Post by maximum on Feb 3, 2011 15:10:22 GMT
Went last friday and he was amazing - such a nice man and really talks such a sensible game!
It was a CPD day for registered instructors and boy was it cold!! started at -2 and rose all the way to a balmy + 1 - and we spent 5 hours sitting in an indoor school wrapped in a multitude of fleeces rugs and other things ( saddle cloths and rain sheets etc!!).
Any way I tried to make notes but was so cold they are almost indecipherable! so heres the words of wisdom from the great Mr Smiley!
First he talked about warming up - he said I ask riders what are you doing and they say 'oh I am warming up' and then he just says and? and? and? really gets them thinking - in fact this was a recurrent theme and one I really agree with - creating riders who can think for themselves instead of just doing what they are told blindly - he wants them to question why.
so we talked ( and we did all very audience involved only 20 of us) about the state of mind that the horse must have - the willingness to go forward and that we must create a conditioned reflex - we use our leg the horse goes forward - one of the guinea pigs was kicking away ( not an actual guinea pig - they cant reach the stirrups
) and he was saying NO. If the horse does not have the willingness to go forward then teach it - if you use the leg and it doesn't go use the heel with a dunt then bring it down and you will soon teach that conditioned response.
On that note he then spoke about how as instructors we should be saying to riders to not only think for themselves but to make the horse think for itself as well.
Then he said rather than ask for more leg ( lets face we all know that! - come on use more leg until
you are red in the face and sweating and the horse is still happily bimbling along) but rather ' get more from the leg you are using' The horse must take you. I really agree with that - spent so much time telling people you should not have to say to the horse trot trot trot trot canter canter canter but rather canter until I tell you to do something else!
We than discussed the horse needing to know where the boundaries are - and this is something I have SUCH strong feelings about! how often do you see someone hacking out allowing the horse to wander about snatch grass wander at will ( poor will) one day and the next in the school get annoyed because the horse wont listen!!
His way of explaining it is
tack on - you are working I will be consistent in what I ask from you and I expect your attention and co-operation.
Tack off - do what you want fart buck roll whatever its your time.
He then had discussion about what we are looking for from the horse - acceptance and understanding of the aids and then someone said rhythm - he didn't like that! as he says rhythm is dependent on the pace so 2 time for trot 3 time for canter - what you are actually looking for is regularity in the footfalls.
The he discussed suppleness - he says there is no such thing as a stiff horse - watch them in the field and unless they have some sort of injury or soreness they are not stiff - what stiffness can be explained as is a resistance to the aids - sometimes more on one side than the other so people work away on suppling exercises and then say - see he is not stiff when what they have done is to teach the horse to accept the aid - thats one I need to reflect upon methinks.
we also talked about and he pretty much had a consensus about the horse that bends - we all agreed we prefer to think of it as correct straightness either in a straight line or on a curve so that was quick bit.
he talked about acceptance and longitudinal and lateral acceptance and it quite long so separate post I think.
in fact shall say that is part one of the amazing Mr Smiley as thats only half and don't want to bore you!!
Part two to follow!
It was a CPD day for registered instructors and boy was it cold!! started at -2 and rose all the way to a balmy + 1 - and we spent 5 hours sitting in an indoor school wrapped in a multitude of fleeces rugs and other things ( saddle cloths and rain sheets etc!!).
Any way I tried to make notes but was so cold they are almost indecipherable! so heres the words of wisdom from the great Mr Smiley!
First he talked about warming up - he said I ask riders what are you doing and they say 'oh I am warming up' and then he just says and? and? and? really gets them thinking - in fact this was a recurrent theme and one I really agree with - creating riders who can think for themselves instead of just doing what they are told blindly - he wants them to question why.
so we talked ( and we did all very audience involved only 20 of us) about the state of mind that the horse must have - the willingness to go forward and that we must create a conditioned reflex - we use our leg the horse goes forward - one of the guinea pigs was kicking away ( not an actual guinea pig - they cant reach the stirrups
) and he was saying NO. If the horse does not have the willingness to go forward then teach it - if you use the leg and it doesn't go use the heel with a dunt then bring it down and you will soon teach that conditioned response. On that note he then spoke about how as instructors we should be saying to riders to not only think for themselves but to make the horse think for itself as well.
Then he said rather than ask for more leg ( lets face we all know that! - come on use more leg until
you are red in the face and sweating and the horse is still happily bimbling along) but rather ' get more from the leg you are using' The horse must take you. I really agree with that - spent so much time telling people you should not have to say to the horse trot trot trot trot canter canter canter but rather canter until I tell you to do something else!We than discussed the horse needing to know where the boundaries are - and this is something I have SUCH strong feelings about! how often do you see someone hacking out allowing the horse to wander about snatch grass wander at will ( poor will) one day and the next in the school get annoyed because the horse wont listen!!
His way of explaining it is
tack on - you are working I will be consistent in what I ask from you and I expect your attention and co-operation.
Tack off - do what you want fart buck roll whatever its your time.
He then had discussion about what we are looking for from the horse - acceptance and understanding of the aids and then someone said rhythm - he didn't like that! as he says rhythm is dependent on the pace so 2 time for trot 3 time for canter - what you are actually looking for is regularity in the footfalls.
The he discussed suppleness - he says there is no such thing as a stiff horse - watch them in the field and unless they have some sort of injury or soreness they are not stiff - what stiffness can be explained as is a resistance to the aids - sometimes more on one side than the other so people work away on suppling exercises and then say - see he is not stiff when what they have done is to teach the horse to accept the aid - thats one I need to reflect upon methinks.
we also talked about and he pretty much had a consensus about the horse that bends - we all agreed we prefer to think of it as correct straightness either in a straight line or on a curve so that was quick bit.
he talked about acceptance and longitudinal and lateral acceptance and it quite long so separate post I think.
in fact shall say that is part one of the amazing Mr Smiley as thats only half and don't want to bore you!!
Part two to follow!
for so much hard work we thank ye!!
