[drivingpairs] Voice Commands

Another thought on voice commands.  Hardy, isn't a "cluck" using your voice?
And it isn't very definitive.  What if you wanted a halt/trot transition?  I
suggest you take a feel of the reins (You can't really half halt a horse
that isn't moving, can you?), say walk, and give with your hand to allow the
horse to walk.  I use clucks for more energy.  If I were to cluck at the
walk, I want my horse to put more effort into the walk, never break into a
trot unless I say trot.  So for a tandem or a pair or a team, just say walk.
They should all walk.  No need to say their name.  In a multiple, for an
individual correction, then preceed it with their name.  HOWEVER, I am not
an experienced multiple driver, I just have fun with it occasionally.

Deryn



Yes, sure, a cluck is also your voice, ok, in that sense I use my voice, and 
ok, if we want to be precise,  in the ridden world, taking up the reins would 
not qualify as a half halt, but I think in the driven world there is not much 
difference between taking up the reins - feeling their mouth, increasing the 
contact a little with it and then giving, and that's what I do, or how do you 
define a half halt? Personally I don't see much difference there, and do see 
it as a half halt, and when I then give and say "walk", I like a cluck much 
more because actually I do think it is much more definitive, not less. That's 
sharp and precise and gives exactly the moment, that has energy and pezzass 
in it. The word "walk" is for my tast too long and weak, so calling for a 
long and weak execution of my command, not sharp and short and right away as 
I want my execution of any command, military style. When I say we go, we GO, 
we don't dream about it and eventually get into motion. It's HERE and NOW, 
ACTION!

And with a single horse, sure, nobody from the outside can see the difference 
if it's a bit quicker this time and a bit less next time, as long as the 
horse gets into motion eventually, who is to say, that that's not fine. When 
it comes fast after you say walk, well, he is just an eager horse. When it 
comes slow, well, he is just a bit layed back. All no problem with a single, 
but a big one with a multiple, because then they won't all do it together.

Ok, halt to walk and halt to trot difference: Halt to walk feel the mouth (or 
half halt) and actually instead of a cluck I use a hardly noticeable almost 
soft small kiss, you hardly hear it, but all the horses do. I open my lips 
ever so slightly and draw in some air ever so slightly with a little noise. 
So it's hardly even a kiss. (Hard to describe). Very little, but since they 
are expecting it from the half halt (or feel of the reins) and have also the 
give of my hand at the same time, boom, they go. Now, halt to trot, all the 
same, except all a little stronger, all with much energy, and there my cluck 
is much louder, my mouth wider open, a big cluck comping from the side of my 
mouth from between the teeth. THAT gives them ACTION!

And yes, I also use clucks for more forward energy during the walk and it 
does not mean upward transition to the trot as long as it's not preceded by 
the half halt and I also do have quite a scala of different clucks for 
different occasions, they know exactly the difference. But also, if we first 
have the half halt and then with the give of the hand out of the half halt 
the cluck, boom, then it means upward transition to the trot, and again, that 
goes much more precise, I think, then the word trot, unless, you use that 
word also at the very precise moment together with the releae of the half 
halt, then I can accept that, as the word trot is also shorter and more 
precise than the word walk. But if you just walk along, and don't do anything 
with the reins, but now only say "trot", most of the time you will not get a 
precise trot step exactly where you wanted, but will have a horse, that is 
now asked to trot, and will hopefully eventually do so. Perhaps yours is 
better trained and will give it to you precisely, but I see it all the time, 
people don't do anything with the reins, and just say "trot", sometimes then 
the horse trots, sometimes not, then they say it again (and again and again), 
they are just nagging the horse into trotting eventually, or help with the 
whip after the horse ignored the first time the word. No precision, no 
sharpness, and that's what I don't want. At the trot to the canter, again, 
big half halt now, big cluck, and BOOM canter we have!

And for a multiple, no, if you just say "walk", most of them won't all walk 
together, some will start earlier some later. The eager one faster the slow 
poke later. With a single, nobody will see the difference, because there is 
only one, but with the multiple you do see the difference. With the half halt 
(or taking up the rein) and then the give and the sound (kiss, voice, cluck, 
whatever, but always the SAME for the same command, but different ones for 
different commands) they do know and do it all together. Well, at least mine 
do :-)
Hardy


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