FIRC Spring Out of Mothballs Riding Clinic

1. FIRC Spring Out of Mothballs Riding Clinic Goals: What do I want to do with my horse?

2. Balance • Why does it matter? For everyday? For advanced skills and competition?

3. Balance

4. The Unbalanced Horse • Leans on the bit • Rushes • Can be tense • No light, even, elastic and “living” contact with rein because horse leans on the bit • Forging because horse’s toe hits ground before heal • stumbling

5. On the Forehand Embedded deeply in the horse’s psyche and muscles.

7. Exercises and Gaits Trot Cavaletti or Poles Correct Canter Depart Riding Uphill Jumping

8. Putting forward & down into practice: stretching the topline • Warm-up and Cool Down • Alternating collection and stretching

9. What goes wrong?

10. The Bridge to Balance

12. From this To This

13. Engagement, Mission • A ______________|______ B • A ________|_____________B

14. Building the Back of the Bridge • Riding Curved Lines 3 tracks 4 tracks not shoulder-in

15. Riding Curved Lines Shoulder-fore Shoulder-in three tracks

16. What Can go Wrong? • Natural Crookedness of the Horse Hollow Short Stiff Strong Contracted concave Round Long Soft Weak Elongated Convex Hollow Short Stiff Strong Contracted concave Naturally crooked to left Naturally crooked to right

17. So What? • Natural Crookedness of the Horse Irregular rhythm Short strided Leaning Stiff Lazy Defective gaits Back problems Tongue over bit Crooked in neck Nervousness Disunited canter Rushing Panic bolting Easy to the right Difficult to the left Stiff, resistant to left Too much bend to right Tend to fall out of right circle Tend to fall into left circle Rider and saddle shift left right stirrup feels shorter Easy to the left Difficult to the right Stiff, resistant to right Too much bend to left Tend to fall out of left circle Tend to fall into right circle Rider and saddle shift right Left stirrup feels shorter Naturally crooked to left Naturally crooked to right

18. Riding Curved Lines

19. Exercises for straightness and to strengthen the carrying ability behind. • Serpentines • Circles • Lateral Exercises • Crossing over exercises (Magnus)