Page 28 midwest horse digest February 09
work up the scale: 0
Analyzing your horse’s successes, challenges,
being no contact at
and blooperswill point out how successful (or maybe all, with just your
not so successful!)you are as a trainer and rider
hands on the reins,
up to 10—the pres-
Planning the Plan
sure that gets the
job done immedi-
ately. This scale
helps you assess
the horse’s
response.
By sitting down and creating a plan,
Having a goal in mind makes it eas-
ask yourself what exercises you can do that
ier to have a goal for the horse. For instance,
will make it clear to the horse what your rein
if the horse today is a 4 to 5 on the pressure
cues mean, what your leg cues mean, what
scale to get him to stop from a rein cue, tomor-
stop means, what go means. A benefit to this
row you might want to work toward getting a
plan is that when you implement the “action”
response at the 3 level. Our goal is to work
part of it, you’ll know what you want the out-
towards getting a response at 0 (which
come to be.
involves high-level body language cues),
When I create a plan for a particular
although a more realistic goal is a 1 or a 2.
horse, I typically have between five and seven
lessons I want to teach the horse. These steps
Step by Step: Literally and Figuratively
are all laid out in my program, which makes it
Setting a goal for how many steps it
easy to progress. If you follow the steps on the
takes the horse stop is another excellent
DVD, you really don’t have to worry about
measurement. If it takes your horse three
by Ryan Gingerich addressing and defining each specific prob-
steps to stop, then set a goal for one step for
lem, because everything goes back to ‘go’ and
the next lesson. Then one step turns into a
One of the problems I’ve seen over
‘stop’ cues!
sliding stop. Of if you’re a dressage rider, this
the years is that people don’t have a plan for
For instance, part of the basic plan
progression results in the immediate half-halt
their training or horsemanship; they simply
may be to just ask your horse to walk down the
you’re looking for. Regardless of discipline,
ride or train their horses without any plan of
fence line, stopping every five steps or every
this is how you want to set up the process.
action. They just sort of poke around, find a
five fence posts. Then ask the horse to stand
I’m always looking for improvement
problem here or there, work on that problem
still for two seconds, and then allow the horse
in the horse; each time I pick up the reins there
for a little bit and then get bored. They go on to
to go forward. That will allow you to assess the
should be some sort of deeper understanding
something else and never see any real
horse’s reactions; be observant of everything
in the horse’s mind of what I’m asking him to
improvement in their horse because they don’t
he does or doesn’t do.
do. The “kiss” method, “keep it simple, stupid,”
focus long enough to make any real change or
is appropriate here. I see a lot of riders tend to
Knowledge is Power: How Much Do You
improvement. Essentially, they don’t set any
over-complicate things in their minds. They’ll
Know?
goals.
take something really simple, like asking the
Being very specific with how you
horse to stop its feet, and turn it into something
The Importance of Stop and Go
make your plan may be more important than
really complicated. In my clinics, people would
In my Connective Horsemanship
the actual plan itself. That’s because knowing
ask how many inches their hands should be in
program, I categorize the program’s methods
my program and watching the DVDs will give
any direction to ask the horse to stop, how
into Observe, Evaluate, Plan and Act (OEPA).
you an understanding of a specific way to ask
many ounces of pull—concepts that overcom-
“Observe” means watching your horse in a
the horse to stop or ask the horse to go. You
plicate something that should be very easy to
natural state and how he interacts with other
must understand these two principles first!
accomplish. That’s way too much
horses, as well as how he interacts with you.
For instance, part of the lesson plan
information/technique for a person to even
“Evaluate” involves determining the refinement
would be to ask yourself if you truly under-
think about, much less try to incorporate to get
of the horse’s stop and go—and whether there
stand how your rein cues work by knowing
a response from their horse!
are any issues with those two critically impor-
how the bit works in the horse’s mouth. Having
Keep your actions simple. Make
tant components that may also cause other
that clear knowledge gives you the ability to
your goals easily attainable. Don’t stride out to
problems.
speak a language that the horse can under-
the barn one morning with the intention of
The “Plan” element usually revolves
stand. Here’s an example: By picking up the
teaching your two-year-old horse a 25-foot
around the main issue or problem I’m having
right rein and applying a measurable amount
reining slide stop in one session! No one can
with the horse. In most cases, everything I
of pressure to the horse’s mouth (think of a
do that! Make your plan so that both you and
encounter is based on the elementary and
scale from 0 to 10), the horse will begin to slow
your horse can succeed incrementally—
simple—but very important—“go” and “stop”
or stop the right front leg. This makes sense to
‘chunk’ your plan down to bite-sized pieces so
cues. Everything we do with a horse has its
the horse, and it’s very specific to the rider,
you and your horse don’t choke!
base in those two cues. Whether you ride
because the rider has a very clear goal in
Make sure your goals make sense.
western pleasure, dressage, trail, whatever—
mind. He can then evaluate the horse’s
Don’t plan to work all morning on getting your
everything you ask of the horse has its base in
response, look for improvement, and build a
horse to stop, and then decide to spend all
go and stop. It’s simply a matter of how refined
goal within his plan.
afternoon on getting your horse to go. Be spe-
those cues are in your horse.
If I pick up the right rein, and the
cific about what your lesson plan is for that
horse continues to move forward with five, six,
Bolting = Go; Bucking = Stop
day, so that when you walk out to catch your
or seven steps before he actually begins to
In developing your plan, define what
horse you’re clear about the plan.
slow down, then I’ve determined where my
the issue is. Perhaps the horse has an issue
Next month we will begin with Goals
starting point is. The next time I ask the horse
like bolting when you get on him, or he
for the Human. Until then Be Safe, Have Fun.
to stop, it might take the same amount of time,
bucks—those are two separate issues, of
For more information on Ryan
but my hope is that we can get a little improve-
course, but reflect the horse’s understanding
ment. Having a “cueing scale” or a “pressure
Gingerich, his Connective Horsemanship pro-
and execution of ‘go’ and ‘stop’. A bolting
scale” rated from 0 to 10 really helps. If the
gram, and how you can improve the way you
horse doesn’t understand the stop cue well
horse doesn’t respond at a level 1 on the
communicate with your horse, please visit
enough, and the bucking horse doesn’t want to
scale, which is just light contact, then will a lit-
www.ryangingerich.com or simply call
go and sometimes stops too much.
tle more contact at level 2 work? We can then
800.359.4090.
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44