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Control Your Horses Movement - Connecting Down to the Feet
When I can control the feet, I ultimately have control of the entire horse.
By Richard Winters Performance Horsemanship

She’ll just stop going forward, rear, whirl away, and run off with me. It’s like she tunes out and I can’t control her. This is the description of the beautiful 17.1 Warmblood mare that was brought to me recently for training. The owners were right! After a couple days of riding in the arena, I rode the mare out behind our stable area and she acted exactly as described. These were the symptoms -- The problem was that I didn’t have a connection to her feet.

We put a halter on our horse’s head and a bit in its mouth but ultimately what we need is control of their feet. When I lift on a single rein there must be a response in my horse’s feet to follow that direction. Here are a few practical things I’ve been implementing to help this mare think down to her feet.

  Quit pulling on both reins at the same time: Dressage is meant to
  be performed with contact. (i.e. Horse is on the bit.) However, if
  I’m pulling on both reins simultaneously, for control, I’ll create a
  horse that will simply run through the pressure.
Loose Rein - I want this mare to balance herself on a loose rein.

  Lateral bending and hind quarter control: I am getting this mare
  soft and supple between her withers and her poll by asking for lateral
  flexion. Then I’m going to apply my inside leg on the same
   side and ask her hind quarters to move over. If she is dull to my
  leg I’ll tap her on the rump, on the same side with my hand, rein, or
  whip. I want to feel her inside hind leg step over her outside hind leg
  as she steps over. This is called disengaging the hindquarters. When
  she runs off with her rider, her hind end is engaged. If I can readily
  disengage her hind quarters I can then control her forward momentum.

  Roll-backs on the fence: Although she is not a western reining horse,
  I’m still going to ask her to get her feet organized and make a turn on
  the fence with some impulsion. This all relates to her thinking down
  to her feet. The turn doesn’t have to be pretty. She simply needs to
  take the responsibility to follow the direction of the rein and turn. The
  fence is a great aid in helping her redirect her movement without
  excessive pulling by the rider.
Roll-Back - A roll-back causes her to thank down to her feet.

  Small figure eight turns: Sometimes the large unresponsive horse will
  trick you into thinking they need forty acres to turn around. It doesn’t
  have to be that way, even if they are 17.1 hands and 1,500 pounds! Using
  a couple of barrels, poles, or cones as frames of reference are very helpful
  in this exercise. Remember, its one rein at a time in concert with my
  inside leg. In other words, when I turn around the barrel to the left, I use
  my left leg as well. I will then switch to my other hand and leg in the
  middle of the figure eight to change directions.
Figure Eight - This Mare needs to learn to follow her feet in tight circles.

  Always go back the way you left: If my horse whirls to the left, I’m
  going to take her back to the right. She must realize that there is no
  open door in the way she left. If at all possible, I will never let her turn in
  a full circle. She must realize that there is no release in that direction. She
        must go back the way she left. When I redirect her back on course, my
  inside leg is very important. This particular mare would continue to run
  off even when her nose was bent in the opposite direction. Now that she
  is understanding that my inside leg can control her hindquarters, I’m able
  to disengage her and refocus in the direction I wanted to go. This allows
  me to make the connection down to her feet.

  Trail riding: Uneven terrain is a great incentive to help a horse think
  down to their feet. This mare has spent the majority of her life moving
  in nicely groomed arenas or very benign bridle paths. A steep incline or
  decent with uneven ground is helping her make the connection to her feet.
Trail - The trail is a great place to help this mare be aware of her feet.
 
She has now been in training for about a month. I haven’t cured or solved her every problem. We are however making progress and can nip some of these negative behaviors in the bud. Each of the afore mentioned points are foundation training techniques that every horse and rider should be comfortable performing. When I can control the feet, I ultimately have control of the entire horse. Richard Winters Article Supporting Video Here - Richard Winters YouTube Channel


Contact: Richard or Cheryl Winters
5025 Thacher Road
Ojai, California 93023
Phone: 805 - 640-0956
Email: cwinters@thacher.org
Website: wintersranch.com

Plan and Reserve Your Spot Now for the Following in 2010
June 15-July 14
Intern Certificate Program - Ojai, CA
 Contact: Richard Winters 805-640-0956
 $6,000
 
June 20-26
Ultimate Horse Course I - Ojai, CA
(This is for anyone.)
 Contact: Cheryl L. Winters 805-640-0956
 $1,700
 
June 27-July 3
Ultimate Horse Course II - Ojai, CA
(This is for returning clinic participants.)
 Contact: Cheryl L. Winters 805-640-0956
 $1,700
             
July 9-12 
All Women's Horsemanship Retreat! - Ojai, CA
 Contact: Cheryl L. Winters 805-640-0956
 $650     

See Richard defend his Road to the Horse Championship March 6-7

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