Conrad Schumacher Symposium warm up

Notes and video from the initial warm up day for the Conrad Schumacher symposium February 27, 2015.

Some key points:

Sit easily in the changes and just ask with your seat position for the change.

After a kick to create impulsion keep absolutely still.  A kick (or any giddyup aid) is only effective when the neck is in the verticle.  Open your legs and make your hip wide and he goes bigger.

For the flying change look through the ears of the horse, then you count to three to get the rhythm of the canter strides, then ask for the change.

To create a willingly forward horse take the whip in the inside hand in the middle and touch him with the whip on the inside shoulder as you give the inside rein. Let the horse do the job-- you just sit there. Be brave with the whip and let him go bigger.

The outside arm hangs loosely in the half pass.  Sit relaxed in the horse and sit with your butt wide and you are relaxed in the horse.

Most important criteria for a going horse:
     1)First, make them go
     2)Second, keep the neck in the vertical
It changes everything; from there the horse is willing and over the back and you can do anything.

A pirouette is nothing but canter.  You basically canter a half pass on a small circle.  You sit like in half pass: sit on the inside seatbone; the inside shoulder falls down; you lead the horse along the path of travel.  Inside hand gives; inside hand gives; inside hand gives.  Keep your rider's position; sit on the inside seatbone to allow the horse to turn.