Time and Patience

I grouped these together because

"If you have time, you have no excuse not to have patience,
and if you don't have time then you shouldn't be training horses!"

Of all rider attributes, patience would have to be one of, if not the, most important. Everything takes time, not just during each training session but throughout the horse's life.

It takes time for both horses and riders to develop. Horses should always be prepared before being started under saddle. They need to be taught how we can communicate with them on the ground in a manner that can easily be transferred and continued under saddle. All different training systems have ways of doing this to make it easier on the horse and certainly safer for the rider. As this is being done the horse is also developing the strength and suppleness to prepare him/her for the rider. Some schools of training spend a lot more time doing this preparatory stage than others. Personally I think it is essential and not only for the young horses but also for any horses returning under saddle after time off. I do ground work, in-hand lateral work, poles/cavalletti and hill-work, stretches and free-jumping. I also continue many of these activities throughout my horses' ridden careers to keep them happy, interested and to cross-train for musculoskeletal injury protection.

You may be surprised to see I included riders in the comment of taking time to develop! It is true. I see this a lot with young riders when they have sudden growth spurts. They can take a while to really be able to control their body as they did before this happened. Also riders starting to ride after a break often find it much easier if they do some preparatory work on their own bodies such as gym work, pilates or one of the many online rider programs that are available. I also notice that when riders do these programs they become more confident in their riding, not just from a point of staying on but also for being able to ride with a lighter contact, less gripping and also better flexibility. Fortunately nowadays many riders have realised this and do dedicate time to cross train themselves.

During each training session it is important that time is taken to warmup correctly. This is so the muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints of the horse are prepared for the work to come. The rider can take this time to assess the horses mental status and slowly shift him/her into a great mind frame for the session, as well as to loosen up themselves. Some days horses may be fresh, other days sluggish and riders should be flexible and inventive to deal with different situations. Sometimes there may be a better exercise to do than what was initially planned for the workout. In-hand work is also extremely beneficial to include in the warm-up phase and can give some insight into what may need to be the focus for the work session.

If introducing a new movement riders should allow enough time, not only to explain it to the horse but also to do repetitions so the horse finishes clearly understanding what the lesson was about. I train for reactions rather than specific dressage movements and see each "movement" as a result of my horse's reactions. For example, I wouldn't go out and think "today I am going to teach my horse travers". It would just happen that I could do it, as previously the horse would have learnt how to move his shoulders, quarters, understood flexion, bend, moving away from leg pressure and be hooked into my seat and weight aids. Likewise with piaffe or changes. They just happen and the horse offers them as they are just a result and combination of many little reactions that the horse truly understands. Many of these little reactions can and should be taught in isolation when the horses are young as they do not necessarily require any collection and are not taxing on the horses' bodies until put together. Keep the reactions sharp and your horse fresh by not overdoing them. If you ask for something and your horse says yes then don't ask again. Just move on to something else or challenge your horse by going out in the bush or to a different arena and asking the same question there.

Time also needs to be spent on the cool down which is an area I feel many riders are guilty of neglecting. It is important not only for the horse physically but also mentally so they are ready for the next session. It depends how hard and what type of work the horse has done as to how long and what is involved in the cool down but it can be as varied as your actual sessions. Maybe a walk out, over poles or a walk in-hand is a great idea after a stretch down in the trot. Horses love variety and it is very important for their bodies.

Time between training sessions varies according to the age, type of work and workload, level, personality of the horse and environment as well as whether you are in a training stage or getting close to a competition. Common sense must prevail here but also experience helps and it is a great idea to talk to your coach to get their ideas on how you should progress between each lesson. This is a part of my coaching that I love as so often the riding is the easy part and it is the management of horses where people run into trouble. By learning and being a part of what my students do with their horses between our training sessions I understand more about their horses’ personalities and that helps me know how and when to introduce particular movements and how often to repeat them.

Patience is also required when working through the grades, no matter what discipline! It is not a race! It takes time, and how long depends on too many factors to mention but certainly does include rider experience and ability and horse breed, breeding and ability. Shortcuts will always show up and come back to bite you, hence the often heard saying and need for riders to “return to basics”. The best thing riders can do is to stay with one trainer and make sure that trainer has trained horses and riders to the level to which you aspire. Trust them, work with them and you will get there, wherever there is and whenever your horse is ready.
 
Above all, have fun and enjoy your journey with your 4-legged partner!

Riders can be confident about staying on yet lacking confidence when it comes to training their horse. Sometimes as we noted in the previous post, they may not even be aware that this is happening. It can be very subtle and almost at a subconscious level.
 
How much easier is it for an Olympic rider to feel and know exactly when to give and release an aid for a piaffe or a flying change compared to someone who has never done either of these movements!  A rider new to this level of training may continually second guess themselves, for no reason other than lack of experience. This lack of confidence can result in hesitation and lack of clarity in the timing of their aids. They may take their aid off too early, thinking that they must have done something wrong when in fact, the horse just needed a split second longer to react. Or alternatively they may bring in an unnecessarily strong back up aid. Both of these situations will result in the horse not learning the new exercise easily or at worst, becoming confused.

When considering confidence in context with training, riders need to know

1. what they are asking of their horse is not an unfair question,
2. they have prepared their horse for this question both physically and mentally,
3. signs that their horse is beginning to understand
4. signs that their horse is not understanding and that they need to reassess the situation (perhaps break the question down into smaller parts or talk to someone more experienced to work out a reason why this may be happening)
5. how long is a reasonable length of time for their horse to a) understand and b) become physically strong enough to perform what is being asked. 

Only when riders have this knowledge can they be confident in what they are asking and be patient enough to know that eventually the horse will understand. This prevents a rider from changing how they are asking the question too soon or perhaps even worse not changing the way they ask soon enough. Both of these scenarios can really confuse a horse.

Both horses and riders can lose confidence and we mostly think of this with respect to jumping. However, it is very apparent in dressage when riders become over-zealous with young, talented horses and also with horses learning new movements. Always err on the edge of less, rather than more, both in regards to quality and quantity as horses become stronger mentally and physically in their training. Make it fun for horses! Play games with them and as I always say,
 
"train for the reactions, not the movements"
 
The entire Equest Connect Program has been developed for riders of all disciplines to think and understand how they communicate with their horses. From becoming more aware of their own bodies and how they affect their horses in both a positive and negative way to understanding horse biomechanics to help with timing of aids and ease of movements, this knowledge will enable riders to be sure that they are asking correctly, not blocking their horse and that their horse is ready and well prepared for whatever they are doing. Rider React, Horse Aware and Horse Respond Clinics are great for helping riders break down the questions they ask of their horses and to start to train in a more horse-friendly manner.  
 

Most people think of a confident rider as someone who is not scared of falling off - a very good (and important) start! However, the word “confident” can be used in many different contexts when discussing riding.
 
Con-fi-dent - to be certain in one’s abilities
 
People learning to ride or returning to riding after a break or injury may well question their ability to stay with the horse should something unpredictable happen. This is very common, easy to recognise and totally understandable. Fortunately there is a lot you can do to increase your confidence which I will discuss later in this blog.
 
Two areas riders may not be aware their lack of confidence is creating an issue is in training and competing. If riders are not 100% sure that what and how they are asking is correct, they may second guess themselves and take an aid off too early or bring in a backup aid too soon. Both scenarios could confuse the horse and in many cases the riders are not even aware that this is happening. These are such interesting topics that I will dedicate a blog to each in the near future, as well as one about confidence in horses and how we can help them develop this.
 
What can you do to be as confident as possible when riding?
 
1) Keep as fit and  supple as you can. Not only will your horse thank you for this but so will your body the day after riding or if you are unlucky enough to have a fall! Good riders are not just lucky to be good. Most are always working on their own bodies to be the very best riders that they can be. Not living with your horse or lack of riding hours is no longer an acceptable excuse as there are so many online programs dedicated to rider fitness that are readily accessible to everyone.
2) Be sensible. Don’t ride if you are feeling really tired or unwell or perhaps just go for a walk instead. Anything that affects your balance and reaction times will make you feel more vulnerable and therefore less confident.
3) Learn about your horse. Everything. And more! You can never learn too much. Both about horses in general and about your own, individual horse. What is he/she like after time off, in different environments such as indoors, outdoors, on the train, in wind, in company, alone. Learn all about horse welfare, common management issues that can result in behavioural signs in ridden horses such as ulcers and lamenesses, seasonal issues such as grass related problems -  The list is endless!
4) Have tack that fits you and your horse. Fitting your horse is obvious, or at least it should be. No horse should have to be ridden in tack that doesn’t suit them and good on them for bucking or resisting if this is the case. But rider fit is also as important. A rider will be insecure in a saddle that is too big for them as well as one that is too small as they won’t be able to get into the deepest part of the seat and will always be perched on top. Of equal importance is the balance of the saddle or else the rider will be forever struggling to stay upright and with the movement. Sometimes until you have sat in different saddles you don’t know what a difference this can truly make.
5) Know your limitations. If you have only ever ridden older school master horses, don’t try to break in your next horse by yourself. You may be lucky but there is a very good chance you won’t.
6) Don’t try to be a hero – get help when needed or just wait! If your horse has started doing something that worries you then ask for advice. There will never be any harm in doing this but could well be if you don’t.
7) Learn from others’ mistakes. This is much less painful and less heartbreaking than actually making them yourself!
8) Be prepared, try to foresee possible potential non favourable outcomes and plan strategies to cope with these. An example here is to not take a highly strung horse out to a new place when it has not been worked for a while. No-one will thank you for this. Certainly not your coach nor fellow pupils. Or if you arrive somewhere and your horse is really uptight, don’t get on. No-one says you have to and quite often some ground work first, or perhaps only ground work, may be the way to go.
9) Have regular lessons. Don’t cancel if you are unwell or if your horse is out of action. Be inventive with your coach and do in-hand or online theory lessons. Unless you know more than me (and even I am continually updating) you will always have more to learn.
10) Seek help from a psychologist if you are nervous from a previous fall or bad experience and are unable to work through this with your current support team. Likewise if your riding anxiety is trickling over from general life situations.
 
The Rider Aware and Rider Balance clinics of the Equest Connect Program really help riders become more secure in the saddle leading to an increase in riding confidence. Improving balance enables riders to use less muscular tension and therefore be able to feel more of what the horse is doing underneath them, give lighter aids at the correct time and be more in tune with their horse. Above all they are incredibly good fun!