Dressage clicker-trainer Alex Kurland returns to the barn for a lesson day, and with his feet cured and comfy, Gus gets to take part. We continue our shoulder-giving and neck-softening work, which helps equines step in a more relaxed and powerful way. It encourages them to lift a little weight off their front ends, rocking them back a tiny bit onto their stronger (but often under-used) hind ends. Gus is getting to be a pro, especially when we travel in a curve to the left; like many equines, he’s less athletic — stiffer? weaker? — when circling to his right. After each arc around a cone or two, we return to home base: a wooden mat in the circle’s center.
Here I’m sliding my front hand up along the lead rope, grasping the snap where it clips onto the halter, and then rotating my wrist just a bit to suggest that he flex his neck. At the same time, my back hand touches his shoulder to cue him to move it out and away so that he can step under himself. All we’re after is a centimeter here or there, an almost invisible soupçon of lift and arch. But watch intently enough, and you’ll witness his entire walk improving, as the lightness in his front-end makes it easier for him engage his hind end and produce a more relaxed, swingy, and athletic stride. Dressage donkey!
No comments:
Post a Comment