[drivingpairs] Pair Sides
- From: kathy robertson <goodhors@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: drivingpairs@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sun, 16 Feb 2003 18:41:00 -0800 (PST)
We change the sides of each pair of horses, every
hitching. We don't change leaders and wheelers, just
sides. We do carriage and CDE driving. Our horses are
expected to be athletic and very flexible. We feel
both sides need go be worked equally, to keep muscles
stretched and soft. All horses have a better side to
bend on, favorite side of the pole. This favorite
side is what we use on show day. However, horse is a
better mover if both sides are used regularly. Ours
are expected to be as bendable as any riding horse.
We need the flexing for dressage, hazards, cones. If
horse never bends on his poor side, he won't be able
to in a hazard, locking us up on a post!
Perhaps draft horses don't show flexibility
differences because they are not usually expected to
bend tightly or move at speed, like lighter horses.
One-sidedness could be much less evident in muscling,
than in flexiblity.
Riding horses training always stress doing each
exercise the same amount in each direction, to keep
horse trained on both sides. Each body side is using
a different side of the brain, so right and left side
skills must be trained independently.
We have noticed a better bending result in horses,
from changing sides every hitching, than we did when
we only changed every 5 hitchings. We do a lot of
deliberate bending exercises not just driving down the
road. This does require horses to be driven on the
bit, and driver consciously working to make horses
bend from the head thru the spine.
Not everyone wants that kind of result. Changing
horses, using on both sides of the pole, every
hitching, will be one of the easiest ways to keep
horses using both their sides. They settle into a
habit of one side real easy and then can be terrible
to try changing later. Habits in horses can work for
or against you.
Kathy Robertson
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