Centered Riding Update Clinic Day 3

June 16, 2010

Day 3 was preparation for the canter or lope. This is the point of where I am at in Shaggy’s training. We continue with the walk-trot-walk transitions. Building on transitional work is the key to moving towards higher levels of maneuvers.

Walk to Trot and back to Walk transitions prepares the horse to move out. This causes the horse to start thinking about when the transition is coming. We work the body and the mind of the horse by varying transitions. We move from the walk to the trot within a few walk steps. Trot, come back to the walk for 2 walk steps, and trot again.

We can also move the horse out by thinking about and by moving our center while we pedal backwards in the Following Seat. If we want the horse to move out more briskly, we want that center to grow and spin larger. We grow up and that helps the horse to stay light in the front end also. If we want the horse to move slower, we spin our center smaller and slower.

Through a lot of transitions into the trot and back to the walk and stop, the horse becomes lighter on the front end. The horse becomes springier in the trot. The lope departure becomes easier as the horse becomes lighter on his front end, deepens his hind end motion, and springs into the lope.

We don’t ask for the lope until walk trot transitions come easily, and the horse springs into the trot. We vary the asking by increasing or decreasing the number of steps between the walk and trot. We add maneuvers and patterns to the work out, keeping the horse always thinking.

The last day of the clinic should be about building on the lope departure. The fourth day is here already. It is exciting when time flies like this and we have so much fun while learning!

“Embrace the Journey!”

Centered Riding Update Clinic Day 2

Can you believe that it is the middle of June already? Summer is here now, as it is sunny 70 in CO at my clinic. I had my trailer windows open as I made supper, and even now as I’m enjoying a cup of coffee while I blog. Shaggy is eating some hay, and I will go check him and clean his stall in a little bit, but first I want to share about my day.

I am having such a good time here. Relaxed. No pressure to meet any guidelines or to pass any level. This is a time to learn more, apply what we are learning and go home with more “tools in the toolbox.” We are learning a few more Centered Riding techniques and exercises. We are applying what we are learning in 2 ways. First we teach a 45 minute class to 1 or 2 students, instructing them with any Centered Riding basic and exercises that we think will help the students that we have. Then after the teaching sessions, we ride. Today was an 1 ½ hour instruction by Susan, a Level 4 Centered Riding instructor.

I asked Susan how she knows something is enough when she does body work or is having the rider do something. She said to me that just her years of experience have given her a precision of knowing what to do and when. And it shows. She can see what is happening with a horse or with the rider, and she knows exactly what to say to the rider to see an improvement in the rider/horse relationship.

I am so glad that I came with Shaggy. He is being excellent! I can tell that we are improving in our relationship. He is starting to feel my body movements and to know what they mean. As I do the “Following Seat“, he moves in a deeper stride. If I half halt, he hesitates. We half halted to the stop and he began to stop. He is moving off my legs, without spurs which I have never used with him, and he is staying straighter down the long side of the arena.

Shaggy has definitely deepened his stride with 4 exercises that helped to get the horse’s back up. First, using the “Following Seat” and other exercises, his legs reach under him as I follow his movement with my hips, allowing him to be freer through his shoulders and his body. He is staying light and lifting his shoulders. This is happening because I am riding with my center and moving my hips freely as he moves.

Second, in the “Posting Trot“, we use our outside leg back and deepen our heel at the down movement of the trot, which is when we sit the trot. We move into the “3 Seats at the Trot”. We post 6 strides, 2-point 6 strides and sit 6 strides, then repeat the sequence. When we 2 point, we do the “Dancing Knees” exercise, allowing the hip, knee and ankle joints to relax and feel the movement of the trot. When we sit, we sit with control. We sit lightly into the saddle by first starting to sit, then opening up our knee which takes our knee off the horses and then sit. By doing the sit part of the 3 Seats at the Trot lightly, we are able to sit the trot without hurting the horse’s back with bouncing.

Lastly, we did Half Halts at the walk to stop the horse. We think about our Center and having our center deep. Then we grow with the horse, but we don’t think about growing up. Think about growing down, like the roots of a tree. Another way to Half Halt to the stop is to bring our center down, then think of letting go of a balloon from our head. Don’t allow the body to straighten too much, just think lightness. We finished the exercises by asking for a stop at the trot by using the Half Halt.

I was almost ready to lope Shaggy as his movements were beautiful. He was giving to the bit. At the end of our lesson time, I could tell that he was tired though. He did want to grab at the bit. I asked him to continue to stay straighter going down the rail and moved his ribcage back over to the rail when he wanted to come off the rail. I wanted to end on a good note, and I didn’t want to move him into the canter, which seemed like it would have been effortless, if I didn’t have time to correct anything that went wrong.

I did turn Shaggy out in the outdoor arena while the next group had their lesson. I brought him in at the end of the day for some hay and water. I saddled him, put him into a D ring snaffle instead of the short shank, broken mouthpiece, (which has a covered hinge), that I had been riding in. I knew tomorrow it was time to take my Centered Riding exercises and apply them to the lope. What better way to improve his lope than when I am being instructed by a very knowledgeable Centered Riding instructor.

I warmed Shaggy up with some walking, using the Following Seat. I trotted him, both while posting and while 2 pointing. I practiced the half halt stops at both the walk and trot. When I felt that he was relaxed, and half halted him, I asked for the lope with my center. I maintained light contact on his mouth, mainly for speed control at first. But I left go of contact as I wanted Shaggy to know that it was ok to lope freely with a rider. Using half of the arena, after 2 or 3 circles, he settled down into a nice lope speed. I stopped, reversed, and went to the right, which is harder for him to stay in the lope. This was also the direction that he would come off the rail at the trot. I asked for the lope and I left him go faster. At home, I had trouble keeping him in the lope, so I wanted him to lope at the speed that he is comfortable. I stopped him, then went right into a free moving walk, using the Following Seat. This way, he knew that loping could end and be relaxing!

I know at times I hold too lightly on the reins for contact. I have control, but I need to tell my horses to move back into straightness sooner and with more exact pressure when they don’t stay straight. That is what I am taking away from today’s lesson.

The lesson felt good. After an in depth lesson like this, I have never re-saddled my horse to ride again. Today, I couldn’t wait to get back on Shaggy and practice a little. I want to prepare both him and myself for tomorrow. We both can be relaxed going into the lope transitions.

What a journey this is starting to be. As I have started this journey a year ago, it is still new and fresh for me. Now I am starting a fairly young horse and teaching him correctness and straightness. Shaggy and I are both starting together at the same level.

I will “Embrace the Journey!” with him.

Centered Riding Update Clinic

Day 1

Another June finds me in Steamboat Springs, Colorado for a Centered Riding Clinic. Last year, I was here in June and in August, completing my Level 1 Instructor’s Course with Peggy Brown. This Update Clinic is instructed by Susan Harris. This is 1 of 2 Update Clinics that I will need before August of next year to be able to apply for Level 2 Centered Riding Instructor.

Last year, I had Finny here. I still miss here dearly, and I will always miss “what could have been“. I was so looking forward to where Centered Riding could have taken Finny and I towards a wonderful partnership. We had bonded so well during those summer months of last year, when I started my Centered Riding journey. He was riding beautifully and I was having so much fun with him.

This year, I have Shaggy here. I have raised Shaggy, and from the time we was a weanling, I have always admired his conformation and looks. He has a gentle soul. Things happen for a reason, and God has shown me that I can have another special relationship with another horse. Shaggy’s quiet way of going is what I needed. My Centered Riding journey will continue with him, as I’m sure that there will be many horses in my life that will help me on this journey. I pray that I am able to bring Shaggy to where I had Finny. This sadness that I have with losing Finny will go away some day. I’m hoping Shaggy helps me with that feeling.

I have made mistakes already with Shaggy this past month. One is simple. I got impatient and got after him one day for not picking up his hind feet for me. Now he is scared to pick up his feet. I should have relaxed and did some breathing, but that is what I am doing now. Today he picked up his feet, even though he moved right away. That’s ok, as there is no pressure to do it correct right now. I just don’t him scared to pick up his feet.

The other mistake is taking him into the lope before he was ready to carry me into that lope in a good frame. He is 7 and I wanted him going now. Or so I thought. I don’t need him loping, and loping with collection, by a set date. I don’t need him becoming anxious because I want him to lope. Today, we worked on walk trot transitions and breathing through those transitions. At the beginning of the lesson, Shaggy went from being relaxed and having a level head at the walk to stiff and high headed with being asked to trot. By the end of the hour lesson, he walked and trotted into transitions with a level head. And I have learned that I need to keep him at these transitions until he is comfortable with any walk trot transitions.

During this lesson time with 2 other riders, we worked on the Following Seat, which had us feeling the horse’s movement at the walk. Allowing the hips to move, we were to see if we could feel the front and back movement of the walk, which was easy to do. We were to see if we felt the side to side motion, which I finally “got” recently. At home as I practiced the Backwards Pedaling, I could feel each side of the seat bones moved, first one side pedaled backwards, than the other side. During the lesson, we were to see if we could feel the up and down movement. I didn’t feel that movement.

To feel the front and back movement, we were to picture a large ball moving in our center. This is the Backwards Pedaling motion. We were to picture a watermelon laying on its side for the side to side movement, and take the shape of that watermelon as we pedaled backwards. Then we were to picture that watermelon standing on end, pedaling backwards but up, as in the shape of that watermelon. As the front foot left the ground, you felt the up movement. I got it!

And with the up movement, as I was visualizing that watermelon standing upright, I grew taller. And my horse became lighter on his front end! Light Bulb Moment! His walk was fantastic. He was striding out, relaxed, level headed, AND light on his front end, all with me seeming taller, yet relaxed also.

We had some body work done during the lesson. I had a hip release done, which I love. The hips become more open and the legs seems longer. Once again, the muscles become relaxed and appear longer. Susan showed us a way to move the lower leg in small slow circles which freed up the hip more. She showed us a technique of brushing the lower back, 3 times, then coming over the thigh, ending in a hip release and grounding of the foot. Another thing that I realized was the amount of pressure that Susan used. It wasn’t heavy or hard, but her hand had a certain amount of distinct pressure to it. It was more exact pressure. She explained that after years of experience, she knew the feel. It was clear intent.

Amazing how that felt. I’m not explaining it well, but after I process this and experiment with other riders, I will want to start to develop this feel.

To me, riding horses is a feel. I love passing this feel along to others. I want to develop my feel so that in an instant, riders know that they have been touched by something new and wonderful. Something that will touch their lives and empower their time with horses. I love what Centered Riding is teaching me and how it is affecting my life.

Enjoy your journey, wherever is now and wherever it is taking you. And always,

“Embrace the Journey!”

Makenzie and her "Pody"

Sara wanted to get a pony for Makenzie. She found a mini in Iowa, just across the border. So on Wed, I went and picked up this little guy, a very fat, black, 30" mini. He is very nice.

I brought the mini to Makenzie yesterday! Makenzie tries to say Pony, and calls him "Pody".


She seems to be saying, "What is this, Grandma?"


Sara, Makenie and her pony.


Look how little they both are.


Shaggy looks like a giant compared to the mini!


Shaggy and mini are best buds already!


Sara wants to put him on a weight lose plan! No wonder!


LOL! He's fat! A little girl needs to be trotting him around, but probably next year!

The Training Horse Goes Home

I’ve had a good month and a half on the training horse. And it went very well. I love it when the owners come back for lessons and take the time to ride their horse.

I am so happy about how well the horse and owner got along this week. The owner is a beginner, even though his wife has had horses for some time. I think that gives a beginner husband a better start! It has given my hubby a better understanding. He knows what to expect. He knows the horse. He knows and understands horses.

After coming back from the AAHS Clinic, I have begun using some of the principles in my lessons. I talk about the Nature of the Horse and why the horse does what he does. Some of the Secure Seat exercises are about the same for Centered Riding, especially the alignment.

Once we are balanced in our seat, and balanced over our feet, we stay with the horse whenever he moves out from under us. If we are balanced in our seat - that also means we sit evenly on our seat bones - we cam move when the horse moves.

My lessons with the training horse’s owner began with teaching how to Steer, Start and Stop. Then I taught him how to feel the horse’s movement in his body. We did the Following Seat, and allowed the hips to move. Then we did the Pedaling Backwards exercise, and felt when each hind leg hit the ground.

What really made the biggest impact was when I had him turn the horse with his whole body. As he neck reined around, I had him turn with his whole body. He turned his shoulders, waist, and knees as he made a turn. What a difference in control of the horse in the turns. Light Bulb Moment! At least for me if not for him.

I have learned to slow down and allow the rider time to figure out what he is learning! That is what this training horse and owner has taught me!

We need to continue to learn if we have horses, if we ride horses, and if we want to understand horses better. We also need to take the time to ride at leisure. Ride for fun! We don’t always have to be tuning on horses, or riding in a lesson, or riding as if every time we ride has to be perfect.

Enjoy your ride! Enjoy the journey!

“Embrace the Journey!”