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As understood and retold by me.After attending the Equine Affair my barn manager got a wild hair that she really wanted to be a better horseman(woman). She's a determined woman and I knew her motivation would only benefit me. So, I saddled up to support her as much a possible with our local riding club in whatever ideas she have. It all translated to Mike Hurst, a local horseman, who happens to be the runner-up of the 2017 Extreme Mustang Makeover offering group lessons to our horse club. Check this video out for a little taste of who agreed to help us all. I don't know what others think, but I really respond well to Mike's style and teaching. I have to admit, I was excited for our first lesson. What could we learn? Would I be on level with the others? Would I be able to sit in the saddle with my current knee situation? (I still can't even get in the saddle without assistance). After catching horses in the rain, loading up, surviving a tumble in the trailer (Jean-Luc, not me), we arrived at Dakan Arena. We saddled up and made our way inside for our lesson. There were 8 other horses and riders in the group lesson. It was definitely a full house. Despite everything, Jean-Luc was an amazing horse. He was so calm that he fell asleep in between instruction. Below is the lesson, roughly remembered, understood, and retold by me: MIKE HURST – LESSON 1 NOTES – BASICS AND SAFETY Mike Parable: Draw the letter, “A” said the Teacher (As retold by me) One day, a teacher asked her students, “Who can draw the letter, “A” on the board for me?” The students raised their hands and she chose one. The little boy went to the front of the room, and drew the symbol for the letter, “A” perfectly. His teacher said nothing. “Who can draw the letter, “A” on the board?” the teacher asked again. Students raised their hands and this time she chose a little girl. The little girl went to the front of the classroom and drew a letter “A” just as perfectly as the first little boy had. Again, the teacher said nothing. The teacher repeated this with every student in the class. The students knew their letters were correct, however they were becoming frustrated – she would not tell them if they were right or wrong! Despite being correct, the students could not contain their frustration and began acting out. Like the students in the teacher’s class, our horses need to know when they do things correctly. Too often we work, and work, and work for the right answer and forget to acknowledge that the horse actually acknowledge that answer when we get it. We have to take time, pause, and “Yes, that is how you draw the letter, “A.” GROUND WORK PRACTICE
IN-SADDLE PRACTICE
2. Adjusting Walking-Speed – Feeling the horse’s barrel between your legs swinging side to side, press your calves against the barrel as it swings. For example, as the barrel swings left, press your right calf against the horse’s side. As the Barrel swings back to the right, press your left calf against the horse’s side. This will cause the horse to speed up. Be sure your calves keep time with the rhythm of the horse’s barrel until you reach the desired speed. To slow the horse down, practice your seat. See how slow you can get your horse to walk. Alternate between speeding up and slowing down. Try to focus on control. How synced can you and your horse be? What is your horse’s response time to your cues?
Overall, there Mike shared a ton of information that night. I am sure I missed plenty. I have been trying to make time, though, to practice. That said, with the torrential Spring storms we've been receiving, my knee issue, and an overnight ride last weekend, I've had a ton to do.
1 Comment
Liz Stout
5/16/2018 10:21:24 am
Great write up! You captured it all very well!
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AuthorMy name is Chelsey. HorseGenerator's Cuevo Gold, or as he's known around this barn, "Jean-Luc Ponycard", was foaled in 2004 from Generator's Hurricane & Cheyenne's Little Bit. Top 10 Blog Favs.Archives
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