[drivingpairs] Re: heavy hands

Here are some ideas. 

For lightening your hands.  Think of giving with your hands everytime the head 
bobs and then bring back.  Your hands should move with the motion of the horse. 
 This will encourage the horses to stretch across the topline and will relax 
the horses. 

Standing and waiting is hard for young horses,  you want it to be sucessful.  
Ask them to wait and before they decide to go you ask them to go forward.  And 
you keep doing this until it your stopping and standing gets longer and longer. 
 Forward is the answer to the rearing.  Same applies for walking.  Ask them to 
walk and before it is their decision ask them to trot.  Bring back to the walk 
etc.  

1 reason they might not want to walk is that you are holding them to much.  
Bring back with your hands until they walk and then give once they walk.  When 
they trot again, bring back with your hands until they walk and give again.

Just my .02 happy to be driving grown up horses right now:-)
Diane Kastama
(leaving for Arizona CDE on Wed.)  


  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Katie Blake 
  To: drivingpairs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Monday, March 06, 2006 12:56 PM
  Subject: [drivingpairs] heavy hands


  We are driving a young pair of Morgans that were at pasture until they were 2 
and 3 and then Amish-broke to drive.  They are now 3 and 4, and have had a 
month of training under saddle at a dressage barn.  Now back at home, they get 
messed with on weekends and a little during the week. We want to show at 
pleasure shows and eventually CDEs.

  I would advice on how to lighten my hands.  I feel like the pair is always 
nervous and I really have to take hold to get them to walk or stand.  At the 
first sleigh rally we took them to I felt like I had a death grip on the lines. 
 A couple times the older horse reared when I was asking them to stand.  They 
never totally lost it, but I was definitely holding them back 90 percent of the 
3 hours or so we were out.  

  I want to be lighter, but I don't want a runaway.  When I drive them single 
or ground drive them, it seems the same.  They certainly aren't getting driven 
or worked enough, but how do I make the time I DO have to work them of the best 
quality?  I KNOW I can't be hanging on their faces.  Do I need to do more 
ground and single work?  How do I get them calm and confident in me?  How do I 
get off their faces?

  Thanks...

  Katie

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