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Training

Martingale Safety

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While a running martingale, or training fork, is a common and widely used training aid, there are a few things to remember when using one. I prefer the martingales with a neck strap. I don’t like the idea of having the fork swinging in front of their legs when they are traveling with their head down. A wrong step could get a leg tangled up and cause a wreck. I also like the center ring to sit close to chest, so everything is adjusted close to the body, so there isn’t a bunch of leather to wiggle around.

Anytime you use a neck strap you need to tie it up to your saddle. This will keep it from slipping down and getting locked up behind the horses ears. I just use a piece of twine and tie it to the ring on my pommel.

One of the most important things to remember when using a martingale is if you are using snaps on the reins or a shanked bit, or anything else that could get hung up on the ring, you must have martingale stops. These prevent the rings of the martingale from catching over the snap on reins, or the ring on the shanked bit, which could cause the reins to get stuck in a position that could make the horse panic and flip over backwards.
As for adjustment, that can be personal choice. Ideally, if you lift the rings of the fork towards the throatlatch they should just about reach. However, many people prefer their martingales adjusted tighter so it pulls on the reins even when the reins are sitting in “neutral” position. This causes a pulley type action when the reins are pulled and can significantly increase the pressure put on the bit, so this technique should be used with discretion. If the martingale is too loose it simply will just be useless, because it won’t put any pressure on the reins no matter how you pull.

I typically use a martingale to tune up a older seasoned horse that needs a little reminder to steady their head and neck, or a green colt that is starting to learn a little fine tuning about headset and body control.

-Mandi Thompson Training

Kalley Krickeberg’s “Advancing Liberty” to close Horse Expo 2014

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In just a few hours, Kalley Krickeberg will close out the 2014 edition of the Western States Horse Expo with her workshop called “Advancing Liberty, no strings attached.” Liberty is the free expression of the horse. It demonstrates the partnership between the horse and handler. The handler asks the horse to do different horsemanship tasks, but the horse has no tack on. No reins, no bridle, no bit. By agreeing do to the tasks, the horse is submitting its will to the will of the handler.  Check out the video below for a brief demonstration.

Kalley Krickenberg doing LibertyMs. Krickeberg who trains out of Florida, has dedicated her life to finding the right combination of techniques and exercises to capture the heart, obedience and athleticism of her horses. She has taken all of her prior experiences – including polo, working with the Budweiser Clydesdales, starting colts, taming wild mustangs, and giving inspirational and educational demonstrations – and applied every lesson learned to her horse development. She is the inventor of the patent pending HYBRID Halter which combines the best features of a web and rope halter while eliminating the disadvantages of each, is the horse training columnist for the American Paint Horse Association’s lifestyle magazine CHROME and is a collaborator with $5 Million Dollar Rider Shawn Flarida on The Sport of Reining: Training the Young Reiner DVD which was released late in 2013.

So if you have some free time this Father’s Day Sunday Afternoon, spend it at the Western States Horse and Ranch Expo. Ms. Krickeberg’s “Advancing Liberty” will begin at 5 pm. You can find more information about her at her booth, #5201, in the A Building. There are also over 400 exhibitors, 20 plus clinicians, and horses galore. The Expo closes this evening at 6:00 pm. It’s located at Cal Expo, 1600 Exposition Blvd. in Sacramento.

Tips to help with Jigging

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A horse that jigs on the trail is very frustrating. Most of the time the solution is not a one and done sort of deal. Retraining a jigger takes time, patience and repetition. Here are a few tips that can help you get headed in the right (and smoother!) direction.

1. Check all tack! Make sure there is nothing pinching, pulling, pushing, poking…you get the idea. A horse that jigs is using it’s back poorly, so a saddle that doesn’t fit can really aggravate an already uncomfortable position. Check for soreness, heat or tenderness across the back. Look for rub marks or lumps on the spine.

2. Check your riding! Are you sitting balanced and relaxed? Stay in the middle of your saddle and back on your seat bones. Tipping forward can encourage an energetic horse to move faster. Keep your back and shoulders relaxed and your arms and hands elastic. Move with the horse. Don’t brace or tense up.

3. Change the routine. Try different route, or go the same route the opposite way. Start heading home and then if the horse starts getting worked up, turn around and go somewhere else for a little while.

4.Reverse psychology. Do you immediately take your horses saddle off and put them away in their stall right after the ride? Instead, go to the arena and do some active riding. Make the trails a relaxing place by working hard in the arena after the ride. It that isn’t suitable to your situation, then tie your horse up still saddle in a safe location without food, to sit for a while. It might make them a little less eager to get home the next time.

5. Develop a cue. I like a head down or vertical flex cue for jigging. The reason is, most horses raise their head and brace against the bit and hollow their back when jigging. By creating a cue to drop their head and neck, it raises their backs and keeps them from getting above the bit and avoiding the bit. However, success is in the release. If the horse walks in response to the cue, you must have good timing with your release. Also, this will have to be repeated hundreds of times depending on the severity of the problem. Start with short rides, so you don’t get tired and the horse doesn’t get frustrated.

6. Don’t use a bigger bit. If your horse is already a nervous type adding a more powerful bit will worry them more. Work on the training of your horse and don’t rely on the equipment.

7. Avoid gimmicks. While a running martingale attached properly is a relatively harmless training tool, other gimmicks like draw reins and tie-downs can get you in trouble and really have no place on the trail. Both devices can encourage bracing and avoidance of the bit, so they really are of no help to a jigging horse.

8. Pick your riding partners carefully. If your horse is a slow walker and you always ride with fast walkers then are not setting your horse up for success. Choose a riding buddy that is willing to help you fix your horse’s problem and won’t leave you in the dust. Or if your horse is the fast walker then ride with other fast walkers. Having to start and stop all the time can also frustrate your horse.

9. Patience! This will no go away in one ride. Try for a slight improvement on every ride.

10. When all else fails, get help. This might be a case for someone with more experience to tackle. If the jigging makes you nervous or the horse is becoming dangerous, then seek professional help!

Boxes Exercise

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All you need is nine markers and a place to set them up. An arena with walls or a rail is nice, because there is more incentive to make the turns tight and clean so you do not run a kneecap into the sides of the arena.
First set the markers or cones up like the black dots. The shorter the distance between cones the more difficult the exercise is, so if the horse or rider is green, start out with them a little wider.
I recommend starting at a walk until the pattern becomes familiar, it is easy to get lost! Start at the center cone with it on your left. Follow the diagram continuing to make left turns until all the boxes have been “closed” and you finish at the center cone. Then move to a jog/trot, and then for a bigger challenge try it at a canter/lope. To go to the right, start at the center with the cone on your right, and continue to make right hand turns like the diagram shows, eventually ending at the center.
One of the trickiest parts of this pattern is the long center line. Keeping them straight and forward is a challenge. At the canter some horses want to change leads going down the center.
This exercise is for all riders, horses, and disciplines. It helps with control, timing, cadence, collection, transitions, concentration, and balance. It also keeps the nervous horse or rider busy, and it is a great way to achieve focus.
For beginners:
Work at the walk and trot, and make your boxes more round. Concentrate on the pattern and keeping smooth, consistent, forward movement.
Intermediate:
Expect the horse to travel forward through the turns without a lot of help. Work mostly at the jog/trot and start to introduce the canter, maybe only one box at a time. Make the boxes rounded squares, which requires the rider to make the horse keep it’s shoulder up through the turn.
Advanced:
Work this pattern at mostly a trot and/or canter, and make your boxes square. This teaches body control for the horse, and rider has to have good timing and feel to make the sharper turns.

If you flip the diagram upside down then it is all laid out for the right hand turns.