FOCUS ON SCHOOLING


QUESTIONS ANSWERED YOUR SCHOOLING


was rescued byawelfare charity. The pair famously won their first affiliated dressage test in July when British Dressage amended the rules so that he could compete and their partnership is going from strength to strength. Christy also competes on her Welsh section D Coalman who is at novice/elementary level. Sweden-based Mountain Horse sponsors


C


Christy, and her team of equines is fed on Animalife, the Vetro Collection. FollowWallace The Great and


Coalman on Social Media by searching Wallace The Great – Dressage Mule and Team Benhill Welsh Section Ds.


HOWDO YOU START A


WEAKOR GREEN HORSE? At a basic level you need your horse to be going forward and going forward must never be perceived by the animal as cause for punishment or associated with fear, as can sometimes be the case for an abused animal. Making sure that the horse is in front


of the leg and not running away from it. Keep your hands wide and low,


ensuring the horse has an option to take the bridle forwards, whilst your hands are the guidance for the balance. All too often you see people doing a


see sawaction in the mouth that results in the horse’s head going from form side to side and being in a fixed outline. Going forward and softening the neck


simply means the horse must be in front of the leg with the most sponge like gentle feeling down both reins that is so subtle that someone on the ground won’t see it, but it encourages the horse to come in to a soft and relaxed place without being on the forehand. At first avoid straight lines, as the balance


isn’t there to carry this forward for along period of time. Use circles and transitions ensuring you are guiding the horse with


30 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER2018


hristy McLean is based in the Cotswolds and is the rider of the world’s most famous mule, Wallace The Great, who


inside leg to outside rein, rewarding the horse by giving with the inside rein. When horses are weak, young or both,


don’t push for more than 15 to 20 minutes and always end on a positive note. Don’t keep pushing for more and more because they have done what you have asked them to do. Schooling should be split evenly between


other phases such as hacking and jumping and should include pole work at least once a week. Even if you don’t want to be a


showjumper, raised poles and crossed poles will all help build up stamina and strength to make flat work easier. Poles are also exceptionally good for helping


any weak or green horse to understand where to raise their legs and howthey need to be placed. Fitness work will always help. You don’t


want to hammer a green horse up a hill in trot. Walking up hill is brilliant, as is interval training whereby you walk for a bit and then trot a bit. It’s building up fitness and stamina,


which builds the engine which ultimately drives the horse forward in any sphere.


HELP,I’M STRUGGLING


WITH LEFT REIN CANTER If you have the option to be able to lunge it can help, but unfortunately this isn’t always the case. With Wallace, he‘s a very right-handed mule


and naturally wants to strike off on this leg. Exercises need to be very simple for the horse to understand so that you can build the blocks to make the transition correct. Iactively make sure I’mriding with my inside leg to outside riding to make it as is easy as possible for him. Going into the canter transition, Iwill always


make sure that Isit trot for the three strides before the transition, wait to feel for when the hind leg is underneath him, and then apply the outside leg. This might not happen straightaway, which is when I’d bring in a ground pole on a corner which will help him get his hind leg firmly under, allowing me the extra help to get the left rein flexion, before then asking for the transition. I ensure my outside leg is back so that he is clear what Iamasking him to do and that is the aid that means Iwant the canter on that leg. Assuming that you attain the correct


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lead canter, you allowhim to hold that canter, and then you bring him back to the trot. Make sure you keep the trot together, don’t let it all fall apart, and make sure he continues his schooling back to the moment you say big pats, you don’t just drop the reins and go “Oh my god he’s done it!” Some horse find a vocal instruction will


help, certainly those that can be lunged, as you are using your voice to ask for the next gait. For me, if Iamlunging, when Iamasking for


the next gait, or am about to ask for it, Ialways say ‘Ready’ in a high pitch so that he knows we are going up a gear, and then Iwill say ‘Canter.’ It’s the same whether Iamriding or lunging. If your horse still doesn’t fully understand,


don’t get stressed, change the conversation, and then come back to it again. Remember that this is all newto young


and inexperienced animals and they will not benefit from getting stressed. If you continue with the same ask, the same request, and the same aids and use the same constructive techniques, it will come.


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