First Work In hand With 19 Year Old

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Will Faerber from Art2Ride demonstrates work in hand with 19 year old.

[@genejordan7299]

Thank you for explaining exactly what you do! I've been desperately trying to imitate what I've seen with no success b/c I didn't understand what to do with the reins and the need to move the horse to the outside to get the head to lower. My poor confused horse really tried but I goofed up!

[@anne-mariecass7085]

I keep recommending Art To Ride videos to all my riding friends, and this might just be the most valuable yet. Thanks!

[@amandafrench8047]

This is what I was looking for :)

[@martafrancis3488]

This work worked on my big bulky horse. She has a much better walk now!

[@sylviar.7963]

I tried this with my horse today. He did step sideways but had no forward movement. He therefore alternated between reaching his inside leg under his belly and behind his other hind leg. He's a very lazy, stoic horse so I had no idea how I could get him to start walking forward to do this exercise. Do you have any advice?

[@rebeccaweaver2315]

So you were tapping him with the whip to get him to step out away from you?

[@cheryljohnson8611]

Thank you! Are you tapping him on the hindquarters?

[@viviennebarclay9519]

Hi, when rehabbing a horse from kissing spine surgery, how much time on each rein would you start with? Vet advised 5 mins each way lunging but I'd like to start wih with this method. Already advised from fb site to work straight first without lateral work.

[@hallerentz4588]

So does stretching the head and neck down lead to hind end/core/back engagement or does engagement lead to stretching?

[@ArttoRide]

Answered by Art2Ride Associate Trainers: Katherine Potter Another FANTASTIC question!!! I think it can work either way as long as you get to a consistent stretch. Amber Matusek You can have a horse that is stretched down and not engaged. You need to have the horse actively pushing off the ground and underneath its self with its hind legs along with the neck stretched down for it to engage the back. Getting the horse active can lead to stretching. Remember to ride or lunge your horse from the back to the front and don't get stuck with just trying to get its head down. Carol Kurtz Darlington I agree with Amber Matusek and Katherine Potter. Each horse has a degree of stepping under with the inside hind leg that will sufficiently lift its back enough to lengthen the neck and recycle that energy over its back. The goal is to find that for each horse. Sarah Montrowl I would always err on the side of saying that engagement leads the horse to stretch the head and neck forward. This keeps us mindful that we should always be looking and riding back to front. Always asking ourselves, are the hocks motoring in circles, is back engaged and the abs pulled up, and lastly are you shaping that impulsion with a supportive hand contact that encourages the horse to seek contact and stretch down and forward. You can have a horse that is engaged and not stretching down once you developed them into the working gaits and collection...but having the head and neck down does not guarantee engagement, it simply allows the horse to be in a more advantageous position to connect once you have developed the proper impulsion from behind. Allison Emily Brunelli Stretching the head and neck down leads to lengthening the top line and relaxation over the back which puts the horse in a position to be able to work over his back correctly so that engagement of the core and stepping under can occur. On the flip side, by asking for activity of the hind legs and asking for a horse to step under itself in lateral steps, you're activating the core and engaging the hind end which pushes the back up and lengthens the neck to get a stretch and relaxation. You need both. Elisabeth Spetschinsky Interesting question. I would say that the lowering of the head and neck enables the horse to connect the front and the back ends then in a second phase the increased engagement enables the horse to strengthen his back and lift it more consistently

[@introvertedAF94]

Do you have any tips for doing this exercise with a horse that's very desensitized ? I'm short while riding a mare who is 17 hands tall, I'v been thinking about trying this but wasn't sure if I could get her to respond correctly.

[@ArttoRide]

Answered by Art2Ride Associate Trainers: Carol Kurtz Darlington I am also much shorter than my horse. It's a bit of a challenge to keep the outside rein from sliding down her neck, but it can be done. I used to reach my arm (holding the whip and outside rein) up near her withers, but I'm finding most of the time I can keep my arm at chest level now. Flexing her poll with that inside rein and holding that hand above the bit really helps (not pulling down.) I found that with a dull horse there is a way to use your wrist more as you flick the whip that is more effective than just thudding it against her. It isn't any harder of a tap, but more wrist action seems to wake her up a little. Even if you aren't doing it perfectly, you will probably love the effect it has on your horse! It also has helped me understand what I'm trying to do when lunging and riding as well. Good luck! Yvon Hoogervorst I'm a tall woman so I don't recognize this ☺. But I do recognize a desensitized horse. I think it is important that you always remember that a horse feels a fly on his skin. So you should always keep your aid as small as possible. You must learn him to respond to a small or short aid. Make yourself clear to the horse with your aid and then, when he gives you the slightest response, stop your aid and reward with your voice. The WIH is a great tool to learn your horse to respond to your aids (whip is your leg) and the contact with the rein. Good luck with it and send in a video if you want direct personal feedback.

[@amberblyledge7859]

Hello. I have a quick question, I have a horse that I am retraining that was originally incorrectly trained in western pleasure. I have been working with her for 2 years and still can not get a good stretch for more than a few strides. Do you think that forcing of the head to go down in thhat western could have made her resistant to that? I'm not saying western is bad, just saying that preticular way she was trained was bad. Thanks for any help you can give.

[@ArttoRide]

Answered by Art2Ride Associate Trainers: Yvon Hoogervorst I work with some Western trained horses and riders. Most of the Western trained horses learned not to seek for the bit. They are told to keep their head down with no contact at all. They have also learned to speed up with a little leg (or spur) aid instead of lengthening the stride by getting their hind legs more under their body and work over their back. So I think you should try more to concentrate on the hindlegs to push under the body, get a good forward movement and when your horse will bring his neck and head low; don't get a loose rein. Keep a soft contact. Oh, I don't know what kind of bit you are using, but I would use a double broken snaffle and not a Western bit. Send in a video for comments; there are a lot of western riders whom are switching to A2R and having the same problem. Good luck. 👍 Tytti Vanhala I think a video would actually be a really good idea so that we can see what’s happening and how she is reacting to the work. Without knowing any further details on how exactly she was trained before, it’s hard to say if that is to blame or not. Is she stepping under well with her hind legs in good rhythm? Have you tried in-hand work or are you working her on the lunge or from under saddle? If you are not doing work in-hand, I would suggest you start with that. Work in-hand will help enormously with your lunging work. Once you get the stretch going well in-hand it will have activated her back already before you start your lunge work and therefore the lunging will be immediately easier and far more effective. I have to say that getting the ultimate ground level stretch in-hand does wonders for the other work. So, I would really hone the in-hand work, if you haven’t already done so. With lunging you should keep an eye on that she moves enough forward under herself with the hind legs with the stretch. If she doesn’t, send her forward. Forward is the first thing, without the legs coming under herself, she won’t have enough a motor to build up the muscles on the topline. Then comes the stretch. When she is moving well forward and reaching under herself and starting to stretch, then is time to let her relax and perhaps allow her to slow down a little. It’s hard work, and especially in the beginning the horse may not be able to keep up a good pace and stretch down. It’s a fine line to tread upon… and at times you should ask for more, but also be sensitive when she cannot maintain a certain momentum with a good stretch and therefore you should let her slow a little in the stretch. If she is seemingly running ‘flat’ and giving you only a slight or medium stretch, it may help to bring her into a smaller circle for a while and ask her to yield her hind quarters more under herself. This should also slow her down more, and the stepping under with the inside hind should activate her back more and facilitate a better stretch. Once you get a hint of a better work, release her to a bigger circle. I don’t know how much ridden work you do, but doing more from the ground in the beginning is always beneficial. It’s easier for the horse to build muscle when there is no extra weight on her back. Do some more work from the ground, especially in-hand, and ride only a couple times a week. Also, check her saddle once more... if the saddle is f.ex. pinching even a little from the shoulders it may prevent any stretching... Amber Matusek I think Yvon Hoogervorst has a good point, focus more on what is happening with the rest of the body? Is your horse pushing activing forward and under. And definately start from the ground with lunging. It might be easier with the lunging to push your horse forward and a little harder with the in hand... Chelsea MacPhail It is definitely possible that she found the forced head set position uncomfortable as it wasn't a natural way for her to be moving and could have caused quite a bit of pain. I would work on getting her more forward before worrying about the stretch being deep because if you don't have any energy coming forward you won't be able to effectively capture that energy with your hands through the use of the reins. Otherwise if she is very stuck in the old training you'll have her head lowered but her back will still be dropped. I think sending a video in would be a great idea so that we can provide more specific feedback but these are just a few ideas!

[@kaywagner2452]

ArttoRide

[@amberblyledge7859]

ArttoRide I apologize sincerely for not responding sooner. I've been trying to record a good video. Speaking of video... how do I send a one in? Tack Stats Saddle: Wide tree wintec. A little too wide in the front, but fits great in the back. Pads: a single Dressage pad. Easy communication. Bit: Loose ring French link Snaffle. When I first got her several years ago she was in a Kimberwik correction bit. We fixed that very fast. Girth: Just a generic dressage girth. No spurs. I am being trained to use a Dressage Whip, but haven't used it lately. No martangales or unusual training devices. I have not been using a surcingle recently because she stretches a little better without side reins.

[@ArttoRide]

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