Conrad Schumacher Symposium February 28, 2015

When using a tap of the whip on the inner shoulder to increase power it is important that you let it happen, that you give on the inside rein in that moment, the inside rein stays soft in that moment. That is how you create to ability to go willingly forward.

In order for the rider's body to be straight and relaxed, all riders must have the horse go willingly forward. The straight and relaxed rider's position comes from this willingly forward horse-- it is what we all need.

Also in canter you can touch him with the whip on the inside shoulder, then the outside rein stands and allow the horse to go forward.  Animate the horse to go willingly forward with little aids, not with hard work.  Driving aids are clear and once, not nagging.  A touch with the whip in the right moment with a giving hand: that makes the horse go.

When once in a while the horse gets touched with the whip on the inner shoulder, sooner or later you can come with the inner leg and you get the same result as with the whip.  Sit completely relaxed; feel that your hip moves, the saddle is soft; how easy it is.  In the flying changes, tempis, and circles look through the horse's ears and widen you hips and let your hip swing.

Riding can be effortless when the horse goes willingly forward and your seat position is correct by leading the horse along the path of travel and not trying hard.

Exercises:

• On the long side in trot shoulder in to E (or B) to volte to travers.  Look through the horse's ears and swing with the hip.  Just sit and feel the swing of your hips; in the volte look through the ears and swing with the hips with the hands to the ears.  Keep your inner leg hanging down and your inside shoulder "falling down."

• Down centerline in trot, start with shoulder in right then half pass right keeping a brisk tempo. Then again down centerline shoulder in left to half pass left.

• By doing good walk pirouettes you have a good chance to do canter pirouettes.  Keep the neck round, with hands up and wide.  The neck must stay round.  Go down the longside in travers left, then turn in left walk pirouette and go along the wall again in travers right (the new direction) then the walk pirouette right.  Lead in with the inner hand then ride forward.  

• In canter left ride travers left along the longside.  Then make a canter pirouette to the left; start with the inside rein.  Then flying change and travers down the longside in right canter then canter pirouette right.  From the travers let go and ride forward and the turn happens with your position, not by trying hard.

• An important prerequisite for understanding pirouettes: start in the walk go deep in the corner (on the right rein), at the corner letter (M) half pass to the quarterline then keeping your same seat and leg position leg yield back to the wall then the left leg brings the half pass right again, then leg yield back to the wall keeping the same position without pressure from the left leg but the left leg is guarding in the leg yield.  When we do this exercise we give understanding of the aids to both the horse and rider for pirouettes.

• Then do the same half pass, leg yield, half pass, leg yield exercise in (right) canter.  Keep your same seat position.  Give the left rein, don't pull, use the right leg (in right canter).  The moment when you go from the leg yield to the half pass in, that is the feeling of the aid for canter pirouette.

• Half pass in. leg yield out, half pass in, pirouette.  The leg yield makes the horse hollow, then you can take the inner rein and lead it in, and the aid for pirouette is the same like the half pass aid.

• Cantering over poles helps Rijkens' canter stride, and gives his canter more power.  It is an easy and fun exercise for the horse and rider.  

Video highlights:

Conrad Schumacher Symposium February 27 - March 1 2015

Axel Steiner Clinic January 2015

Here are video highlights of Rijkens' lesson with olympic judge Axel Steiner.

Conrad Schumacher Symposium

Rijkens and I have been listed as a reserve team for the upcoming Conrad Schumacher Symposium at Isabella Farms February 28 - March 1, 2015.  Our application video of us schooling the PSG movements is below; please know I edited in the music for the sake of this blog-- there was no audio on the video I submitted to Mr. Schumacher!
Even my cheesiness has its limits.

The video was taken by my barn buddy Kim with my cell phone during a casual schooling at home.  I'm particularly proud though of the perfectly good four tempis and three tempis shown at the beginning of the video.  No place I'd rather be.

Snapshots from 2014 Championships

Here are Rijkens and Andrea showing Prix St Georges at the 2014 Region 9 GAIG and SWDC Championships.  They placed 12th out of the top 27 open combinations of our region and received scores from 63% to 65%.

What a good boy Rijkens!

Lyndon Rife Clinic October 2014

In order to create more engagement, I must be able to bend Rijkens.  A good exercise is to ride him straight along the longside wall, and add a small amount of inside flexion while maintaining straightness.  Remember there are four corners of an arena, and I must bend him through the corners.
An exercise to improve the corners in canter is to ride a ten meter circle in medium canter.  Really go, and really bend him.

Lyndon Rife Clinic September 2014

A few pearls from day one of September's Lyndon Rife clinic:
          For warming up Rijkens, it is ok to keep the trot tempo slower or less than what he initially wants to offer, but in the canter warm up he needs to get going-- think medium canter in shoulder fore so he really wakes up and goes in canter.

          Always keep the goal of being electric to the aids by taking your legs away, "be daring" and allowing him to generate his own energy for self carriage.  Doing transitions such as from canter to walk to immediate half steps teaches Rijkens that "downshifting" to collection is really a wake up call.

          In the canter pirouette, take your legs away-- do less-- to develop the very collected canter.  Then at a horse show when you are in the actual canter pirouette you can let go the reins a little so he gets even taller in front then ad leg in the show pirouette so that he keeps the energy of the canter.

          Developing a better trot comes from keeping the horse a bit more open in the throatlatch and tall in front so that the hindlegs then have access to come underneath the horse more.  Rijkens has a good talent for sitting but remember to keep the stored energy with a feeling that he is really carrying you somewhere and wants to "get out of there" by taking your leg away and developing a quick reaction to the smallest aids.  Teach this at home by reminding Rijkens to be bright-- if you make a correction: let go the reins in front, make a deliberate correction, immediately take your legs away, get a reaction, then pat him for a correct response.

From the second day:
A canter warm up exercise is to get a feeling of haunches in in the corner then shoulder fore on the long side in medium canter.  Do the shoulder fore with less angle, and get him on the outside rein so you don't let him bend too much.  Keep him more open in the front with less curb to allow him to be more open.

Trot shoulder in is an exercise that will give us a better trot, but it is even better if you can get him to bring his hindlegs more under you.  To develop this, do walk transitions where he has got to be prompt.  Even if he raises his head, you stay strong enough in your position to keep him walking up with energy with his hindlegs more under you and bringing his ribs up.  To do this give him enough room in front, keep your legs under you, ask him to trot and then PROMPT-hut! trot.  Develop this further by doing a walk transition then trot right off.

When you want Rijkens to come more up in front: if your leg is back ALL the time, it won't work.  But if your leg is in normal position then you want to feel that he comes up in front and more under you then bring your leg back and "talk to him" a little bit then he should come up.  What really happens is once in awhile you're in normal position you bring your leg back and give him a quick kick and he'll jump up in front; then the leg aid coming back means a lot but if the rider is a little careless with their leg then it's not as good.  Rijkens has to know the consequences.  If the rider brings their leg back that should be a button to say "collect: step more under."  But you can't make use of it all the time-- if you use it something has to happen.

You can do the trot walk trot transition in shoulder fore position.  Really sit down in the walk, then trot right off.  Rijkens has to think about this as a wake up exercise.  In shoulder in right, do a bit less angle to guard the left hind from stepping out.  In the transistion from trot into walk, close your upper leg when you want to bring him back stronger and leave the lower leg free then just as he goes to walk if he's lazy behind then you can come with the lower leg.

In schooling medium trot, think about ideally the poll doesn't get lower; then if he really comes through you can let the nose out a little bit.  You can use the shoulder fore trot, walk, stretch-up-trot right away exercise to keep him bright between schooling movements.  To prevent his shoulders from going lower, be sure to get your signal through without interfering with his neck so his poll stays the highest point.

He's warmed up already so right away when you start the canter, in the collected canter he starts to build up so that he feels like he's trying to break out of there.  If he doesn't have that breakout attitude then go forward again just for a little bit then bring him back into collection.  In school canter he needs his outside hind tucked in a little.  Squeeze the outside rein in time to the canter in little half halts, even put your outside leg back and move it a little bit-- he has to wake up behind immediately.  Maybe you have to give him one good kick.   Don't take too long; if he doesn't do it go a couple steps medium then bring him back.  If he doesn't do it then you need some help (a ground person you trust with a lunge whip in the middle).  Halt him, hands in front, one really good kick where he comes up when you kick.  Get there quickly then when you get a really good canter pirouette right away walk and pat him.

Your better gaits are going to come when he is more in front of your leg.  Even though you're doing a good job and not riding with the leg too strong, the leg is a little bit pleading him at times.  Rijkens needs to get even more electric about it-- if you bring your leg back he's ready to GO.  Give him a good kick but you can't control him [with any reins] when you give him one good kick you need to allow him to jump up in front of you.  Keep him a little more open in the throatlatch.

In the half pass for PSG, by the end of the half pass you catch his haunches up; he should be in shoulder fore toward the new direction.  So at the end of the half pass left line he closes up to shoulder in right and then he does the change to right lead then the right half pass.   In schooling start the stand up, really correct half pass then turn it into leg yield the second half of it.  So the last part of the left half pass his butt is left and his shoulders right.  Then at the end of the right half pass his butt is right his shoulders left.  As we know in correct half pass his shoulders are going to be a little bit leading but when you get to the centerline you need to change the alignment so he is straight for the change.  Then the half pass to the long side in the corner you end it with him a bit in shoulder fore to the new lead and then the change to the new lead.  At the end make sure he has the new alignment then bring him slightly forward and then the change.

Remember when he does something hard, transition to an uphill energetic open walk.

Concerning the tempis: don't always do the tempis on the diagonal but have an exercise to keep making it better.  Come across the short diagonal then come up the second quarterline.  You have to stand him up between the two legs to be able to do that since it is like the arena ends at the second quarterline instead of the longside wall and then do a change.

Labor Day show 2014

Rijkens and our trainer Andrea are championships bound after this weekend's show at Prix St Georges.  Even with a few baubles the scores were 64.8 and 63.1 with Rijkens getting an 8 for his left canter pirouette!

Lyndon Rife clinic August 2014

A good warm up exercise in canter is haunches in with a quickening outside hindleg and taller shoulders to shoulder fore position. In canter Rijkens' outside hindleg should stay quick when you want it.  If Rijkens slows his outside hind leg in canter, come with your inside leg and and outside rein and half halt him a little bit and keep him active off your outside leg.  Rijkens has to be sharp to the rider's aids.  Develop this by taking your leg off and riding with a loose leg in the collected work.  You can't hold him up in the collection; he has to be so sharp to your aids that just taking your legs away quickly will cause him to jump underneath himself in collection, which you teach him by schooling sharpness at home.

Another good warm up canter exercise is medium canter in shoulder fore a couple times down the long sides.  Then a little nose to the wall leg yielding to activate the outside hind keeping him forward with no tendency to slow down as you get him off your outside leg, and then shoulder fore position.  Remember to keep the poll more up and let him be more open.

An exercise to increase tallness and engagement in canter:  start with a large circle in your best forward upward collected canter.  Then bring the haunches slightly to the inside so that you know you've activated the outside hind.  Only use your inside leg to bend him or straighten him; you make him more active by having that good purchase of the outside hind.  On the snaffle keep him half halted up and forward.  Keep him active and forward on the circle when you ask for haunches in, rather than his tendency to sink back on the circle.  After the haunches in then from normal collected canter bring him shorter and more collected, so short that he goes from canter to half steps.  Go from shorter collected canter on the spot to walk and then directly to a couple quick half steps then leave it.  Then canter and school the exercise again.  Don't use much leg for the half steps: the point is for him to learn to go active and sitting in the canter then walk and then active half steps.  Think about keeping your legs less strong, almost off of him.  Tap him on the bum with the whip to encourage the half steps.  If he trots rather than walks from the canter just bring him to walk and then active quick steps.  Don't wait long in the shorter sitting canter, come back quickly then right into walk then arrive in a couple half steps then leave it.

Remember not to drive him too much as this just teaches him to think "yeah kick me or tap me again."  Bring him back to more and more sitting canter then make him quick just as he walks so he understands how much he can sit then wake up.  Avoid trying to always push him on; rather be daring and sit there and let him sit more so that we teach him to get to that point where he can sit and carry himself rather than always being pushed by our legs or whip.  You can take your leg away quickly after a kick or correction  so he learns sharpness from a relaxed leg. Eventually at a show taking your legs off with your heels down will cause him to jump underneath himself in better carriage.  You can't support him in the very collected trot or canter, it's too much work.  He must learn to be more awake to your leg.  When he "downshifts" to more collection he should really be waking up even more.

For a quality collected canter he can "sit on his outside hind forever."  As you ask him to sit, also be sure that you really wake him up.  As he sits for pirouette canter he should be thinking "I'm sitting more and bringing my weight back but I really want to burst out of it."  School this by doing very collected sitting pirouette canter then go onwards again.  Be inclined to go out in medium to put more pressure on him so he learns that bringing him back is a wake up, not a slowing down.  If he falls out of it into trot, bring him to walk give him one good kick with both legs so he jumps more up in front of you; he should not just take it but rather really jump up in front.  If he just takes it, follow with maybe the kick and the whip at the same time.  Then pat him for a correct reaction to the correction.  Then he knows to stay in front of your leg and stay more open. You should feel that if you take your leg off fast he wants to come in front of you.

An exercise to improve canter pirouette: Make a regular collected canter circle at A and ask the haunches to come in a little to activate the outside hindleg.  The collected canter should stay active with the outside hindleg as the haunches come in.  Then come straight across the middle centerline at L onto a fairly small counter canter circle (like drawing a snowman's body of two circles on top of each other) without a diagonal line.  In the counter canter ask him to really stand up and really keep his outside hind under him to collect him so the collection improves ("be daring!").  Really stand him up with your outside leg.  Then as you cross the centerline at X in the counter canter circle do a true canter pirouette at X from the improved collection and balance of the counter canter.  It's hard!  "No use doing easy shit."

Concerning flying changes: ride forward, and then the change.  Rijkens has to be more active off of both legs.  Count the tempis a little faster to stay ahead.  It gets better even though the count may be wrong-- don't worry about messing up the count rather keep the canter quality and active.  Keep the count quicker and active.

Rijkens learning sharpness and engagement.

 Arriving in tall fluffy half steps:

 "Sitting on his outside hind forever."

Lyndon Rife clinic June 2014

The take home message of this weekend's clinic with Lyndon Rife was to make Rijkens sharper to to the aids so that I will have access to his generated energy for the increased requirements of collected and extended work of an advanced horse.  For example in walk to canter transitions, get Rijkens' shoulder in front of my leg then cue for canter while keeping a still, strong position.  If he does not canter right off from a small cue, then one sharp reminder from the whip immediately. My legs must remain long with my heels down and toes turned in.

To collect, I do less, or sit still in my strong position.  The whip can be used as a reminder to increase cadence in collection, while the rider's leg is used for more giddyup (or "forward") into extension.

An early in the ride suppling exercise is start with counter flexion for example on a large circle to the left, while having the horse's ears look right but keeping his shoulders (and haunches) turning to the left.  Then return to normal flexion left while the horse continues to turn left.  Then flexion right again while the horse continues to turn left.  You can spiral the circle in smaller as you continue turning the horse left.  Of course ride the exercise on both reins in both directions.

The inside hind must be active, yes, but also the outside hind must be addressed for straightness and collection.  A good exercise to address the outside hind in trot and canter is nose to the wall leg yielding. Start in trot on the longside with nose to the wall leg yield thereby activating the outside hind, then turn onto a large circle and ask for canter.  This improves Ri's canter as the outside hind is in a state of readiness.  In canter do nose to the wall leg yield, then return to shoulder fore position in canter.  Again since the outside hind is active in the leg yield, this improves the regular collected canter and helps build strength for pirouette canter.

"How are my ears?" Lyndon wanted to know as our barn buddies tapped whips and tossed arena sand behind the photographer.