but so that they have to keep the head tucked inside
After they master that and tie straight back to my girth ring so they have to tuck their head when lunging.
Then I take my reins and go between the front legs and follow the girth up and tie to the saddle horn to get them to want to drop their head and I lunge them
This is where mine learn collection when loping as they have to lope and still drop the head to pressure - if she cant lope in the round pen like this she isnt going to be able to do it anywhere else.
I would be concerned abuot soundness issues if she cant lope and hold the lead. |
|
| |
|
 Veteran
Posts: 224
Location: So Cal | Also some horses that haven't been worked in circles don't have the physical strength or coordination to do it. I've been working a BIG mare for someone and I spent a lot of time (short sessions but several) with her on the lunge line getting her to keep a lope in that circle. She was very unbalanced at first, would get the wrong lead, etc. I taught her from the ground that kissing means lope and I never let her go around on the wrong lead. Made it much easier to lope circles riding. |
|
| |
Folks on-line