Building Foundations

I've been thinking a lot about foundations. Not just dressage basics and how to create a relaxed horse who is willing to try for their human... but also other foundations too.

It's logical to me that if a horse's feet are not in balance, everything else would be compromised to some degree. When Hannah first came to Dances With Hooves, she landed toe first with each foot fall. That has been corrected, but I'm not convinced that her foot is in complete balance still... so to that end, I've found a barefoot trimmer that will trim for me. I want to give Hannah the best possible opportunity to see what she can do. In order to do that, I feel her foundation needs to be solid and correct.

Beyond her feet, I also feel a chiropractic adjustment is in order, because often foaling can cause a misalignment in the spine, just due to the process of foaling. I don't see evidence of any particular pain, but I can feel a difference in the quality of canter, left and right lead. I want to rule out misalignment because if that's the problem, all the training in the world isn't going to fix it!

There are so many other components to a good foundation. The proper saddle fit, proper bit shape and fit & dental care When I think about it, all the training in the world is pointless if the foundation isn't solid.

Beyond all of the physical components, I think there is also an emotional component. I believe we (humans) have the obligation to create a safe environment for our horse during training. An environment where they can learn with minimal stress and confusion. Feeling safe means feeling it's ok to make mistakes. No one, not horse or human, can enjoy learning if making a mistake means punishement will follow.

The truth is that optimal learning will not take place without a bit of emotional nurturing. I was recently sickened by a video on YouTube, showing a horse's leg tied up while the "trainer" (I use that term very loosely in this case) mounted and forced the horse to canter around a pen on 3 legs. I see no earthly reason for such inexcusable human behavior. It is our job as the human to lead with kindness and train without brutality. Regardless of the reason for such methods, if the horse had been started with a good foundation, felt emotionally, mentally and physically prepared for every step in training, such horrible methods would never have been necessary in the first place.

I know Hannah's past had it's rocky moments, and she learned some very negative behaviors on order to cope with humans. I wonder once a poor foundation is established, is it possible to completely rebuild it and undo any damage done? I imagine it depends upon how much damange and how forgiving the horse.
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Getting Back to Dressage

I've always kept a training journal, so it was a tiny step to move from that to a blog. This Blog will be focused on training my Curlies, although it may deviate to other topics now and then.

First, I've made a huge (for me) decision to move away from breeding this year. Hannah has been on Maternity Leave and it felt SO GREAT to get back in the saddle again. I love the babies, but my heart is really with training and dressage.

I also have come to see that if I can give anything to horses, it is be taking horses like Hannah who have been treated less than ideally and show her that humans aren't so bad. Seeing her work with me and try so hard to get what I'm asking for just makes me day every time I ride her. She's come so far, she started out as a sometimes aggressive & emotionally distant horse who bit me that first time I tried to clean out a front hoof. Over time and with the diligent use of operant conditioning (clicker training) she has morphed into a soft and supple riding horse, schooling some second level dressage movements.

My focus with Hannah is always keeping her soft, relaxed and supple as the top priority. I've learned over the years that if I lose sight of the horse's back - keeping it soft and swinging, then I have no foundation for any other training. Yes, I can train "tricks" without a soft and supple back, but they will not be correctly executed from a "classical dressage" perspective.

Sometimes, regardless of what I have in my training sights for the day, I have to drop back and focus purely on the basics to ensure that Hannah is properly stretched over her topline, soft and light, and in self carriage.

So far, without going into too much detail, I am thrilled with our progress since putting Hannah back to work. She has picked up canter from the walk like it was child's play. Her lateral work is becoming quite good, and we set up the video camera every weekend so that I can verify that it looks as good as it feels. We've started schooling shoulder-in to a few steps of lengthening, and once again, I'm impressed by how fast she caught on to this new 'ask' of mine. Every try showed improvement and what more could I really ask for?

This mare is amazing. She comes with her how challenges, most notably an apparently negative past that has her a bit prickly with humans on occasion. But if I keep my expectations clear, she's more than willing to give as much as she can give. I had a wonderful chestnut mare named Holly, when I was a child, never marish and an amazing athlete. Since that time, I've always favored male horses, but Hannah brings back thoughts of Holly. There is nothing more amazing than a mare that gives you her heart and soul in her work.