Ingalill and Ástvaldur
Ingalill Østergård from Denmark is an experienced rider and has a variety of different horses in her Stald Hestur, including Icelandic horses. She brought us a pair of vigorous youngsters to start and decided to take a lesson herself while she was visiting.
She had a particular problem in mind she wanted to work on. Although she is no beginner she has been having problems with this gelding of hers. He is fine on the track but every time she tries to do dressage work with him he pulls away when she tries to ride circles. "He is not a disobedient horse" she tells us and figures it must be something she is doing incorrectly. She asked if we can go through the basics again of riding a circle on one of our school horses. Dani, our dressage expert was happy to assist.
She had a particular problem in mind she wanted to work on. Although she is no beginner she has been having problems with this gelding of hers. He is fine on the track but every time she tries to do dressage work with him he pulls away when she tries to ride circles. "He is not a disobedient horse" she tells us and figures it must be something she is doing incorrectly. She asked if we can go through the basics again of riding a circle on one of our school horses. Dani, our dressage expert was happy to assist.
Before they even got to circles Dani wanted Inga to ride Ástvaldur on loose reins and let him stretch. He was a great horse for this exercise because he is large for an icelandic and has wide, pronounced strides which are easy to feel under saddle. Inga was suppose to get a feel for his steps and know when each leg was in the air, "...because only then you can influence the steps and determine the pace and direction of the horse. When you feel the inner belly slightly move towards your leg it's an indicator that the back, inner leg is in the air. You want to give an impulse with your inner leg in that moment to signal the horse to step under. The same goes for the outside leg. You can look at the horses diagonal shoulder for help."
To extend the exercise Inga was asked to take up the reins, but make sure Ástvaldur would keep the same pace and not shorten his stride. She would have to give leg impulses at the right time to influence his hind steps. After they successfully completed this Inga had to repeat the exercise a few times and until the gelding kept the rhythm no matter the length of the reins.
To extend the exercise Inga was asked to take up the reins, but make sure Ástvaldur would keep the same pace and not shorten his stride. She would have to give leg impulses at the right time to influence his hind steps. After they successfully completed this Inga had to repeat the exercise a few times and until the gelding kept the rhythm no matter the length of the reins.
"Now that we are able to control the strides of the hind legs we want to look at the front legs." Dani explained, "Influencing the front legs is more controlling the direction of the shoulders." she made it clear they still weren't on the topic of circles or bending, yet. The correct way to explain that would be to ride from the back to the front. This was just about the steps of the horse. Dani wanted to put the correct image in Inga's head. "Think of the mechanics as this; If you want to move your horse towards me you don't pull the head around and let the body follow. You want to 'push' the shoulder in, letting the front legs determine the direction of the horse and the back legs follow the tracks and keep pace, which we already know how to do, now."
The best exercise for that is the shoulder-fore. "Now we are also getting into the subject 'bending and flexing'" Dani announced and together they went through the aids of bending. "Make yourself long inside, hip forward. You want to literally bend the horse around your inner leg." To help keep the image in Inga's head Dani asked her to exaggerate everything. Her outside leg behind the girth, her hips turned in the saddle, the riders eyes starring inside towards the trainer. Both reins at the same length, the outside hand going forward only a bit to enable the horses head to flex. "Only far enough so you can see the inner eye. Ears of the horse should stay horizontal. Outside leg frames the horse, keeping the haunches from falling out, inside leg keeps the horse on the line."
This was not knew to Inga, but even great riders can forget minor things, so Dani freshened her students memory.
"I want you to do a half-halt in the corner and shoulder-fore on the long side. Make sure you keep rhythm." Dani requested.
Ástvaldur having little experience with shoulder-fore had difficulties executing his riders wishes. He tried going on a circle but was quickly stopped by his intuitive rider before he strayed too far. By the third round he knew what his rider was asking of him and they rode a beautiful shoulder-in. Inga was asked to repeat it in trot.
"On the next short side instead of shoulder-fore I want you to bend him. Then ride a circle at C" Dani told her after completing another successful shoulder-fore, that even turned into a shoulder-in. They stayed in a trot and rode full school. Once getting to 'C' Inga prepared the gelding for a bend, at the next mark 'M' he was in a bend and she rode a circle.
Dani gave her feedback. "Ok, that was good. But you started too late. I want you to ride another circle in the center of the arena by 'X'. You only touch the outside track on two points. Frame him from the outside, that should be his stability. You should even be able to drop the inner rein slightly and he should still be in a bend."
Inga did just that and let the inner rein slack a bit. Her outside leg behind the girth, connection with outside rein keeping Ástvaldur from falling on his outside shoulder, hips and back bending him around the inner leg. Although there was no connection on the inside rein he kept a correct bend, because if his body was bent correctly, so would his head be.
Dani complimented her student. "Very good, now I want you to ride a circle again at 'C', he should be in that bend before you even get to 'H'. If he is already in a correct bend by 'C' then he will automatically go on a circle without you having to ride him "off" the outside track.
The best exercise for that is the shoulder-fore. "Now we are also getting into the subject 'bending and flexing'" Dani announced and together they went through the aids of bending. "Make yourself long inside, hip forward. You want to literally bend the horse around your inner leg." To help keep the image in Inga's head Dani asked her to exaggerate everything. Her outside leg behind the girth, her hips turned in the saddle, the riders eyes starring inside towards the trainer. Both reins at the same length, the outside hand going forward only a bit to enable the horses head to flex. "Only far enough so you can see the inner eye. Ears of the horse should stay horizontal. Outside leg frames the horse, keeping the haunches from falling out, inside leg keeps the horse on the line."
This was not knew to Inga, but even great riders can forget minor things, so Dani freshened her students memory.
"I want you to do a half-halt in the corner and shoulder-fore on the long side. Make sure you keep rhythm." Dani requested.
Ástvaldur having little experience with shoulder-fore had difficulties executing his riders wishes. He tried going on a circle but was quickly stopped by his intuitive rider before he strayed too far. By the third round he knew what his rider was asking of him and they rode a beautiful shoulder-in. Inga was asked to repeat it in trot.
"On the next short side instead of shoulder-fore I want you to bend him. Then ride a circle at C" Dani told her after completing another successful shoulder-fore, that even turned into a shoulder-in. They stayed in a trot and rode full school. Once getting to 'C' Inga prepared the gelding for a bend, at the next mark 'M' he was in a bend and she rode a circle.
Dani gave her feedback. "Ok, that was good. But you started too late. I want you to ride another circle in the center of the arena by 'X'. You only touch the outside track on two points. Frame him from the outside, that should be his stability. You should even be able to drop the inner rein slightly and he should still be in a bend."
Inga did just that and let the inner rein slack a bit. Her outside leg behind the girth, connection with outside rein keeping Ástvaldur from falling on his outside shoulder, hips and back bending him around the inner leg. Although there was no connection on the inside rein he kept a correct bend, because if his body was bent correctly, so would his head be.
Dani complimented her student. "Very good, now I want you to ride a circle again at 'C', he should be in that bend before you even get to 'H'. If he is already in a correct bend by 'C' then he will automatically go on a circle without you having to ride him "off" the outside track.
After a few rounds of circles in both directions the gelding was slowed to a walk and allowed to stretch, while Dani finished the lesson.
"If your horse is resisting the aids or 'pulling away' as you say, it could be that he needs more time to prepare. Don't forget a half-halt to get his focus and start bending him sooner. Be aware that he might fall on his outside shoulder and correct it before it happens. Now you know how to push in the shoulder. Before you ride circles you can start with the shoulder-fore or shoulder-in, which is a great exercise combining all aids. If a horse can do a good shoulder-in he can do anything." Dani smiled.
"If your horse is resisting the aids or 'pulling away' as you say, it could be that he needs more time to prepare. Don't forget a half-halt to get his focus and start bending him sooner. Be aware that he might fall on his outside shoulder and correct it before it happens. Now you know how to push in the shoulder. Before you ride circles you can start with the shoulder-fore or shoulder-in, which is a great exercise combining all aids. If a horse can do a good shoulder-in he can do anything." Dani smiled.