Look
Where You Are Going!
By Todd Martin
This
phrase is repeated at our training facility almost daily. The reason
is simple, if you look where it is that you are going, then your body
will more than likely be in the correct position.
Lets
begin with the rollback. A rollback is the maneuver performed in reining
at the completion of a stop. When properly executed, the horse comes
to a complete stop and rolls back onto its back hocks. With forward
motion, it turns 180 degrees and leaves in the opposite direction
on the correct lead. This maneuver is also used in working cowhorse
events and cutting. Once you have completed the stop and attempt to
ask the horse to rollback, you should put an arc in your body (if
rolling back to your right) while sitting on your right hip, open
your shoulders to the right moving forward in your seat as you come
out of the rollback asking your house to leave at a lope.
You can
also just look to the right and not at your horse. The simple act
of looking toward where you are going next shifts your body weight
and opens your shoulders. It will, most often times, keep you from
putting to much weight in one direction.
The
same principle can be applied to loping circles and straight lines.
Riders at times have a tendency to over drive or steer their horse.
Which brings the horse to a point of confusion. When starting young
horses I spend a considerable amount of time loping circles, which
helps put a guide on my horses. Not to mention that a large portion
of the reining pattern is spent loping circles. Eventually, I will
move to teach them to lope a straight line, where he must be between
my legs and reins. This cannot be obtained if I am not straight and
looking forward. If I am trying to teach a horse to lope straight,
but I am looking down at him or off in another direction, my hands
are saying one thing and my body is doing another. Here is a simple
exercise to help. When using spit reins be sure to hold them properly.
Begin by putting your index finger between the reins, picking your
hand up to guide your horse. Use your thumb as a gun sight and look
down range through your thumb at the target that you want to reach.
Doing this will put your body and hands in the correct position. If
at first your horse does not understand, slightly drop the hand down
towards the mane then bring the thumb back up to aim again. Through
repetition and patience your horse will get the picture much faster.
Your horse must be supple and move off the rein pressure before getting
to this point.
Body
position is important with spins too. In the picture to the left,
I am looking slightly ahead of my horse in the direction of the spin.
Notice that the horse has matched my body and has arced in the same
manner as I am sitting. By just looking in the direction of the spin,
I have put the proper amount of body weight into my hips. I have not
over-arced my body, and at the same time have allowed my horse to
open his body to the inside of the spin. This allows him to step deep
into the direction of the spin.
Sometimes
we as riders try to overcomplicate our directions, which in turn complicates
our horses ability to understand just what the message is. When it
can be made simple to understand, the directions become much more
clear to both the rider and the horse. The next time you're riding
a bike or driving a car, try to drive on the line with your tire,
then read a sign on the side of the road as you pass it. When you
look back at the road I can bet that you won't be on the line anymore.
Why? Because you're not looking where it is that you're going.
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