48/ SEPTEMBER 2011 THE RIDER Win Pulling Contests With Brain, Not Brawn
Director of Riding, Mered- ith Manor International Equestrian Centre
By Faith Meredith
WAVERY, WV—The average horse weighs at least five or six times the average human adult. So it doesn’t take a rocket scien- tist to predict who’s going to win if they get into a pulling contest.
Humans who find
themselves in pulling matches with their horses need to learn to use their brains rather than their brawn to solve the prob- lem. Often, they’re so busy arguing with the horse that they don’t take time to ana- lyze the problem.
Constant pulling or lugging against the bit is an evasion of a rider’s poor hands that quickly becomes a bad habit. It’s not obsti- nacy on the horse’s part. It’s self- defense. Rid- ers without an independent seat bounce with every stride, hitting the horse’s mouth with each bump. Really unsteady rid- ers may hang on the reins to
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maintain their balance. The horse soon figures out that pulling against this bouncing or hanging stop the pain. A steady, hard pull eventually numbs his mouth so he no longer feels the jerking.
Once pulling has become a habit, it takes time and patience to retrain the horse to trust the bit. Longe the horse in a simple snaffle bit and side reins that have elas- tic inserts or rubber donuts for a little give. With the reins long enough to allow the horse to stretch its neck, work toward a relaxed, rhythmic trot. Then ask for tran- sitions between the trot and walk, and finally for canter- ing with transitions back and forth to trot. The horse must move forward from driving aids to correct the pulling. If the horse starts to pull while longeing, send him forward with stronger driving aids.
Once the horse moves relaxed on the longe in all three gaits without pulling, put the rider back up without reins. With the horse still in side reins, work the same sequence of longeing transitions until both horse and rider are completely relaxed and the horse is not pulling. While the horse is learning to trust the bit, the rider must work on an independent seat. That means riding with all muscles and joints relaxed while balancing over the horse’s center of gravity. No gripping. No hanging on the reins.
Next, remove the side reins and give the rider reins but keep the horse on the longe line. The person on the ground can help with forward driving aids if needed and the safe, familiar longeing circle helps the horse stay relaxed. The rider should have steady hands and give the horse enough rein length to allow it to stretch its neck. The horse must understand that driving aids mean for-
ward and weight aids mean to slow or stop. When the rider can ride all three gaits and transi- tions on the longeing circle with the horse remaining relaxed and not pulling, they are ready to leave the longe line and move on.
Training takes patience. Training means develop- ing a communication system. Each stage may take sever- al weeks depending on the horse and how ingrained the habit of pulling has become. Be careful not to overwork the horse so that the retraining is a pleasurable experi- ence. Longeing can be strenuous—20 to 30 minutes are maximum, particularly at the start of the retraining pro- gram. Remember to reward the horse with a pat whenev- er it gives the right response.
When the rider has an independent seat and uses the aids effectively to send the horse forward without hitting it in the mouth, pulling will be a thing of the past. Whether trail riding for pleasure or training for competi- tion, every rider’s goal should be a horse that is respon- sive to leg, rein and weight aids. This takes time and dedication but the end result—a harmonious relationship between horse and rider—is well worth it. ____________________
Faith Meredith coaches riders in dressage, reining, and eventing and has successfully trained and competed horses through FEI levels of dressage. She is the Direc- tor of Meredith Manor International Equestrian Centre, Box 66, Waverly, WV 26184; 1-304-679-3128;
http://www.meredithmanor.com), an ACCET accredited equestrian educational institution.
Angelstone International
Show Jumping Tournament Promises Innovation
For Riders, By Riders
Rockwood, Ontario — The inaugural Angelstone Inter- national Show Jumping Tournament, featuring the $50,000 Grand Prix of Rockwood, will be held Septem- ber 27 through October 2 at Angelstone Farms in Rock- wood, ON.
Taking a unique approach to the sport of show jumping, the Angelstone International is offering no entry fee for the $50,000 Grand Prix of Rockwood on Saturday, October 1. Competitors will qualify for the Grand Prix by competing in the $10,000 Grand Prix Qualifier, Presented by The Hudson Bay Company, on Friday, September, 30. The results of the qualifier will determine the order of go for the Grand Prix. Combin- ing top sport and entertainment, the $50,000 Grand Prix of Rockwood begins at 5 p.m. and will be followed by a sponsor dinner and live entertainment in the heated VIP tent.
The Angelstone International Show Jumping Tourna- ment will take place September 27 to October 2 at Angelstone Farms in Rockwood, ON
Other featured events include the $10,000 Young Horse Championship, Presented by Seegmiller Con- struction, and the $1,500 Pony Derby. The $10,000 Canadian Hunter Derby Eastern Final will also feature no entry fee. All three events take place on Sunday, October 2.
Junior and Amateur competitors will also have a chance to compete for $7,500 in prize money offered across the 1.10m, 1.20m and 1.30m divisions. These divisions will be run under the World Cup format as a three-phase competition.
Internationally renowned course designer Pierre Jolicoeur will set the tracks in the grass grand prix field while Rob Carey will handle course design duties in the grass hunter field, presided over by judge Ken Smith. Entries will be limited to approximately 20 horses per class to allow participants to enjoy a set schedule for their class. Competitors will qualify based on their OHJA ranking, so long as entries are submitted by the deadline. Entries close Saturday, August 27. There will be no penalty for substitutions if made the week before the tournament begins. The full prize list is available online at
www.angelstone.co.
Angelstone Farms is located in Rockwood, ON, just outside of the City of Guelph. The Delta Guelph Hotel is conveniently located just 15 minutes away. Constant improvements to the tournament grounds make Angelstone Farms a state of the art show jumping facili- ty, featuring world-class footing in the newly built Grand Prix and Grand Hunter fields.
For more information about the Angelstone Inter- national Show Jumping Tournaments, please visit
www.angelstone.co. All questions regarding the Angel- stone International Show Jumping Tournament should be directed to
mary@angelstonefarms.com
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