Mind How You Ride.

15/08/2023

15/08/2023

Can't believe this was 11 years ago! Charlotte and I qualified for a competition at Snainton, North Yorkshire. Had the best groom and support from Julie Gott xx

14/08/2023

WHAT DO YOU SEE?

A few weeks ago I watched a few video clips of the 2022 European Dressage Championships with a feeling of discomfort. This morning I viewed a clip of a horse that was difficult to pick up its feet.

Yesterday I watched a training video by a well-known horsemanship trainer and felt very uncomfortable.

When I read some of the comments that accompanied each of those videos, I was struck by how much my assessment of the training and the performances differed from others. There I was feeling very uncomfortable about what I was watching, yet feeling like I was missing something because of how much rapturous support was being expressed in the comments section.

Then it struck me that what I was looking at and what other people were looking at were not the same elements of the same videos.

People saw the reach of the forelegs in the extended trot of one of the dressage horses and loved it. I saw foam erupting from the horse’s mouth like a volcano indicating tension and worry. I saw a neck with extreme curvature and heavy-handed use of the reins. It bothered me.

In the video of the horse that avoided having its feet picked up, people’s comments ranged from checking for ulcers to back soreness. Yet I saw a horse that was distracted and mentally disconnected from the handler and was wanting to be with its paddock buddies.

In the video showing the horsemanship trainer working a horse, there was a lot of praise for the responsiveness and lightness the horse showed when asked to perform lateral flexions. I saw a horse that was afraid of the reins.

At a horse expo a few years ago I watched the c**t starting competition. The official winner of the event was able to ride his horse over tarpaulins, open a gate, and cracked a stock whip while sitting on it. He got a huge applause. But for me, the unofficial winner of the event was a woman who didn’t even try to get her horse to do any of those things. It was not ready. In fact, she didn’t even ride her horse. But over the three days her horse became relaxed, connected with her, and was trying its heart out at everything it was asked. The way she worked with her sensitive mare was first prize in my book.

I want to be clear that I am not yelling at anybody. I want to be clear that I am not saying that my judgment and perception of what is right is where the discussion ends. But I am trying to point out that different people have different ideas of what they believe is good training. I want to point out that some people make their judgments based on what we can teach a horse to do. Other people are more interested in judging the quality of training on what we can teach a horse to feel.

When I see a horse working a cow or performing a half pass or walking into a trailer or grazing in a paddock, it is my inbuilt bias that automatically looks at the inside of a horse. When I see a horse that is crooked or lame or straight or sound, I immediately think, “What is going on inside that horse?” When I see a horse standing to be mounted or approaching a jump, my mind first considers its expression, the direction of its thoughts, and the tension in its body. I do these things long before I consider the quality or correctness of a horse’s movement or the obedience to the aids. I can’t help it. It’s my prejudice. And because it is such a strong prejudice in me that I sometimes find it hard to understand why other people don’t judge horses and training the same way. Why do some people get excited by a huge expressive canter while a horse is displaying deep emotional upset? It’s not that I think they are wrong. It’s just that I don’t get it. I guess this explains why I am not the trainer for everybody, as hard as I might try.

Photo: This is my mare, Six showing the sort of relaxation that is worth more to me than any blue ribbon.

04/11/2022

Some of you may know that I have recently moved back to the UK. I am based in Lincolnshire, near Market Rasen and I am still teaching riders about how much the Alexander Technique can help with all tension related issues (horse and rider!)
New contact number: 07593 286004
New email: [email protected]

28/10/2022

I WANT FIRST PRIZE

Many people place a lot of emphasis on getting horses accustomed to scary things. A lot of time is devoted to exposing horses to a tarpaulin or umbrella or plastic bags or water or a bicycle, etc. I think people who do this feel it is an important technique on the road to making a horse spook-proof.

The one big flaw in that plan is that there isn’t enough time in a horse’s life to make them spook-proof to everything that might spook them. I’m reminded of the adage “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach him to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” But in this case, “teach a horse not to spook at an object and he won’t spook at that object on that day in that place, but develop focus and a good relationship with a horse and he will always try not to spook when you are mentally and emotionally connected.”

Desensitizing a horse to a challenge is never the better option because there are always limits to its effectiveness. Most desensitization involves using flooding pressure to shut down a horse by teaching the futility of resistance. It’s not a reliable or desirable pathway to having a good relationship with a horse. It’s often an obedience trick that kills something inside a horse that makes a horse a horse.

I am telling you these thoughts because they are an example of something more important I want to touch on.

In the preface of my book, The Essence of Good Horsemanship, I relate an event that happened while I was driving through Melbourne on my way to a clinic. On the radio, a Catholic priest known as Father Bob was being interviewed about a charity fundraising competition he was organizing. Most of you won’t know who Father Bob is, but he is a legend in Australia as a most decent and caring man who has devoted his life to working with the homeless and troubled youth. Although he is a Catholic priest, he is constantly in trouble with the church for his irreverent attitude to the hierarchy.

In any case, in the radio interview, Father Bob was describing the prizes to be won in the competition. The third prize was a large flat-screen television, the second prize was a weekend for two at a luxury hotel and the first prize was serving for 2 days in a soup kitchen at a homeless shelter. When the interviewer expressed their dismay at the first prize, Father Bob set him straight. He said the second and third prizes were just stuff, but the first prize was happiness.

This was a light bulb moment for me. Father Bob’s succinctly expressed in one sentence my ambition for my horsemanship. Having a horse do stuff is just having a horse do stuff, but having a horse want to try to do stuff is happiness.

Desensitizing a horse to not spook is just stuff. Winning a blue ribbon is just stuff. Loading onto a trailer is just stuff. Being able to train a horse at liberty is just stuff. All these things can be achieved without caring a damn about our horse’s opinion of us or the things we ask it to do. I don’t see the satisfaction or thrill in that alone. I mean, we all need our horse to do stuff, but for me it is not enough and I’m not satisfied at just teaching my horse to do stuff.

The reason why my relationship with my wife, Michele is the best and happiest relationship I have in my life is that we both care about how the other feels as much as we care about ourselves. I want that with my horses too.

I care about all our animals, including our horses. Their emotional and physical well-being is top of the list of things that are important to me in our relationship. That’s easy. I care about them and that’s not hard to do.

But it’s not enough that I just care about my horses. For my happiness to be complete I want them to care about me. I don’t believe horses can care about people in the way that people care about horses, but they can care in the way horses can care. They can care about what works well for them and at the same time be thoughtful about working with me.

By that, I mean a horse can be comfortable in my company. It can feel okay when I present a task to it. It can look to me for help when it feels troubled or confused. It can gain confidence from my presence. It can feel free to express its opinion (good or bad) and say ‘no’. It can offer the best try it has to give. I want all that. That would be happiness to me. The rest of the stuff like snappy flying changes or coming when called is nice, but it’s just stuff and not enough for me. I’m greedier than that. I want a good mutual relationship. I want first prize. I want happiness.

Photo: Hanging out with our 11 hand Welsh pony, May.

21/12/2021

Whilst I am closing my AT studio on December 31st I am continuing my work with riders. I am taking bookings from January 5th.

08/10/2021

I am now trained in Franklin Method Equestrian as well as the Alexander Technique. If you would like more details please message me or call 457526

10/05/2021

𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 𝗢𝗻 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀...𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲.
(Image captions at bottom of post)

𝘌𝘹𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘱𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰 𝘔𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘻'𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘺 𝘊𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘓𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘩, 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘏𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴

"We must remember never to restrict the horse’s natural head nod at walk and canter (there is no head nod at the trot). The rider must have equal contact on both reins and follow the horse’s normal head carriage so as not to block the head movement in any way."

"It is vital is that the rider learn to use the reins as a pair of absolutely equal length. The contact should follow the horse and help shape its posture but never constrict the horse’s balance -- his self carriage should be independent from the rider.

Riders need to look first to themselves when their horse is crooked. Often a rider uses too much inside (or outside) rein, causing the horse’s head and poll to tilt inhibiting the horse’s head carriage and ability to flex throughout its entire body. The poll is no longer supple, the horse’s jaw, tongue and ability to swallow are affected severely, the body holds tension, impacting the contact and trans-mission of the aids.

Over time, the horse’s muscles begin to set in patterns that can render one side of the body concave and the other convex. The longer the crookedness is left unattended,the harder it will be to restore symmetry so that both sides of the horse work with regularity and evenness.

It is a challenge to rehabilitate the horse’s body so that it can feel again what it is like to travel straight and free. A horse can be crooked in different ways, not always to the right OR the left but sometimes both. "

Ask yourself how you would like to dance with someone who is pulling on one of your sleeves and twisting your body throughout the entire dance? Would you be more balanced or less balanced? Of course, you would be less balanced and if your partner let go, you would loose your equilibrium. Pulling/ Holding more contact on the outside rein while kicking with the inside leg to create roundness creates a dynamic where the rider has to carry the horse and the horse's body works while being crooked instead of straight which is the opposite of what we want.

By the same token, it is important to keep your hands level when you ride - straight lines or turns - because if the rider gets in the habit of lifting the inside hand, the horse has no choice but to tilt its head - with enough repetition, it is another crookedness the rider will have to consciously try to undo once they become aware of it - and re-modeling the horse's muscular mass takes time and effort. Best to avoid it altogether.

Furthermore, if the rider has uneven hands they too will develop crookedness in their bodies (shoulders and hips). As the rider is able to develop even and following contact - very important in turns where the outside of the horse's body lengthen and the rider's body, shoulders and arms must accommodate that change in posture, two things happen: horse and rider both become straighter and more even and the horse is able to develop more impulsion as a result."

""Too often, I teach riders who will accuse the horse of trying to “get away with something” or of being lazy, of hanging on one rein when the horse is physically not ready for the work asked, nor understanding what is being asked of him. The rider gets frustrated, sometimes pulling harshly to get the horse to release the rein they are supposedly holding on to, and the horse gets more confused, anxious and reactive. Because they are not holding on to the rein. Their body is crooked - shorter on one side then the other and they physically cannot give with that side of their body as they can in the other direction, on the other "rein"" In-hand and dressage expert Manolo Mendez.

A rider who wants a good partnership with his horse should take a step back and observe what is happening.

Ask: Is my horse able to perform this exercise on one side but not the other? Is he crooked or not stepping evenly? Is the bit and bridle fitted properly. Am I asking in a clear, simple correct way? Am I blocking him?

Only when both sides of the horse’s body are EVEN can the horse travel straight and in balance. The rider should keep in mind that when he works to the right, he is also working his horse’s left side. As you work the horse to the left, you are working the right side. Analyze the horse’s feedback and figure out what patterns and exercises would help him, instead of fighting to “make him” do an exercise.

Build up towards straightening and suppling your horse gradually with tactful and even contact.

If you ride to help your horse, your horse will recognize this and as his trust grows so will he desire to please you."

To purchase your streaming copy of the "In-Hand Lessons With Manolo Mendez: An Introduction to Working In-Hand" DVD go to:

https://vimeo.com/ondemand/inhandlessonswithmanolo

CAPTIONS:

LEFT IMAGE:Turning left, in-hand and dressage expert Manolo Mendez has to accommodate the change in Dinamico’s alignment and the lengthening of his right side. He moves his outside hand slightly forward to match the horse’s shoulders on the bended line. The contact on the reins remains even. If he held on to the outside rein or pulled on the inside rein, he would make the horse crooked.

MIDDLE IMAGE: In-hand and dressage expert Manolo Mendez demonstrating even contact on even reins while traveling straight. Note the soft contact with slightly open, sensitive hands. The horse’s mouth has four billion nerve receptors and we must treat it with respect. Manolo’s arms, hands and wrists are relaxed transmitting no tension or stiffness into the horse via the reins and the bit.

RIGHT IMAGE: Turning right. Here again, in-hand and dressage expert Manolo Mendez is adjusting his contact to mirror the horse’s alignment. His outside left hand is positioned slightly forward of his inside hand. Note the soft contact, there is not pulling involved in turning.

If you like this post, share it. This is information that can apply to any discipline, any horse, any breed.

Thank you :-)