MARK RASHID - Grafton, Australia
By Briar Spillane
I was extremely lucky to ride in Mark's Grafton clinic in Oz thanks to being on this list. After reading all the posts about him, and reading that he was coming I couldn't believe it! Grafton is a long way from where I live and in another State which involved a tick spray at the border crossing. Oh know! Nakema can't handle sprays of any description near him so I have never sprayed him except those times when I had to spray a wound and then look out! l would only be able to get one go at him with it, before he would say NO YOU ARE NOT GETTING ANYWHERE NEAR ME WITH THAT AGAIN! So after rereading the chapter on fly spraying a horse in Mark's book, I went out armed with my spray bottle filled with water and a bucket of water for refills. Got Nakema in a large yard with me at liberty and nonchalantly began to spray. I sprayed the fence posts, the ground, me. He ran around like a lunatic until he offered to look at me and I stopped squirting and backed off. After a while a light bulb went off in his head, "Oh if I over-ride my fear and go towards it, I can get that danged spray bottle to stop". After this we proceeded quite quickly to me getting closer and closer to him before he had to leave. At no time did he get upset as he could always leave if he had to but not so far that I lost him! I did 3 sessions with him the week before I left for the clinic and also practiced our float loading as he can be difficult sometimes and I wanted to be sure of him. The tick-spraying/border crossing was scary for him but went well as he managed to keep his composure through the whole ordeal and load nicely for me afterwards -what a relief! Maureen had organized a feast of informative speakers to give an holistic horse health seminar as well as the clinic with Mark Rashid. Dumb me forgot about daylight saving in NSW (they put their clocks 1 hour forward in summer) so missed most of Mark's talk about passive leadership. Mark often talks about looking at the big picture, well when you hear all the different aspects put together you realize how important each one is to the overall horse. They all spoke of BALANCE as being crucial to the horse. You guys who are going to the Horse Gathering this year will find it to be one of the best things you have ever done for your horse's well-being Thanks Maureen for one of the best experiences of my life and my horse thanks you too for his comfort and our relationship also seems to be getting better and better!
Notes I managed to scribble down during some of the rider's sessions.
Barry: Barry is a very good rider with a beautiful black quarter horse and is a level 3 PNH student.
-Look at horse's perspective. Look at the big picture, nutrition, chiro., saddle fit etc.
-Look for the positive and build on that, don't dwell on negatives.
-Stop - has to be in straight line head to tail to stop properly.
KEY - horse slows down and speeds up, very subtle. Horse asks "can I slow?." You answer the question. Give him a little cue, offer him a little cue, don't put whole leg on, cue him again before momentum dies. Don't nag constantly, horse gets aggravated. Ride with your home. When horse slows ask for the stop. Feel what is going on underneath you. Get him understanding that I'm listening to him, horse becomes more willing to do what I want. Loses impulsion because cues don't come off quick enough. To get a good stop horse must be relaxed, no other way, always seat first then hands.
Trot to walk - slow the trot, let cues off before horse walks. Slow trot same speed as long walk. Use momentum of slow trot to go into walk, forward into walk
Use your stomach muscles
Using your energy - if you start moving body it will slow horse down
How to bring your energy up - adrenaline up. THINK about going faster.
Horse picks up on feel from you. KEY-focus (look) where you are going, up not at horse's head.
Release for the try. Pretty soon the horse is offering you a bigger try.
Maureen:
Lungeing - If horse is moving, I'm going to be moving, regulate my speed to regulate horse's speed. Horse is a mirror of you. Let him know you aren't mad at him.
One Rule - DON'T RUN ME OVER.
To slow or stop tip his head to middle (you)
Horse should listen to you not to the tools. Use your body language not a wriggling rope, horse learns to pay attention to you.
Riding - Turns - get horse's attention by riding no straight lines, when horse softens, soften cues, when horse braces, put hand on your leg, horse bumps against rein, soft - no pressure.
Backing - if drifting keep horse's head straight no matter where his body goes. Horse will straighten his body in line with his head. Don't use legs to correct straightness.
Upwards transitions - if you get more than you asked for quietly ask him to come back after a few strides, he did what you asked for just didn't understand properly.
Stop - tip your pelvis back (tuck your bottom under). If blows through
stop, get a one rein stop and back a few steps. Don't lean back with upper body as this wilt tilt pelvis forward instead of pelvis tucking under. Sit up straight with upper body.
Steve: Steve's horse is a youngster he started only a few weeks before.
Be lighter with the hands, shorter reins.
Turn on Haunches - KEY* get horse to rock weight back onto haunches before make turn otherwise horse turns like helicopter blade ie. on their middle.
Help horse, if she shifts her weight one way then make turn that way.
Don't do things over and over, get them walking out or trot and stretch muscles before repeating exercise.
Keep hands in 'box' in front of saddle.
Don't overbend head through turns, keep head straighter.
If you get heavy horse has to get heavy.
Fatigue - if horse's movement gets 'doggy' then give 5-6 mins of stretching. Do 15 mins of one thing then 15 mins do something else.
When starting something new give them time to think about it. As time goes on, speed it up. Start a horse 3-4 years old at least.
Me: Bit is only for the cue. Don't bump him in mouth through transition to canter. Be aware of my hands, keep them still. Look where I want to canter to and THINK of getting there, cue, horse catches up with me, we canter there together. Horse may pick up canter before cue, listening to my thought. Canter will be better from transition. Don't overcue the canter, ease up into canter.
Long trot to slow trot to long trot to slow trot. Release in the transition or before. To go - cue leg on (squeeze) release with the surge forward and put legs on again before it dies. Be quick between squeeze, if no response give one kick with heels and go right back to squeeze. Don't hold him with reins ie. bump in mouth through trans. horse remains straighter and in downward transition loosen back, tighten stomach muscles, keep rest of body relaxed.
Use stomach muscles in sitting trot not back.
"A little too much is a little too much"
Back problems - horse can't move properly and round-up and lift back, tries but can't do it. Saddle fit very important. Nakema has a very round shaped wither and needs a wide gullet saddle. So my saddle was giving him problems! Since the clinic I have changed my saddle, gone back to my old wintec saddle in which the gullet is changeable and believe me I can't begin to tell you how much better he is going now. He can now collect properly and lift his back and canter much slower than he used to.
Ride with the horse, you go together, melt into saddle.
Turn on the Haunches - *key horse rocks weight back to start, lightens forehand, now able to step around with the front. Outside leg on girth not too far back, turn and look back, cue with reins, take leg off when horse moving.
Roll-back - from moving forward, downward transition and turn without stopping. Be light not heavy.
Slow the trot down to as slow as can without walking. This is same speed as long walk you want to go on into. Moment when walk is there from slow trot, downward transition into medium walk.
At start of a workout, take horse gently on bending lines, serpentines, circles, snaky lines - no straight lines until horse is with you and slowed down.
Collection - hands must be very soft, feeling and sensitive. Ask with fingers closed on reins ie. a little pressure, horse softens, at same instant you must soften to the horse. Don't over-release, throw reins/contact away. Ask again to get another try. Horse will offer up more and more. Softening right through his body to his tail. Back lifts, hindquarters come further under = springier step = self carriage.
Ask from a slower trot rather than fast trot. Look up where traveling and smile!
Mark said Nakema is a very nice horse....Well I know that already but very nice for him to say so!. He asked if I had any questions at the end and all I could think of to say was "When are you coming to live in Australia?"
