How Your Horse Wants You to Ride: Starting Out, Starting Over

HOW YOUR HORSE WANTS YOU TO RIDE......Page 5
 Contents......Page 9
 Acknowledgments......Page 13
 Introduction: How It All Began: 30 Years of Revelations......Page 15
  HOW TO USE THIS BOOK......Page 18
 Part I: Getting Started or Starting Over: Success Is Easier Than You Think......Page 21
  Chapter 1: Looking into Your Future: A Confident Rider on a Confident Horse......Page 23
   LEARNING, KNOWING, AND UNDERSTANDING......Page 25
   ESPECIALLY FOR BEGINNERS, OR THOSE WITH SERIOUS FEARS......Page 27
   THE BASICS: MORE THAN “HEELS DOWN”......Page 29
   SAFETY ISSUES......Page 34
  Chapter 2: Building the Foundation: The Seven Steps, Part One......Page 37
   GROUNDING: WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT......Page 38
   1. GROWING......Page 40
   2. SHAKE-OUT......Page 43
   3. BREATHING......Page 44
   5. TEETER-TOTTER (LONGITUDINAL CENTERING)......Page 46
  Chapter 3: Meeting and Greeting: Good First Impressions Create a Positive Relationship......Page 49
   THE APPROACH......Page 51
   THE GREETING......Page 54
   GETTING UP-CLOSE AND PERSONAL......Page 57
   MOVING THE HORSE OVER......Page 61
   HOLDING THE HORSE......Page 63
  Chapter 4: Grooming, Tack, and Tacking: Talking to Your Horse in Different Ways......Page 67
   TALKING TO YOUR HORSE......Page 68
   GROOMING: HORSE AND RIDER MAKING FRIENDS......Page 71
   PICKING HOOVES......Page 74
   TACKING UP: HALTERS AND BRIDLES......Page 76
   THE BAREBACK PAD......Page 88
   SADDLES......Page 91
   GIRTHS, CINCHES, AND COMFORTABLE HORSES......Page 94
  Chapter 5: Leading: Be in Charge without Being Controlling......Page 99
   PREPARATION......Page 101
   LEADING THE REAL HORSE......Page 104
   TURNING LOOSE......Page 109
   USING THE STICK......Page 110
   CORNERSTONES OF COMMUNICATION......Page 114
  Chapter 6: Mounting and Dismounting: Riding Confidence Starts Here......Page 115
   BAREBACK......Page 117
   USING THE SADDLE......Page 123
   THE LEG-ON......Page 134
   REBREAKING: PREPARING TO MOUNT FOR A NERVOUS HORSE OR RIDER......Page 136
   EMERGENCY DISMOUNTS......Page 139
 Part II: Riding without Fear: Bareback or without Stirrups......Page 147
  Chapter 7: Sitting on the Horse: The Seven Steps, Part Two......Page 149
   THE NECK STRAP......Page 151
   3. BREATHING......Page 153
   5. TEETER-TOTTER (LONGITUDINAL CENTERING)......Page 154
   6. LATERAL CENTERING......Page 156
   7. FOLLOWING SEAT......Page 159
   GROUNDING ON THE HORSE......Page 161
   SOME PROBLEM SOLVERS......Page 164
  Chapter 8: Communicating Considerately: The Stick, the Seat, the Center, the Weight, and the Eyes......Page 177
   USING THE STICK WHILE MOUNTED......Page 178
   THE SEAT AIDS......Page 182
   THE CENTER......Page 186
   THE WEIGHT......Page 195
   THE EYES......Page 201
   PRACTICING THE AIDS......Page 202
  Chapter 9: Free at Last!:  Riding without Reigns, Sitting the Trot without Stirrups......Page 203
   RIDING WITHOUT REINS......Page 205
   SITTING THE TROT WITHOUT STIRRUPS......Page 209
   SPECIAL FOR MEN (SOME STUFF FOR WOMEN, TOO)......Page 214
   PROBLEM SOLVING......Page 216
  Chapter 10: Handling the Reins......Page 217
   PICKING UP THE REINS......Page 219
   HOLDING THE REINS......Page 221
   RELEASING AND LENGTHENING THE REINS......Page 222
   BRIDGING AND SHORTENING THE REINS......Page 224
   MANIPULATING THE REINS, STICK AND NECK STRAP......Page 228
 Part III: Riding without Fear: Back in the Saddle and Using the Stirrups......Page 231
  Chapter 11: Settling into the Saddle: Adjust to the Difference......Page 233
   A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE SADDLE......Page 235
   GROUND WORK......Page 237
   ON THE HORSE: GETTING USED TO THE SADDLE......Page 239
   FIXING THE LEG......Page 240
  Chapter 12: Solving the Stirrup Problem: The Seven Seats, Part One: Full Seat......Page 243
   TWO LEG PLACEMENTS......Page 244
   PREPARING FOR THE STIRRUPS......Page 249
   TRYING THE STIRRUPS......Page 252
   FULL SEAT......Page 255
   FULL SEAT FORWARD......Page 258
  Chapter 13: Solving the Balance Problem: The Seven Seats, Part Two: Half Seats......Page 263
   THREE-QUARTER SEAT......Page 264
   HALF SEAT: OPEN POSITION......Page 272
   HALF SEAT: CLOSED POSITION......Page 284
   HALF SEAT BALANCED......Page 289
  Posting the Trot......Page 291
   PREPARATION FOR POSTING......Page 292
   Ground Work......Page 293
   POSTING WITHOUT STIRRUPS......Page 296
   POSTING WITH STIRRUPS......Page 299
   TROTTING......Page 300
   TROUBLESHOOTING......Page 302
   DIAGONALS......Page 303
  Cantering Basics......Page 305
   THE CANTER STRIDE......Page 306
   PREPARATORY WORK......Page 308
   ON THE HORSE......Page 311
 Part IV: Helping Your Horse Do What You Want: The Leg and Rein Aids......Page 315
  Chapter 16: Using Your Legs: No Strength Required!......Page 317
   THE SOFT LEG......Page 319
   TIMING AND PLACEMENT......Page 323
  Chapter 17: Understanding the Rein Connection: Use Your Hands Effectively......Page 325
   HOW THE REINS WORK......Page 326
   GROUNDING......Page 328
   USING THE REINS......Page 329
   LEARNING REIN SKILLS: PULLING......Page 330
   LEARNING REIN SKILLS: RELEASING......Page 341
   LEARNING REIN SKILLS: THE FOLLOWING HAND......Page 344
  Chapter 18: Overcoming Rein Resistance: Simple Hand and Rein Effects That Work......Page 347
   HAND EFFECTS......Page 348
   REIN EFFECTS......Page 364
  Chapter 19: Putting the Aids to Work: Go, Turn, Stop, and Back......Page 373
   THE ETERNAL TRIANGLE......Page 374
   BENDING AND FLEXION......Page 377
   GO......Page 379
   TURNING......Page 382
   STOPPING AND OTHER DOWNWARD TRANSITIONS......Page 387
   EMERGENCY STOPS......Page 393
   BACKING......Page 396
   PROMPTNESS......Page 398
  Conclusion: Build Self-Confidence in Yourself and Your Horse: Be the Perfect Student......Page 399
  SIMPLE LOOPS......Page 403
  MODIFIED BREASTPLATES......Page 404
  FITTING THE NECK STRAP......Page 405
  PLATEAU I: GROUND WORK......Page 407
  PLATEAU I: ON THE HORSE......Page 408
  PLATEAU II: ON THE HORSE......Page 409
 Appendix C: The Flowchart: Where Can You Go from Here?......Page 411
  EDUCATIONAL GROUPS......Page 415
  RELATIONSHIP TRAINING......Page 416
 Index......Page 419