MASTERING
SWITCHBACKS
By SUSAN
DUDASIK
Maneuvering
a 1,200-pound horse in close quarters requires patience and
training. Having a horse that will move slowly forward on cue
is a big asset, especially when you’re negotiating a narrow
switchback along a steep trail or working a tightly spaced obstacle
during a trail class. The difference can be compared to parallel
parking a pick-up truck and a sports car. While the truck is
cumbersome, the sports car handily maneuvers into the small
space.
Using ground
poles can change your horse from a truck to a sports car. For
these exercises, you’ll need about ten to twelve 12-foot
poles as you’ll be making a variety of switchback obstacles.
Start simple and as you and your horse develop more confidence,
add to the obstacle’s difficulty. Don’t advance to
tighter obstacles until you can maneuver the wider ones.
To begin,
place four poles in an “L” about four feet wide. Allow
plenty of room to make a straight approach. Without stopping,
walk your horse through the “L”. Was it easy or did
your horse rush through? Did you make a smooth turn or was it
choppy? Did your horse hit any of the poles? For most, this
should be a fairly easy obstacle. If you’re having problems
here, you need to spend more time doing slow work. Practice
weaving in and out of cones or around barrels. Ask your horse
to take a few steps forward, then stop and stand. If you had
no problems, it’s time to move on.
Next, narrow
the space between the poles to about three feet apart. Now to
avoid hitting the poles, both you and your horse will have to
pay more attention. Here’s where you’ll need to use
half-halts to slow down your horse. For a half-halt, lightly
squeeze your hands on the reins, asking your horse to slow for
just a step. As you get to the corner of the “L”,
you’ll probably have to do an easy turn on the forehand
to avoid hitting the poles. At this width your hose’s rump
should simply follow his body.
This seems
like a simple obstacle, but the closer together the poles are,
the harder it becomes because the space at the corner will require
the horse to perform both turns on the forehand and haunches
as well as standing still so you can maneuver into position.
You need to be able to move your horse forward one step at a
time without him getting excited.
When you’re
doing this, don’t forget your body position. You need to
stay centered in the saddle. Don’t stare at the ground,
look up where you’re headed. Don’t lean from side
to side to see where the poles are. Instead, choose one side
to watch. Line the pole up with your leg then look down, along
your leg. If you keep the spacing the same, you shouldn’t
hit the pole.
As you
progress, bring the poles so they are about two feet apart.
This is really advanced. When your horse can comfortably handle
that, add two more poles to form a “Z”. Begin the
“Z” with the poles four feet apart. As you advance,
bring them closer together. Expect to spend some time conquering
this tight of an obstacle, it’s not easy. If you rush your
horse through the poles, you’ll loose his confidence. Don’t
move the poles closer together until you’re successful
at the wider spaces. This is an exercise in control, not speed.
Go slow and spend time just standing still at the corners. When
faced with a real switchback in the mountains, you want a horse
that will go slowly and stand no matter what, since one misplaced
step can send both of you down the hillside. If you have access
to real switchbacks, work on having your horse stand when he’s
headed up or down hill since this is where many horses get antsy.
If you don’t have access to a hill or mountainside, try
to fine some uneven ground to practice on.
As you
advance, place the poles in “U” then “W”
shapes. Start with wide corner angles and make it sharper as
you progress. Eventually you’ll have to ride to the corner,
stop, move the forehand, sidepass a step or two, then move the
hind end. Most likely it will take several months before you
can do really tight obstacles. While working on this, don’t
burn out your horse by doing the same obstacle. Change the shape
and move it to different spots. If possible, have several obstacles
set up. The poles can be placed in “L”, “Z”,
“W”, “U” and “V” shapes or you
can put four “L’s” together and make a square.
Vary the
obstacles by raising them about six inches. Set them on plastic
buckets or sand-filled five-pound coffee cans. Or really raise
them by setting the poles on barrels. Use wider spacing for
the higher obstacles. Another challenging variation is to use
the florescent marking ribbon tied to stakes. Getting your horse
used to the flapping ribbon really adds to the difficulty. There
are plenty of ways to teach your horse control, patience and
confidence, it just takes getting back to the basics.
Susan Dudasik
Shadow Rider Equine News
srider@salmoninternet.com
Member: Idaho Press Club
North American Saddle Mule Association
Idaho Representative for American Trail Horse Association
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Susan Dudasik
Shadow Rider Equine News
srider@salmoninternet.com
Member: Idaho Press Club
North American Saddle Mule Association
