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I AM being nice
Posts: 4396
  
Location: MD | We all strive (or should) to create a horse is who is soft and responsive to our aids. There is nothing more enjoyable than riding a well trained horse who will respond to the mere thought of applying an added ounce of pressure to a certain area in order to signal them to do as you want. This is the pinnacle of training and Horsemanship. This is also an area which many people sometimes to get lost in the true meaning. There is a very definite line between a horse being "soft" and a horse who is "uneducated".
Often times, we will hear someone say "My horse is so light, I barely touch the rein and he does this huge stop.". We might hear "Oh, my horse is really, really light, I can't use a bit on him.". Now, there are horses who are very sensitive. There are definitely horses who may not appreciate a bit in their mouth. I am not arguing those statements. What I find, more often than not with such horses however, is that they have never been educated to the bridle.
I like for my horse to place a certain amount of weight in my hand at all times. This does not mean that I want to ride one around on a taught rein. This also doesn't mean that I want a horse hanging on me, or trying to pull through me. I would rather they do that than tuck their nose to their chest and hide their face from me at the slightest contact though. I simply want a very light contact being transferred through a loose rein.
By my definition, softness is determined by the reaction that I receive from the slightest increase of pressure that I place upon that contact. If I am traveling along at a nice, forward trot and increase the pressure from my hand very slightly, asking my horse to slow the pace of that trot, that is what I expect to happen. Of course, the increase of hand requires that we must increase our leg, but that will take us down a whole different path of discussion. In this instance, should I gently apply slightly more contact and my horse should respond by slowing the pace of it's trot, I have achieved the soft response that I was seeking. Should my horse's response to the gentle increase of contact be to throw their head in the air, or to slam into a stop, my horse has shown me a lack of education.
That same principle can be seen when one is asking for lateral flexion. When I ask one to give it's nose laterally, I want for them to only give as much as asked. If I barely increase the contact on one rein, asking for my horse to give just enough that I might see the outside corner of their eye and I end up seeing the middle of their face, we have a problem. If I ask for that inch of bend and get a foot, that to me, is an evasion, like any other. We must always strive to get what we ask of horse's, but be careful that we are getting only that.
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
 
Location: Florida.. | good explanation and so true.. on the bit .. direct contact.. but not holding a frame...I always wondered about that with barrel racing.... I hear so many on here or at barrel racing events saying there horse is so light they have no bit contact.. I just thought that was how barrel racers do it.. then I think.. But then .. you have No contact or you have evasion of the bit.. and that could lead to issues especially when some dont have body control either . I see some that throw a bit that bites in mouth .. let them go around with No contact or horse evades.... then asked for transitions.. BAM.. horse gets twerked and his head goes up and its a mess. I also see soem that have Ill fitting bits or not adjusted correctly .. and that is a another pet peeve of mine.. you are sucha good teacher and explainer..with words..
Edited by Bibliafarm 2014-01-11 12:29 AM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 972
Location: Texas! | I like this! |
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | I wish my horse had more contact. He likes to tuck to the chin. Reiner history... |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | In my experience, once one learns to hide their face, it's nearly impossible to completely get it out of them. I was taught to feel one in my hand too. It's one reason I have had such a hard time shopping for prospects--too many are taught from the beginning to get behind the bit and evade contact. That might work for some, but it drives me crazy. People around here have wondered why I chose a trainer 5 hours away to break my babies. That's why! LOL |
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 Too Skinny
Posts: 8009
Location: LA Lower Alabama | i believe a true light mouth comes from a 'light body'. I think the biggest problem with uneducated trainers making one 'light mouthed' is those who forget a light mouth starts with your body signals not your hands. They focus on the horses head so much that they loose the feel in their body and legs causing a fake light mouth. |
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 Expert
Posts: 2097
Location: Deep South | I so wish I had the ability to explain things in words like you do! You just described to a T how I strive to have all of my colts riding, but when people ask me to explain my "style" to them, I'm fumbling for words. |
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 Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | Your explanation is so perfect! Most people have never felt a well trained soft horse, shoot there is so many "trainers" who haven't the slightest clue what soft really is. A soft horse does not evade contact by hollowing out or over flexing. He allows you to have that steady light contact where you can feel each other. I've honestly never had a horse come into my barn from another trainer soft.
This would tie right in with defining what soft hands are. I hear all the time that a person has soft hands because he rides on a loose rein, never gets in his horses mouth, never makes contact with the bit & never jerks on the reins. That is NOT soft hands. Soft hands can ride with contact, they know when to pick up more pressure & when to release the pressure simply be feel.
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 Famous for Not Complaining
Posts: 8848
Location: Broxton, Ga | Great post and comments...................
I know many train different ways but in my opinion.....too many times trainers.....go to draw reins, biting around and back etc "letting horses flip" and other aids trying to cut corners when more slow work with the hands benefit the horse..........
What I found is each horse is different........some come with a natural flex and give due to conformation.....some don't......it is true a horseman....that learn to adapt the training program and can take that horse to their full potential......... |
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