Training a horse for showing in Western Pleasure:
Lesson 5
Collection Exercise
 
Be very soft and patient while practicing this exercise. Almost any performance horse, for almost any event, can benefit from this exercise that improves collection.

Training Western Pleasure Horses

Objective: Teach the horse to carry herself collected. We want her to lift her shoulders, step deeply under her body with her hocks, to break at the poll, and to begin to slow down.

Be careful not to yank on the reins. It may look to you as though I was doing that, but my hands were actually quite soft. I lifted UP on the reins, not back. If I simply pulled back on the reins, it would not translate so well into a cue for the horse to break at the poll.

With your legs and seat, push the horse into the bridle.

After the horse has begun to carry herself in a more collected, compacted frame, and is breaking at the poll, you should cue for a stop and release all pressure to reward her.

 

Allow the horse lots of rest breaks and look for lots of "flashes of brilliance" as opportunities to praise and reward the horse.

Short sessions of intense work are better than one long session.

This exercise is for more advanced horses, not for green horses! 

To be effective, this exercise must be repeated hundreds or even thousands of times. It must always be done with kindness and patience. Let it be a positive experience for the horse.

Posted June 24, 2008

Tutorial 5
Any comments about Lesson 5? Post to the forum HERE and your post will automatically appear on the tutorial page.

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First off, after watching the tutorials I just love this video series. I am looking forward to using the forums as a sounding board for tips and techniques, etc. I think this is where I need to really focus my attention with my gelding right now. He is a slow-footed colt and fairly lazy, so slowing his gait has not been a problem. He also has a naturally level headset (lucky me!). My husband video tapes our practices and I noticed that although he is slow, his strides look strung out to me (if this makes any sense). It is particularly noticeable at the lope. I think he is moving heavy on the forehand and he is just not collected. I also notice that although his neck is fairly level (he does raise it slightly at the lope), his nose is stuck out. I think lesson 5 will probably help greatly to get him to give me his "face" in hopes that he will collect up and his strides will shorten. I have been asking him to stop repeatedly and take his gait again in a series of halts and lopes, which is helping but still doesn't seem to be shortening his stride. Any ideas, tips, encouragement etc is appreciated. I know where we want to be and I see where we are now...it is just figuring out how to get there from here.

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