Collection - Part 1 - Definition

Def'n of Collection
There is a lot that has been said about collection and why we need it in a horse. It is one of the biggest parts of Body Control or what is now being called Western Performance Horse Development.I encourage you to research the topic on the internet; even YouTube. A lot of great stuff has been written about collection. I will include some links at the bottom of this article.

It is certainly important to talk about collection when we talk about advanced training but it is also important when we want a horse to balance themselves with a rider. We don't want the horse to fall or stumble or at the least, not be able to do what we asked them to do.

Collection is, according to Jack Brainard (the master of flying lead changes) in his book "If I Were To Train A Horse": "The weight transfer from the front end to the engaged hindquarters." Update: July/7/2010. Jack is also promoting Western Dressage.

Larry Trocha (http://www.horsetraininvideos.com/) has a great definition on true collection. "True collection is a way of riding your horse that teaches him to round his back, lower his croup and travel with his hocks farther under his body."
Wikipedi says: "Collection is when a horse carries more weight on his hind legs than his front legs. The horse draws the body in upon itself so that it becomes like a giant spring whose stored energy can be reclaimed for fighting or running from a predator. "

Collection in Riding
Wikipedi goes on to say: "Collection is also an important ingredient in riding, if the rider wishes to perform more advanced movements or jumping. It not only allows the horse to move more easily and athletically, but also helps prevent wear-and-tear on the front legs. Through training, the horse learns to collect itself when requested to do so by the rider. The observer receives the impression of great strength held under perfect control."

This obviously implies to any type of more advanced movements like reining, cutting, working cow horse .... anything really.... that the horse is required to do athletically. The horse is better able to carry its rider.
That is why collection is taught to horses (& riders) during foundation training. This is a big part of the Body Control ie. Western Performance Horse Development. The horse needs to know how to collect themselves (or a rider knowing how to ask for collection) before the horse & rider progress to more athletic riding such as maneuvers.
Collection in ReiningFrom the Ontario Reining Horse Association (ORHA) website, 'A Pocket Handbook for Reiners' prepared for the NRHA by Mario Boisjoli... question 40. Is collection necessary in a reining horse?
Mario's answer is: "Collection is extremely important in helping a horse move better in the circles and to keep the hind legs underneath him in preparation for stops and lead changes."

More on why we need it, when we need it, what it feels like and how do we get it in the following articles.

My background on Collection
I never knew what collection was when I first learned how to ride properly in my early 20's. (That was sometime ago.) Often I would ask what collection is and why riders use it and I wasn't always given an answer that didn't made much sense. People seemed to say riders just needed it and would shy away from the question.
Almost like they didn't know why themselves and were put on the spot. And they were professionals.
So I decided to pursue the information on collection, knowing it was important, and really wanted to understand it well so that I could use it in my day to day riding and training. And with my reining horses, of course.

I will explain how I use collection and why collection is used in reining in later articles.

Links on Collection
YouTube video on collection on a reining horse at a walk. James Hansen and Ditte Poulsen demonstrates collection and giving in on the bridle in all three gaits.
YouTube video on teaching a western horse to collect by laumantr. I really like this video. It's 8 min. long and laumantr really shows how to teach a horse how to collect. The video is a little dark but I think you will get a lot out of it.
YouTube video explaining how a rider can ask for collection. Note: I really do not like the word 'submission' that is used. I prefer 'yielding'.
YouTube video explaining how a rider can ask for collection at a jog.
YouTube video explaining how a rider can ask for collection during a lope.

The video below shows Touch of The Whizard or Jackie collected during circles.


Questions & Comments always welcome.
If you need help with this, please contact me.


Putting my spin on Collection!
Reinersue
©Copyright KISS Reiners

Administrative details

Hello everyone.

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to post articles lately as I've been busy with some really important matters that I had to deal with. There were deadlines to meet.

I hope to be able to tell you about these new events in my life shortly.

Thanks for your understanding.

Reinersue

(photo is of the cutting statue in front of the AQHA museum in Amarillo, Texas)

A Trainer is Like Training Wheels for a Horse

Training Wheels
I was thinking about this the other day as I was giving Trigger, this blogs live example, a tune up.
A Trainer is like training wheels for the horse ....

Beginning of the Training or Learning Something New
When a horse is learning or being trained, the trainer acts like training wheels to assist the horse in learning something new. The trainer directs and teaches or assists the horse with all kinds of cues and training aids etc... to help the horse understand what the horse needs to learn.
It's very trainer intensive. The trainer does most of the work. The student (horse) is learning so not much teamwork comes from the horse. (They are still learning their part of the team).

Middle of the Training or Starting to Understand Something New
When the time comes that the horse starts to understand what it is that the horse needs to learn, the trainer can then back off from directing or heavily assisting the horse. The trainer still has to assist with consistent cues by tries to see if the horse can do it on their own.

End of Training or Horse Understands
So once the horse understands their role, knows the cues & communication, and can perform their part, then the training wheels can come off.
In other words, the trainer can simply ask or cue the horse and the horse will respond.

No more training wheels...

Putting my spin on training philosophy.
Reinersue
©Copyright KISS Reiners
(photo courtesy: Lana English. My champion reining mare, Jackie, going to herd hold at a team penning show.)

Monday Morning Review

Review & Refresh
A horse is like a human in that they learn from repetition. Consistent cues repeated over time and the horse will understand what it is that you want them to do.

If a horse has been laid off or not being ridden for a length of time, then the horse needs a review of the lesson(s) that was last taught to them to 'bring them up to speed'. It's like refreshing their minds. Or 'picking up where you left off'.

Health - You & Your Horse

33 Hints - Guide for Total Health
I saw this in the local Suntimes paper which gives great hints on improving your overall total health.
You improving your health will certainly reflect on your care for your horse.

(Photo of Mother & Daughter: Ramblin Trash & Spooks Gotta Starlight a.k.a Lady & Cleo)

Here they are:

Focus On Your Health - achieve it and maintain it.

Do Whatever You Enjoy - is it a benefit to all

Get Plenty of Rest - both body & spirit

Allow Yourself to Relax - be peaceful

Drink Water Everyday - get it from nature's supply

Water - not bottled

Get Your Life In Order - decided what is important and what is not.

Put Your Goals In Writing - writing helps to make them real

Prepare a Plan of Action - list what you must do to achieve your goals.

Tune In to Successful People - emulate the successful person you want to be next

Strive For the Right Mentors - share your goals and plan with them
Focus on Planned Achievement - set the bar realistically
Learn to Consider Others - do all the little things that cost nothing except your time
Make a Computer Your Friend - expand your hobbies
Make Success a Journey - enjoy the journey to your goals.
Avoid Comparing With Others - some people or are more & less successful
Continually Build Your Reputation - be reliable, honest & have integrity
Learn Something New Everyday - contentment is part of this
Don't be Afraid to Take Risks - little to loose and much to gain?
Improve Daily - perfect practise makes perfect
Exercise Daily - something you enjoy
Eat Healthfully - organics
Make Your Smile Contagious - smile on someone new everyday
Focus on 'Win-Win' - helps the world to be a better place
Read, Read, Read - expand your horizons
Live in the Moment - have more fun , more often. Enjoy now!
Give to Others - give to others contributes to yourself happiness
Set the Best Example - be the best you can be
Live Life to the Fullest - fill it with joy, giving, bliss and pleasure.
Make a Difference - how will your contribute?
Learn From Other's Mistakes - it's less painful
Be Forgiving to Everyone - only then will you forgive yourself
Settle for Only the Best - be the very best you can
Learn to Meditate - reflect or contemplate. it will help you reach your inner soul.

I hope you find this of benefit.
Reinersue

©KISS Reiners

Cruise Control

The Need for Balance
Some rider's have a tendency to be "hanging on a horse's face" to balance themselves especially when first learning to ride. Still others have a tendency to only use their reins for cues (& very little leg). (I remember being taught this way about 25 years ago.) I still see some riders today who use their reins for everything (and their legs very little).

Horse's in my youth (and still some today) were also taught to have all of their cues mostly from the reins. This developed a horse that is heavy on the reins (remember Trigger's Evaluation?) It also teaches a horse to not want to move freely forward as the reins are always being pulled or held a lot of the time.

Cruising Around
One important lesson that a trainer can teach a horse is to go forward with impulsion on their own; without rider intervention.
I don't think I'd want to constantly have my face picked on (or nagged).

Impulsion Exercises
As I've talked about in other articles (see Impulsion, Warm Up), impulsion allows a horse to go forward collected. This allows the horse to stay balanced (with you on their back) and perform the maneuver or request with finesse, lightness, suppleness and correctness. (The horse doesn't stumble or look awkward).

Collection
Collection is, according to Jack Brainard in his book "If I Were To Train A Horse": "The weight transfer from the front end to the engaged hindquarters." I'll talk about Collection more in a separate article. Just remember to ask the horse to collect while they are doing this exercise (if you know how).

Lesson 14 - Cruise Control
One exercise that I like to teach horses and students is the Cruise Control exercise. I often use it as part of my warm up to check to make sure that the horse is travelling forward well on their own.

Basically the exercise starts in an enclosed arena after the warm up.
The rider then asks the horse to walk and places their hands on the horn. (The rider is not allowed to steer or direct the horse in any manner).
The horse is then allowed to go wherever the horse wishes, as long as they walk (the requested speed).
The rider only corrects the horse if the horse slows down or speeds up. (This also teaches a horse to rate themselves or stay at the same speed).
Once the horse has not needed any corrections in several minutes, the horse is then 'flexed to a stop' and allowed to rest as a reward.
After a rest reward (comparable in length to the effort put out by the horse), the horse is then asked to jog.
The process is then repeated for the jog.
The process is then repeated for the trot & lope.

Other Notes
I usually establish a starting point in terms of the number of minutes the horse was able to walk with impulsion without corrections. Say that's 5 minutes. The next time I do this exercise, I will not do the Cruise Control at a walk for anything less than 5 minutes (our base point).
The objective is to increase the length of time the horse can go at the requested speed on their own without being corrected. This implies to the jog, trot & lope as well.

Just to Prevent Boredom
Another thing I like to do in the Cruise Control exercise is add in suppling exercises to prevent boredom. I like to 'check in' with the horse every now and then to make sure they have not tuned me out. This is once the horse is familiar with this exercise (of course!).
I will add a quick flex to the inside or a 'hip in' or 'shoulder in' exercise (anything to get them paying attention to me but not a steering exercise) and then place my hands on the horn and let the horse continue on cruise.

It's a great confidence booster for the horse. And it's a test of trust for the rider.

For information on my very innovative& fun approach to training & learning, please contact me. I'll be happy to discuss it with you.
Putting my spin on Trust.
Reinersue
©Copyright KISS Reiners

Warm Up - Check for Resistance

Warm Up Muscles

Every athlete needs to warm up their muscles before a workout and so do horses. A nice quiet warm up, familiar to the horse, gives a nice start & sets the mood to every ride or training session.

Warm Up for Rider

Don't forget to warm up your muscles too!

It's also a great time to review your training plan or lesson plan for the ride. (Where did you put those lesson sheets? :)

I have one student who used the warm up time to also practice breathing exercises to calm herself as she was just back into the saddle after a 15 year break.

Check for Lameness or Soreness

It's also important to check to make sure that the horse is not experiencing any lameness or soreness. If done every ride, a rider can tell if their horse is 'off their game' and not ready to learn.

Resistance - A System's Check

A series of exercises, like the lateral flexion, can be done to determine if the horse is resisting or stiff in one or more parts of their body.

It's important to remove any resistance in the horse (there will always be some) in order for the horse to learn properly and more easily what it is that you want them to do. It also works on softening the face.

Refresh or Review

The warm up portion of a ride can be used to refresh or review previous lessons. (I do not add anything that the horse doesn't know how to do.) The horse will enjoy this as they know what is asked and can start the ride or training session with a success. Why not? It really builds confidence in the horse (& rider).

As a trainer, I sometimes find a certain point in a horse's training during warm up where the horse is not as far along as I would like, so my whole training session for that day can be reviewing previous material until the horse is really understanding (just prior to boredom). That's what communication is all about!

Cool Down

Likewise, the cool down can also be a repeat of the warm up, where the horse can walk or jog quietly and the rider can check for soreness or resistance.

Goal - Build Try in a Horse

The goal is to make the start of the lesson (Warm Up) and the end of the lesson (Cool Down) a pleasant experience for the horse. This will encourage a horse to keep trying and to enjoy their time with their rider.

Sequence of Warm Up Exercises

Pre-Warm Up

- pre-tacking & tacking up

- any groundwork in or out of round pen

- any longeing, if necessary

- partial mount up

- mount up & flex at standstill

Warm Up

- flex at a walk (checking for all points above)

- flex to a stop and/or E1RS and/or flex to slow down

- if ok, flex at a jog (checking for all points above & horse knows how to jog)

- flex to a stop and/or E1RS and/or flex to slow down

- if ok, flex at a trot (checking for all points above & horse knows how to trot)

- flex to a stop and/or E1RS and/or flex to slow down

- if ok, flex at a lope (checking for all points above & horse knows how to lope)

- flex to a stop and/or E1RS and/or flex to slow down

- if ok, review anything the horse may need to review

- now ready for the rest of the lesson!

Impulsion

The flex at a walk, flex at a jog, flex at a trot & flex at a lope creates and teaches impulsion in a horse. See article on impulsion.

Cool Down

- flex at a walk and flex to a stop to cool down

- a short trail ride or a ride down the laneway to get the mail! (that's another story!)

Other Training to Review

Other training pieces to add could be infinite, really but it mainly focuses on what is currently being taught. So if I were teaching a horse to spin then I would review the previous spin lesson to make sure the horse is ready to progress to the next step.

For example, if the horse is spinning using the fence as a guide and I'm ready to teach the horse to spin not using the fence, I would review the spin maneuver using the fence to make sure the horse knows how to spin.

So the rest of my training lesson would be weaning the horse off the fence while doing the spin.

Trigger's Warm Up
Trigger and I have been braving the slightly cold temperatures of January as we work on our lateral flexion, flex to a stop, E1RS, and our flexing at a walk, jog, trot & lope (& lope departures).

I will talk about Cruise Control in the next lesson.

Stay Warm!

Reinersue

©Copyright KISS Reiners

Training Goals - A Review

Healthier & Happier
I thought I would include these great tips for happiness that I read while I was waiting for my truck to be fixed yesterday.
January is a great time to review our goals for the year, including our training and horse goals, and decide 1 thing that we can do to make our life & our horse's happier and healthier.

10 Health Tips to Happiness (source: Chatelaine, Jan.09)
1. Nap (I love them! I get energized.)
2. Stretch 2x day (I love stretching every morning when I first wake up.)
3. Exercise lightly every day (ie. horse riding or horse activity! :)
4. Keep in touch with friends. (they are so important)
5. Lots of sex. (releases endorphins)
6. Yearly checkup (take control of your overall health)
7. Keep a journal. (or blog! :)
8. Go organic. (I keep getting more and more organic every year!)
9. Remove a bad habit or vice and replace it with a good habit. (hay... sounds like foundation horse training).
10. One step at a time. (Making 1 change at a time is quite doable.)

One Change at a Time
How about improve your horsemanship!
I'm here to help!

Thumbs up for learning!
Reinersue

©KISS Reiners

Impulsion - Go Forward Cue

Going Forward

Impulsion, or going forward, is required for all that we do with a horse. You would think that a horse, of all animals, would go forward a lot! Well they do. But with a rider aboard, the horse needs to learn to go forward in balance with us.

From Wikipedia: Impulsion (photo by Wikipedia)

'Impulsion is the pushing power (thrust) of a horse, which comes from his desire to move powerfully forward with energy. However, speed does not create impulsion, and a rushing horse is more likely to be "flat" than impulsive. A horse can only have impulsion if his hind legs are engaged and his elastic back allows the power to come through.'

Teaching a Horse to Go Forward With Impulsion

If you've ever ridden a colt who's had a rider for the very 1st time, you will see how the horse will be hesitant to go forward. They do not know how to keep balanced (with new weight on horse's back) without falling. So the horse does not go forward. And this happens as a trainer introduces each of the new gaits as well.

The horse needs to be trained or understood that it's ok to go forward with weight on their back. So part of colt starting teaches a horse to go forward. It's a key area in starting a horse.

A Necessity for All Riders

It's also a key area for a rider to reinforce the idea of going forward to their horse. When you feel a horse getting stuck or not moving forward or hesitating, when they should be going forward then you need to do exercises to get the horse going forward.

Foundation Training

Part of foundation training is to teach the horse the cues to go forward and to understand when it's necessary to go forward during a certain maneuver or exercise.

Warm Up

Part of my warm up at the beginning of each ride teaches and reinforces the idea of having lots of forward motion in a horse.

Cruise Control

Another exercise I like to call Cruise Control, also teaches a horse to move with impulsion on their own. I believe it's the horse's job, as part of the team, to keep going forward in the gait that is requested.

Next 2 articles will go into more detail about my Warm Up program and my Cruise Control lesson.

Let's go forward!
Reinersue
©Copyright KISS Reiners

'Whoa' Before You Go (Forward)

'Whoa' Before You Go
A rider has to be able to get a horse stopped no matter the situation. So teaching a horse to stop or 'whoa' is the 1st lesson taught.
(The photo, top right, is a sliding stop by my champion paint mare Ramblin Trash. Photo by Riverbend designs.)

Halter Groundwork, Bridle Groundwork, Bridle Longeing, Mounted
I teach the stop ('flex to a stop' to be exact):

First with the halter on the ground (usually where the horse is groomed). (This is the day to day handling I spoke about in the Groundwork article).

1. Once the horse is familiar, I then switch to the bridle and teach the stop from the ground in the round pen.
2. From the round pen again, I teach the horse the Flex to a Stop bridled while being longed until familiar; almost bored. (You can see the progression here).
3. Finally, I teach and then reinforce the Flex to a Stop bridled while mounted at the walk, jog, trot and then lope.

1st Lesson for Riders too
It's also the 1st lesson I teach students; also for safety reasons.
It offers a peace of mind that a rider or trainer can get a horse to stop.

Flex to a Stop
For a complete explanation on how to get a horse stopped, see my previous article Flex to a Stop or Slow Down or Emergency 1 Rein Stop (E1RS).
Sliding Stop
Of course the ultimate Flex to a Stop is the Sliding Stop. That's one of the ways I've combined effective horsemanship exercises with my reining program.

For an innovative approach to training and lessons, please contact me.Reinersue
©KISS Reiners

Partial Mount Up - A Good Safety Tool

Partial Mount up
Before I go further with Trigger's progress, I wanted to talk about partial mount ups.
Everyone who has started colts under saddle has a partial mount up. Desensitizing the horse to a rider on the horse's back before the rider actually gets on the horse for the first few times.

Stacey Westfall is one reining trainer who really developed a detailed partial mount up exercise.

Partial Mount Up for Riders

I not only use my extensive partial mount up program when starting colts, I also have adopted it for my students as well. In fact, I use it every time I mount up even on my champion reining horses. I've even used it on cattle drives when my horse is SO excited about working, that they sometimes don't want to wait for me!
It's a great way to check to make sure everything is ok before you completely mount up.
What a peace of mind that can be for alot of riders; especially beginners.

The rider has the horse's face flexed while they half mount or partially mount. If the horse is quiet and everything seems ok, then the other leg can be swung over and the rider can complete the mount up. If there is any trouble, the rider simply pushes off the horse to safety.

Since this is SUCH an important tool for a rider to have, (in fact it's one of the first things I teach my students), that I want to include the steps from Lesson 6 - Partial Mount Up & Lesson 9 - Mount Up & Flex from my book.*

Lesson 6 - Partial Mount Up & Lesson 9 - Mount Up & Flex (from Foundation Reining Training step-by-step manual)

In round pen, horse saddled & bridled, standing on left side of horse at saddle fender with a rein in each hand:
1. Flex&hold horn (so horse stands still) with left hand, other hand on cantle for balance & to steady your hands. Toe in left stirrup, push yourself up & balance over left stirrup. Really rub their off side & praise them. Step down. Release hold on horn. Repeat up & down on this side a few times while horse stands still. Always repeat for other stirrup. Check for reactions & respond accordingly. Stand & Rest to absorb for Reward.
2. To Partial Mount Up: Once calm, flex&hold horn again. Toe in left stirrup & push yourself up & rest your belly across saddle seat while you balance yourself with left hand on horn. (Partial mount up!) Really rub them all over & praise them. Step down. Release horn. Repeat a few times on this side. Repeat for other stirrup. Check for reactions & respond.
3. To Mount Up!: Once calm, do a partial mount up but complete the mount up by swinging your other leg gently over rump & rest yourself gently on saddle. (Mount up!) Keep this leg out of stirrup so you can dismount in a hurry if necessary. Sit quietly for 10secs, rub on horse. Smoothly dismount. Reward horse. Release hold on horn. Repeat at least 10 times, check for reactions. Repeat for other stirrup. Good job! Rest to absorb.
4. Flex After Mounting: After mounting, with reins in bridge position, slide (don’t reach) one hand 1/2 way down one rein then pull back toward your leg so horse’s head is bent 90° toward stirrup.
5. Set rein taut by holding rein on your leg so you can feel when horse gives a little & loosens rein. Then…
6. Immediately place reins on horn for reward.
7. Repeat several times each side until horse easily gives face laterally to bit pressure. Then rest for reward.
8. Always repeat for each side.
9. Do the reverse for a dismount: flex to stop, stand to rest, flex both sides & then dismount.

Goal: To get horse to stand while being partially mounted, mounted& flexed & dismounted safely.
Notes:

1. Horse panics, push yourself away from horse while holding rein. Repeat lesson 3 – Flex with Bridle until calm then repeat.

2. Practice this partial mount up on a broke horse first.

3. Practice emergency push-off on a broke horse first.

4. Be sure you are not driving your toe into horse's side.

5. Use lots of repetitions & tiny incremental steps.

6. If horse won’t jog or trot, decrease bend in horse’s neck.

7. Gets them used to seeing & hearing you from above.

8. Rubbing on them makes session enjoyable to them!

9. Teaches horse to balance themselves with your weight.

10. Hand on horn, steadies hand & prevents bumping mouth accidentally.

11. Use partial mount up until you are ready & confident to completely mount up.

12. Partial mount up can be done before mounting up on any horse (especially unfamiliar) to check out horse’s mind set!

13. Great for a horse that won’t stand still to mount up!!

14. It’s important to check horse’s mind set especially on green broke horses.

15. For more information on teaching a horse to flex&hold horn or partial mount up, please refer to my Body Control Colt Starting lessons for instructions.

16. It’s important to know & do for safety. See also Stacey Westfall’s Horse&Rider Smart Start© series.

More Notes

1. Longe horse bitted up first to get the fresh off & horse paying attention to you.
2. If horse panics after mounting, do an emergency one rein stop (E1RS) & dismount.
3. Teaches horses to stand still for mounting.
4. Partial mount up gives you an opportunity to check for horse’s mood & any problems before mounting.
5. Flex after mounting gives horse something to standstill for & you can check horse’s stiffness before riding.
6. This is a review of my Body Control Colt Starting. Please refer to my Body Control Colt Starting lessons for complete instructions.
7. See also Clinton Anderson’s Starting Under Saddle© series. And Stacey Westfall’s Horse&Rider Smart Start© series.

I recommend the partial mount up before every ride!

Putting my spin on safely mounting.

Reinersue

©Copyright KISS Reiners

Flex to Stop, Flex To Slow Down (Downward Transition), Emergency 1 Rein Stop (E1RS)

Two of the major areas on a horse to learn to get body control via body control foundation training/western performance horse development is the head & poll of the horse. One of the best ways to do that is with lateral flexion; namely Flexing to a stop, Flexing to slow down and the famous Emergency 1 Rein Stop.


The lateral flexion work starts with the horse haltered (groundwork), progresses to when the horse is bridled (more groundwork) and is repeated when the horse is mounted.
The photo top left shows Trigger when I first asked him to Flex To A Stop while mounted. Notice the resistance in the face. The photo top right shows Trigger as he starts to flex and get softer (his head is moving towards the vertical). He is not resisting. He is starting to understand.
Flex To a Stop, Flex to Slow Down &
Emergency 1 Rein Stop
Below is an exert from my book* which gives the steps to teach a horse to flex laterally from the ground while longeing & bridled. First the Flex To a Stop, then Emergency 1 Rein Stop (Flex To A Sudden Stop or E1RS), & finally Flex to Slow Down (downward transition).In round pen, horse bridled & with stick&string in hand:
1. Ask horse to walk around you. Keep horse walking. Use stick&string for forward motion if necessary.
2. Flex to a Stop: While walking, slide (don’t reach) one hand ½ way down rein & pull back towards you, as you step in front of horse’s shoulder & say ‘whoa’ bending horse’s head until horse stops. Immediately release rein for reward. Rest to reward & absorb idea.
3. Turn slightly in same direction again, ask horse to walk on & repeat lesson a few times.
4. Repeat for a jog to a stop, trot to a stop & lope to a stop so horse gets used to flexing to a stop.
5. Repeat until horse understands to stop when flexed.
6. Always repeat for other direction.
7. Emergency 1 Rein Stop (Flex to a sudden Stop)(E1RS): While walking, quickly slide (don’t reach) your one hand ½ way down rein & pull back hard towards you, as you step in front of horse’s shoulder & say ‘whoa’ bending horse’s head so horse stops now.
8. Pull as hard as needed to get horse stopped now! In an emergency, pull aggressively hard to get them stopped immediately. Safety is important here.
9. Immediately release rein for reward. Rest to reward & absorb idea.
10. Turn slightly in same direction again, ask horse to walk on & repeat lesson a few times. Rest a minute to absorb lesson.
11. Repeat for a jog to a stop, trot to a stop & lope to a stop so horse gets used to a rapid change in speed.
12. Repeat until horse understands to stop immediately with a quick flex laterally.
13. Repeat for other direction.
14. Flex to Slow Down (Downward transition): While jogging, slide one hand ½ way down rein & pull back towards you, as you step in front of the horse’s shoulder & say ‘walk’ bending horse’s head until horse slows down to a walk. Don’t release until horse walks. Keep walking!
15. Immediately release rein for reward while walking.
16. Ask horse to jog again & repeat lesson a few times. Rest a minute to absorb lesson.
17. Repeat for a trot to a jog, trot to a walk, lope to a trot, lope to a jog & lope to a walk so horse gets used to flexing to slow down.
18. Repeat until horse understands to slow down when lightly flexed.
19. Repeat for other direction.

Goal: For horse to understand an Emergency 1 Rein Stop (E1RS), Flex to slow down or Flex to stop.
Notes:
1. E1RS: Great to stop horses from bucking.
2. E1RS: Used as an emergency stop or as a correction on an unruly horse. Don’t leave home without it!
3. Horse needs to stay stopped in case you have to dismount in a hurry. Please practice this also.
4. Use mild snaffle bit with jointed mouthpiece.
5. Work both sides evenly.
6. Don’t release until horse has stopped, or slowed down.
7. Emergency 1 Rein Stop referred to as E1RS.
8. This is in preparation for riding.
9. This will help to get a soft face while doing sliding stops.
10. This is a review of my Colt Starting lesson.

Other Notes:Once familiar on the ground, the same steps are repeated while mounted.
Flex to a Stop
Teaches the horse a rein cue to flex at the poll. Teaches horse to get light & responsive in the mouth and stops immediately. The horse gets soft and responsive. It's great for teaching a horse to stop with voice & body commands and do a correction with the reins. It's body control.
It's the start of a correct headset as well. And more importantly collection. (I will talk about collection in another article).

Flex to Slow Down or Downward Transition
Teaches a horse to slow down with a slight flex of the reins. Used as a correction when the horse does not respond to 'easy'. Teaches a horse to rate their speed (used in reining and other events). This is body control or western performance horse development.
Is a safety feature for a rider when a horse speeds up too quickly and they want to be able to slow the horse down quickly.
Great in colt starting when the colt is not used to a new gait, gets scared; the colt can be slowed down or stopped.


Alot has been said, read, practiced & perfected with this Flex to A Sudden Stop (as I call it).
Really gets a horse light and responsive.
Teaches a horse especially when 1st taught on the ground, to be prepared for when a sudden stop is called for. The horse does not freak out.
Of course, a great safety feature.

Questions and comments are always welcome.
Putting my spin on Flexing to slow down or stop, perhaps in a hurry!
Reinersue
©Copyright KISS Reiners

Trigger's Lateral Flexing Lesson

UPDATE: For more information on lateral flexion, see Horse&Rider Jan. 09, Clinton Anderson Do-It-Yourself Training, Part I, "Flex Time" article

As I always say: 'DO NOT LEAVE HOME WITHOUT IT!

Putting my spin on training.
Reinersue
@KISS Reiners

1st Anniversary

1st Anniversary

1 year ago today I announced that I had opened my Foundation Reining Training Centre.

I was so excited and full of dreams.

I was at the Grey Bruce Farmer's Week - Horse Day and I was asked to speak on Bits- What to Use When.

After the presentation, I handed out my new brochure and answered many, many questions.

It was an exciting moment for me in my life. Truely fulfilling a passion in my life. You can imagine!

Please toast with me to my future success!!!

Putting a spin on things!

Reinersue

Foundation Reining Training Centre

©Copyright KISS Reiners

Groundwork - A Paradigm Shift in Training

Groundwork... Groundwork.... Groundwork
Like location, location, location..... groundwork really does make a HUGH difference in a horse's ability to learn faster and easier. It also helps a rider to learn faster and easier.

So why not?

Paradigm Shift In Training
Gone are the days when it was considered common practise to start all training once mounted (after a little longeing perhaps and then that wasn't very common either. I rarely did it.). Remember those days when you were a little nervous or unsure about getting on a horse because you weren't sure what they would do? Well not any more!
We now, thanks to many pioneer horsemanship trainers, have a new common practise to do groundwork first. Yea! Its made a big difference in my training program.
So I go on record now in thanking those pioneers for making groundwork an everyday practise.

What Can Be Achieved
I personally believe that almost EVERYTHING can be taught to a horse first while on the ground. If not, then at least some part of the training steps.

So why not?

Here is a partial list of what can be achieved from groundwork:

• establish mutual respect and trust between horse and human
• establish communication between horse and rider
• getting rewarded for a positive response
• establishing good habits in your and your horse
• teach the horse to pay attention to you as team leader (& establish you as team leader)
• establish basic body control on the horse (lateral flexion, sidepassing, etc..)
• familiarize/learn the step-by-step progressive process in training (ie. training scale) 
• teach the horse to respect your space
• determining temperament of the horse to customize training program
• learn to read the horse's body language and visa versa
• establish a mental connection with your horse
• start to teach the horse to handle pressure in training
• teach the horse to follow you (hooked on you)
• establish & reinforce forward motion in the horse (which is so important)
• teach the horse voice commands like the 'kiss', 'cluck', 'whoa', etc.
• teach a horse to stop and backup using voice and rein cues
• to create confidence in you and your horse
• do a system's check to make sure everything is OK before mounting.
• make sure your cinch is tight enough before mounting.
• for the rider to really like being around their horse & visa versa!

I could go on and on and on. (Which I will as we do the groundwork exercises).

Isn't this great?!

And there is SO much available now a days on the Internet and through videos etc. to learn how to benefit from groundwork. Here is a link to a YouTube video of Clinton Anderson’s Gaining Respect and Control From the Ground Series I.The key to groundwork for the trainer is that the learning process is made easier and faster and is more satisfying for the horse. Effective horsemanship methods encourage the horse to want to be a team player and to enjoy their job.
What a way to start the lesson or ride! It's a quick way to check things before riding.

So, my body control foundation reining training (as well as all my other training programs)... you guessed it... are heavily grounded in groundwork. :)

Round Penning and Longeing
The way to do a lot of the ground work is by doing round penning  and longeing exercises.
I won't go into them here in detail for this series of articles on Trigger except for the groundwork that I will do with Trigger, (I will go over them in more detail in a later series of articles). For general information, I recommend you look up Clinton Anderson and  Stacey Westfall's groundwork programs so you are familiar with the general terms.

Everyday Handling
What I do want to especially point out is that a lot of groundwork can be done while you are handling your horse in your day to day activities. Feeding, turn out .... anytime you are with your horse can be turned into a groundwork success.
I use this a lot when I work my horses or customer's horses.

Why not? Why not reinforce the positive work and behaviour you want in your horse.
Be consistent in your handling. It's easy! And a little training every time really adds up. And you are establishing good habits with your horse.

Trigger in the Cross Ties
If you've been reading my articles, I've started to give an older gelding named Trigger a tune up. Tune up's are 'training by the hour' sessions used as retraining in the horse. (Reinforcing the body control foundation). Trigger needs to have a basic handle or foundation. Don't they all?!?!

In my first training session, I worked with Trigger on the ground while I brushed and saddled him. This is where I start to teach a lot of the basics for the horse like lateral flexion, emergency 1 rein stop, flex to a stop, voice commands like 'whoa' and 'cluck', and to backup (see the list above). Trigger is not very responsive to voice commands. He is used to being pulled on by the reins for most of his cues.
What I will do with Trigger (and all horses who were taught the 'everything is done with the reins') is to associate the voice and leg cues with his old heavy reins cues. As he understands the voice and leg cues, I will wean him off the heavy rein cues. I will then retrain him that light rein cues are used for other things like flexion and steering.

Longeing
After I was satisfied that Trigger started to understand lateral flexion, getting rewarded for a positive response (that I wasn't going to hurt, nag or bug him), started to understand 'whoa' and 'cluck', I then took him outside and did all this again while longeing.

Under Saddle
Once I was satisfied that Trigger started to understand lateral flexion, getting rewarded for a positive response (that I wasn't going to hurt, nag or bug him), started to understand 'whoa' and 'cluck', I then mounted and did all this again while at a walk, jog and trot. You can see the progressive steps.... ground, longeing, mounted.

Body Control Foundation/Western Dressage, Reining Techniques and Training- An Overall Flavour
Being a reining trainer, I do teach the groundwork, foundation training and all other training (including reining) using body control and reining fundamentals and techniques. I believe it gives the BEST, most complete training. (I'm biased. I know. I like it!). It's ultimate power steering and power brakes!!
Any and all horses can benefit from it. That's the beauty of it!
. Update: Dec/2011, western performance horse development is now the general term being used for body control foundation training. Imagine that! :)

So once I have done the initial training (introducing what I want the horse to learn) via groundwork, and once the horse understands what I am asking (communication has been established), I do repeat the lesson and perfect the lesson while mounted. This could and generally takes several sessions. The goal, after all, is to get the horse better trained while mounted as well.

I will mention as I write the articles, the body control foundation and reining techniques or exercises that I use. The lateral flexion for example is the start to having a softer, more responsive mouth. That's body control and that is definitely a requirement in reining. More on this in the next article.

The next few articles will talk in more detail about each of the exercises I did. I started the Body control work with Lateral Flexion, Flex (laterally) to a stop, Flex (laterally) to slow down, and Emergency 1 Rein Stop (Flex laterally to a sudden stop).

Need to have a 'whoa' before you can 'go'! (For safety of course!)

Not feeling up to par but still want to work your horse..... do groundwork.
Don't have a ton of time to spend working your horse ..... do groundwork.
Want to reinforce something taught under saddle.... do groundwork.
I think you're getting the idea I want to get across.

Key to Groundwork - A Peace of Mind
The key to groundwork is that the rider can be absolutely sure (as much as is possible) that when they step aboard the horse, they know, without a doubt, that they are confident that the horse is safe and the rider and horse have established a communication between each other.

If you need any help with groundwork or any other, please contact me for an information package on my fun, innovative approach.

Putting my spin on groundwork.

Reinersue

©Copyright KISS Reiners

Horse Evaluation Before Training

Not All Horses Were Created Equal
Evaluating a horse's current training level and abilities allows me as the trainer to establish a 'base point' or starting point. I am then able to customize a step-by-step progressive training program that will really work for the horse based on the horse's temperament and learning ability. Makes sense...

Trigger Gets A Tune Up

What a better way to talk about foundation reining training and the exercises by using an actual live equine-in-training example....
Trigger is an older gelding recently purchased by one of my students and she has asked me to give Trigger a 'tune up'. Basically Trigger is a western trained horse but like a lot of general riding horses, he lacks a good solid foundation or handle. And what a better way to give him a better handle than using body control foundation training based in reining principles.  Article defining Body Control here.

I will explain in this article, the progressive steps I use to improve Trigger's training. I will follow the lessons/steps as outlined in my book.

Update: I will also intersperse horse philosophy and horse behaviour articles as well.

Wintertime Tune Ups
I also want to mention that the wintertime is a great time to get a tune up on your horse.
Not riding this winter... give your horse a tune up and be ready for spring.
To me.... horses costs too much money to keep over the winter, just to be parked until spring.
I refer to these hourly lessons as Horse Training by The Hour! or Tune up! It's usually a reinforcement or training of body control foundation that was missed.

I hope you find this informative as we follow Trigger along in his tune up.
Next, will be Trigger's evaluation. Article's link here.

Cheers
Putting my spin on Tune Ups!
Reinersue
©Copyright KISS Reiners