The Horse Works - Horse Sense with Cathy Dee

This horse is being restricted with harsh hands that are held too low and with no give. The tension is clearly seen in the horses neck and expression.

The fear of falling from a horse or having already done so is usually the catalyst for the nervousness. So why do people fall from horses?

Inability to 'read' the horse.

Not enough basic instruction for the rider.

Wrong selection of horse to rider.

Falling from horses at the point of sale, normally caused by people lying about merits of the horse.

A change in personality by a horse in the new environment - 2 things here - Grass Staggers or too much fresh grass - hot hard feed.

Over facing of a rider or horse to a jump.

Rding a horse without being taught the 'independent seat' .

Not enough knowledge about Horsemanship.

Not enough teaching by Coaches of control mechanisms of horses.

Too much focus upon correct English riding rather than horse control first.

Too much teaching in the arena and not enough out of the 'cocoon' in rougher Country including ditches, up hill and down dale and so on.

Too much ground work boring the horse so he goes 'nuts' when he does get out.

Beginner rider on horse that is too young

Teaching that brakes means grab two reins and pull against the mouth.

Purchasing horses without knowledge or advice.

Too much teaching on 'brain dead and bomb proof horses' where the pupil is being 'taken for a ride' rather than 'riding the horse' and taking it for a ride.

Horse with sore back cutting loose to rid himself of the rider.

It is essential to develop a seat independant of the reins. Too many riders rely on the reins for balance - not only does this destroy the mouth of the horse but it also is a major cause of accidents as the rider is unable to balance if the horse makes a sudden move.
Phantom being schooled in the beginning

Forward hands allowing young horse to stretch down and round his back.

Your balance must come from your core muscles - those around your back and stomach. Do whatever you can to strengthen these - sit ups etc. They are vital in staying on a shying horse!

Grabbing the reins signals worry, heightens the 'flight response' and causes horses to grab back, normally ending in the opposite to what the rider wanted in the first place. They have designed their worst fear to come to fruition.

Leaning forward tells the horse to 'go fast' and run away. It also causes our bodies to emit the fear chemicals that horses are so susceptive to.

Thirdly, grabbing with the legs to hang on completes the trio of run aids as you are putting the accelerator to the floor whilst trying to jam the hand brake on.

For more on this see the INDEPENDENT SEAT by John O'Leary...
www.horseproblems.com.au

So, if you could learn better ways, you would worry less, wouldn't you? Here then are those ways:

Learn to use one rein only for stopping a horse.

Learn to use one rein only for slowing a horse.

Learn to use one rein only for stopping a horse from evading or shying.

Ensure the mouths of your horses are genuine and light. Go here and read these.

.......and watch this:

Mentally Thinking This horse is being restricted with harsh hands that are held too low and with no give. The tension is clearly seen in the horses neck and expression.

Mentally Thinking

This horse is being restricted with harsh hands that are held too low and with no give. The tension is clearly seen in the horses neck and expression.