Step one:
Spinning. We've already started on this and I hope to practice a LOT in the round pen for the next 6+ weeks.
Even though I doubt we'll ever be as good as that guy, I really have high hopes. I think Red has the potential. Most of those horses are slightly smaller, but we can do it. Fat or skinny. ;)
Step two:
Backing.
THIS will be the hard part, especially with a hack. Red has NO sense of direction when backing and pretty much refuses to even try and do it. We shall see!
We will start with ground work first.
Step three:
Possibly harder than backing. Slides. Not sure how he'll do with this, mom doesn't even have high hopes for it. Is he too slow/stubborn??? Is he qualified for this stuff?? Time shall tell!!
So far, we're on day 1 of spinning..I watched a video-well several, but one really helped-on how to teach the horse and he literally tapped the outside rein and foot and turned. Once again, I may start with ground work. Ground work+treats+cuddling tends to =faster improvements with Red!
Any tips?? Ideas?? Websites that would help?? Videos?? Reining/cutting blogs?? Send them my way!! (Seriously. Or Red may look like a doofus while I try to spin)
Sounds like an awesome goal! I actually found a website with lots of western training articles, which may help you out. Heres what came up:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.horsechannel.com/western-horse-training/reining-topiclist.aspx
My suggestion is taking lessons from a qualified trainer.
ReplyDeleteCan't afford it.. I wish I could but lessons aren't for me right now. I think with some time we will manage okay by ourselves. If we ever decide to show I'll get someone professional to help, until then I have some people at my barn and then a family member who shows a lot and knows a lot. Haha!
DeleteDon't practice sliding stops without the help of a trainer. They can really, really mess up your horse and you really need a ring with good fitting, proper boots and ideally sliding plate shoes to do them properly.
ReplyDeleteI know that. :) I've done a lot of studying on it. Haha! As I said, it's going to be a goal for far, far, far in the future if we even GET to that point. For now, it's spinning and backing until I can afford the means to do everything safely. I wouldn't do anything without researching and making sure Red will be in good hands.
DeleteReining is awesome I think that's a great goal! But it's really tough- it's basically like western dressage, in my opinion. Those horses are in complete self-carriage. (The good reiners, anyway). And I was going to say the same thing about having special shoes for sliding stops- but you already know that! I have noooo idea how they teach sliding stops to a horse, but I sure bet they'd be fun! My old horse would spin, but I have no idea how they taught him. A cowboy had him before me though :) I'm pretty sure it's just one step at a time, though. Like the horse learns to pivot on his hind end doing a 360 (which you can definitely practice on the ground) and then the stronger and more familiar he gets with that, you can ask him to do it more and more quickly. I'm sure it takes a long time, though!
ReplyDeleteI think it's a lot like Western Dressage. Same very fluid, dance like movements. :) If Red was a tad more graceful, I think I'd be more into Western Dressage..maybe if I can ever afford a super well trained horse. LOL.
DeleteWhat I've started to do is the simple rein tap, foot tap, and a simple turn. He's responding well to the softer approach, I've heard it's harder with a hackamore but he seems to be doing good.
The pivot is where I'm having difficulties. ;) All of y'all know how clumsy footed he is. One of the reasons I wanted to try this is because I've heard it could improve that. Haha!
I'm going to offer my two cents, but only take it for what it's worth:) This is in no way meant as criticism, just advice as a blogger friend and some one who "gets it."
ReplyDeleteFirst off, goals are good. You should have goals. Goals keep us sane and make us feel like we're progressing through this juggling act that is training our horses. That being said, our goals don't have to be huge or complex. For a random example, when I first got Missy, she had horrible halts. Part of it was that she was very green and part of it was that I didn't have independent aids and I over-used my hands. These days, I just shift my weight back and she will halt from a canter. It takes time and patience to train a green horse. And for me, I had to do a lot of figuring out for myself because I couldn't always afford a trainer.
As with almost everything in life, with horses, we have to start at the very beginning. Not to go all dressage-queen on you, but there's a training scale (and this applies to almost every discipline that I can think of). You can't do single tempi-changes if you don't have a flying lead change, and you can't have a flying lead change if you don't have a forward, balanced canter, and you can't have a forward, balanced canter until you have a forward balanced trot, and you can't have a forward balanced trot until you have a forward balanced walk, etc. You can't go from A to F without getting to B,C,D, and E first. What I'm trying to say is, don't set your sight on "spins," because you'll end up frustrated and disappointed. Yeah, sure they can be an end goal when you do have someone more experienced to help you, but you CAN learn to work Red off your legs, which sets him up for turn-on-the-haunches, which eventually will set him up for "spins." Start simple, as even "the easy stuff" can take years to master (yes, I do know this from experience.)
There will come a point when you will need help in order to progress. I got Missy as far as I could by myself, but if you don't know how something is supposed to feel and you don't have eyes on the ground to help you, you simply don't know if its right or wrong. It sucks, but its true. This doesn't mean putting your horse in full training. This might just mean taking a lesson once every blue moon or even just getting help from someone who knows more. You can't expect yourself to be able to just figure it out. At some point, we all need help. Where exactly that is, depends on your mileage.
Lastly, If your serious about training Red, as you most certainly seem to be, I highly, highly recommend putting Red in a snaffle. For one thing, they are a lot more forgiving when your hands aren't super soft or experienced (and hey, you may have the world's softest hands, for all I know). Snaffles are not solely for "english" horses. Most western trainers start their horses in snaffles because going straight to a curb or a hack with long shanks is like going from A to F (skipping everything in between). It's a lot easier to train a green horse in a snaffle, because using two hands makes much more sense to them and if you make mistakes, again much more forgiving (it's very confusing to the horse to ride two handed in a curb or hack, those type of "bits" aren't designed for such purposes). Remember, just because there's not bit in his mouth, does not mean that it's less severe.
Sorry for the super long winded response, like I said, take everything I say as merely my own observations:)
Oh and I LOVE your new header!!!
Hahhaa! No worries on the long response, those are helpful!! :)
DeleteI'm going to start from the end, haha!
I've talked to my aunt and cousin who had shown him previously and asked about a bit, if he'd ever used one, etc, etc, etc! They said they had tried a snaffle, a wonder bit, and a few more, and he responded *horrible*. They attempted using a bit for years, but he was miserable and acted up way worse. A hack can be even more severe than the most severe bit in the wrong hands, I think I've made a post about that before, not positive though.. I've already bought a snaffle, and I'm tempted to use it, I just have to pick a day that I'm going to be there for awhile and the ride won't be rushed. :))
Right now, I'm not concerned about lessons, but I've checked out a few trainers already and I think if I ever get some money and time for it, I'll take a couple lessons. Red and I aren't ready for shows at all. We don't have a trailer, we don't have time, we don't have the money. Right now we're just working our way up to eventually being able to show, but my biggest thing is I want him to know his cues better and become a better horse in general, even if he stays on trails.
Red has already been used for western pleasure and has learned how to do some of this stuff already, I know spins are a long ways off, but I'm pretty much setting it in my future and saying, "THIS is what I want to work forward to." for when I can actually afford someone to help that's qualified. On the brightside, I do have a few people that know a lot about this stuff to help, not certified trainers, but just as good.
I've been working at the small things. One of the reasons I'm going to work on backing is because we've had moments in the trails that he needs to back, and instead I've had to dismount, and just PUSH until he moves.
We've already mastered a few things, but I've got a lot way to go until I even consider myself a good rider. I need to master the trot, I need to feel more confident, I need to improve my posture. Those are just a couple things that are my biggest worry. This training is in no way my biggest worry right now, but as you said, it's nice to have goals. These are my goals for whenever they can be.
However, when I did go to the round pen and see how he'd respond with a very small turn-kind of working up to a spin-he knew what to do and wanted to turn. So, I'll take really small steps and see what we can do safely without the trainer but with my knowledgeable friends right next to us. :))
I had an older ex-reiner. He was rusty and as much i got out of him, it was nothing compared to what a professional brought out in one ride. Maybe find a local trainer who would let you work off part of the price of a lesson just every once in awhile? It helps so much to watch someone do something the right way on your horse, then you and he know what the result should look and feel like. Otherwise just keep plugging at the basics, and baby step forward :)
ReplyDeletethat's one thing that I'm going to try and do..it'd be easier to find someone that I could somehow work for instead of paying..who knows. For now, baby steps. Haha!
DeleteThat's pretty much what my goal is for my horse. Starting with ground work is the best way. You can do all of those by yourself. Also make sure you have protective boots.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the process of trying to find a pair big enough for his massive feet now. Lol!!
DeleteGood luck with those goals, I am a self taught rider myself so I know it can be difficult sometimes but Im sure youll get there with time :)
ReplyDelete