DAY 50: Yielding
the Forequarters is probably the most frustrating groundwork exercise in the
Fundamental level of the Method. Yet it is one of the most important too! The
goal was to properly introduce this exercise after a warm-up and review of the
other five exercises. We ended up warming up in the large arena and did our warm
up and ground work on the line as other folks were riding in the arena. The
small warm-up arena at Pioneer
Park was being used by a
lady and her very green horse. She was sort of doing a weird mix of Parelli and
Clinton style exercises. Watching her (and the horse) briefly really
illustrated how ineffective the naggy mother attitude and the need for good
timing. Not sure how her ride went because Roscoe was the focus. She did come
down and watch the work we were doing and asked how long I had Roscoe. Her jaw
hit the dirt when I told her. It was an “interesting” moment to be sure as I
politely advised her to find an approach that works for her, REALLY learn it
and REALLY apply it.
With the
Arena Mates in firmly in hand and the tips given to us by Professional
Clinician Shana Terry of Downunder Horsemanship (DUH paid us a visit in August.
The Brumbies had a blast!) we were ready to really try to Yield the
Forequarters. The biggest elements to covey this exercise to the horse seems to
be body placement, stick placement and staying with the horse. Lined my navel
with Roscoe’s eye, had the tip of the handy stick pointed toward his ears and
the handle to his shoulders (remove the string) and then tap the air with
rhythm. Roscoe’s first reaction was to back up. We got past that by popping the
halter downwards and resuming the pressure. You could see the gears turning in
his head. A couple of taps on his shoulder and a couple taps in front of his
ears and he figured out that it was easier to move the front end instead of the
rear end to get away from the pressure. Of course he had to go through his
entire menu of reactions before he got to this point. All the human can do is
laugh and be patient (not easy). It was a process! Once we got ONE good step
each side twice we quit the exercise. It was a win and the sun was beginning to
set so we wanted to get in some saddle time.
Saddle
time! Roscoe has figured out that when you lift up on the reins he should back
up a step or two. Good boy, right? Still it does make it tough to mount up. So
we worked on standing still while mounting.
Mount. Stand. Dismount. Repeat. We got it worked out. Because the light
was fading the goal was to simple Follow the Fence and maybe some direction
changes or circles. Because of Roscoe’s hooves and condition we have been
mostly working at the walk. Today he felts a little bit more energetic and
transitioned into a trot without much squeeze. In fact the first time he totted
off I hadn’t yet asked for it. Now that he got my attention we started to trot
down the long sides of the arena and walk down the short/curved sides of the
arena. We did this about four times in each direction. It because obvious he
was rethinking his actions (grin). Then we did a couple full laps in each
direction. This was the longest (it is a BIG arena) duration of trotting he has
done while in our care. He was a bit sweaty at the end. Because is trot is not
yet as smooth as it could be there was a bit of posting on a loose reign. It is
a work out to be sure and one I am sure both horse and human will feel later.
It was a solid training session that had both challenges and wins. Progress and
improvement happened and that is the real goal. Our challenge on the human side
is to keep improving while pacing how much to push Roscoe. We don’t want him to
be bored but we also want to keep him healthy. It is a balancing act to say the
least.
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