“HITTING
THE MARK”
By SUSAN
DUDASIK
With the
high quality horses showing in Trail class today, often it’s
the little things that make the difference between an acceptable
go and an exceptional performance. Whether it’s performing
a gait transition or stopping, being able to “hit the mark”
is one of those things. When the pattern says trot or stop at
X, that’s where you want to do it, not two or three feet
before or after. Judges are looking for precision. The next
time you watch a Trail or even a Western Riding class, see how
many riders can stop or change gaits at the right spot. Especially
in Western Riding where you are supposed to change leads on
the center line, not ten feet away.
To hit
a specific mark consistently takes lots of practice and planning.
Remember, a good performance looks effortless. If you have to
jerk on your horse’s mouth to stop or give a hard kick
to get a gait change, that’s not effortless. Although horses
of all training levels can succeed at Trail, your goal should
be to do better than you did last time. I don’t mean ribbon-wise,
I mean skill-wise. Say the obstacle consists of two barrels
with a slicker on one of them. The instructions say to trot
to barrels, stop in between them and move the slicker from one
barrel to the other. In most cases, the rider will trot his
horse to about three or four feet from the barrel, slow to a
walk, and then stop. Imagine if you could trot right in between
the barrels and stop with your knees next to the barrel? That
is precision riding! And you can do it if you’re willing
to work at it.
So, how
do you accomplish this lofty goal? It starts at the walk, back
to the basics. You can do this anywhere, at any time. First
you need to select a mark, a pole, tree, clump of grass, rock
or bucket. Start about 30 feet away and walk up to the mark.
See if you can stop with your knee right next to the mark. How
did you do? How much rein pressure did you apply? Were you so
busy concentrating on the mark you felt uncomfortable? Did your
horse come to a complete stop and stand or did he fidget?
Try again.
This time, look forward, don’t stare at the mark, view
it from the side of your eye. Walk your horse toward the mark,
about five feet away, brace your back, set your shoulders back,
sit deep in the saddle and give one light squeeze and release
on the reins. Your horse should respond by slowing just a bit
- some folks refer to this as a half-halt, a hesitation in the
forward motion. This lets your horse know he’s going to
slow or change pace. As you get closer, squeeze the rein again
until he stops. You might have to give a good squeeze and pull
the reins back at first but your ultimate goal is just a slight
squeeze with your hand. A stride or two from the mark, tell
your horse to “whoa.” When he stops, release the rein
pressure. When he’s quietly standing, praise him. I always
use a verbal cue, some folks don’t. I’ve never had
a judge mark me down for using one, so it’s up to you personally.
As you do this, keep your head up. Try to feel where the correct
spot is.
Your goal
is to use as little rein pressure as necessary so each time
you want to be lighter with your squeeze. You don’t need
to pull hard on the reins. Unless your horse’s mouth has
become hard from too firm a hand, he can feel your squeeze.
Try this experiment. Take a rein or piece of rope and hold it
in your hand just tight enough that you don’t drop it.
Then have a friend take the other end and lightly close his
hand on the rein and barely move his little finger on the rein,
just enough until you can feel a slight movement. That’s
what your horse can feel in his mouth. Now, have your friend
really take hold of the rein and pull. Which would you rather
have happening in your mouth? Remember, less rein pressure is
better.
Practice
your precision stopping everywhere you ride, in the arena and
on the trail. Your goal is a nice smooth, quiet stop and stand.
Use anything you can find as a mark. Walk up to a phone pole,
the back of a truck, a bale of hay, anything. Get your horse
used to stopping and standing next to anything. If you don’t
hit the mark exactly, make a large circle and try again until
you do. This may seem like a lot of boring work, but it will
pay off big time not only in the arena but on the trail. Imagine
you’re walking down the trail and suddenly spot a bunch
of broken glass half buried in the path. If you’ve worked
with your horse on precise stops, you can safely avoid the glass,
but, if you have to jerk on him and hope he eventually stops
when he wants to, you might be facing vet bills and a long walk
home.
When you
and your horse can hit the mark fairly consistently, try working
some obstacles like a mailbox or a sidepass pole. Your goal
is to make a smooth, quiet stop with your knee right next to
the box or pole.
After you
can do that, it’s time to move on to stopping from the
trot. Use the same system: brace your back and shoulders, sit
deep and ask for the half-halt first, then the stop. This will
take some time but you can do it. Just be patient and don’t
jerk on your horse’s mouth. Squeeze just hard enough to
get a response.
Once you’ve
got the stopping down fairly well, it’s time to work on
your transitions. Ask your horse to walk toward a mark, a few
feet away, give your half-halt squeeze to get his attention
then sit up straight, look up and ask for the trot. Drive him
forward with your seat and legs. You might have to be rather
strong with both at first. As you drive him forward, remember
to release the reins a bit. Don’t drive him into a tight
rein or he’ll stop or rear. If you ask him to go forward,
you need to give him freedom to go. At first he will probably
lag and eventually break into the trot. Keep working; this isn’t
accomplished overnight.
As you
progress, make a game of it. Set several marks around the arena.
Walk to the first one, stop, then walk to the second and pick
up the trot. At the third, drop to the walk, at the fourth,
back to the trot, stop at the fifth, then trot to the sixth,
stop, back-up then stand still for 30 seconds. Mix the pattern
up so your horse is focusing completely on your commands. Keep
him guessing.
Being able
to stop at a specific spot takes practice and can lead to lots
of blue ribbons, but the understanding and communication you
develop with your horse will be worth more than any ribbon or
trophy. You will be sharing a unique bond with your equine partner.
archives
Susan Dudasik
Shadow Rider Equine News
srider@salmoninternet.com
Member: Idaho Press Club
North American Saddle Mule Association
