Posts from March 2012

by Lori Albrough

The foundation of a horse’s training are rhythm and relaxation, sometimes expressed as rhythm and suppleness. These elements form the base upon which all the more advanced work is built. Similarly, for riders our foundation is suppleness, or flexibility.

For riding we are also going to need core strength, cardiovascular stamina, muscle tone and balance, but without that base of suppleness then tightness in our body will have us constantly working against ourselves. The tension or tightness will block the horse’s motion and have us essentially fighting against our own bodies in order to sit properly and use our aids correctly.

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by Lori Albrough

When it comes to making a change for the positive, a lot of times we can get all fired up initially, only to come up against internal blocks or blindspots later. Or we can begin to allow external factors to drag us back down into negativity. The important thing to know about this type of work, is that you decide to do it daily.

Becoming Complaint-Free is both a practice and a process. There is no arrival. That may seem faintly discouraging, until you flip it on its head. That means there is no failure, either. We do this work because of who we are becoming in the process, not because of where we end up. So if you slip up, forgive yourself and move on. Just know that every time you succeed in not complaining, you are training yourself to look for solutions within, and to find your own power.

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by Lori Albrough

One of the biggest challenges of riding a good half halt is getting the timing right. This is especially true if you are riding on your own and don’t have someone there to remind you to release immediately after the half halt.

We all know that the release is every bit as important as every other part of the half halt, but sometimes when we’re alone and not getting the feeling, we can suddenly realize “OMG, I’m holding too much and not letting go.” Only by letting go do we allow the half halt to do its magic. If you are getting a heavy, leaning, or pulling feeling in your hand, ask yourself honestly, am I releasing quickly enough?

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by Lori Albrough

When training a horse, setting goals and having a plan is important. I definitely do that. But, it can’t be the most important thing. As Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “Plans are worthless, but planning is everything.” He said this in the context of preparing for battle, but it holds just as true in the context of preparing to make progress with your horse.

Horses being horses, things are not necessarily going to proceed 100% according to your plan every time you get out into the training area. You need to stay flexible in your approach when the horse doesn’t seem to remember what you thought he already knew, and therefore you can’t move on to introducing new material. The most important thing is to be totally in the moment with the horse and listening to what he is telling you when you ask him questions.

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