Glenshee Equestrian Centre

I recently posted about getting a horse started “ on the bit ,” but I probably should have started here, with the somewhat obscure concept of “jaw flexions.”     I first got thinking about this after a great  conversation   started by smazourek over at   Quarters For Me , and there's a great post on the subject that you should check out as well:   Cession de machoire First off, let me start by saying that I dislike the term “jaw flexion,” as I think it’s something of a misnomer; I prefer the term “jaw releases” (and even that’s imperfect) if we have to refer to this process at all. So, what are the mysterious jaw flexions or releases?     It is a concept and practice developed by Baucher in his Second Manner and over the years has been misunderstood and mangled by successive trainers and amateurs to the point of being nearly incomprehensible.     For all I know, I may be about to add myself to that list, but here is ...

 “If I didn’t have the pulley rein…”  - Stephanie Simmonds, Practical Horseman, March 2011 …uh, you’d have to learn to ride?  Doh. These days I seem to read your publication mainly as an exercise in voluntary frustration.  Until now, I have never felt the overwhelming need to respond to any of the many asinine articles I find there for two simple reasons:   1. Who has that kind of time?  Nearly every article in your magazine contains something ridiculous or just plain offensive, and people need to sleep and eat ; and 2.  It would be a futile effort, as I know my voice is one among a minority of riders out there who genuinely care about good horsemanship, not just ribbons.  Honestly, I don’t know why I continue to subscribe.  I suppose it’s more akin to rubbernecking a car wreck on the highway.  I read your magazine much in the same way some people read the “National Enquirer”—for the shock value and a few lau...

--> I’ve been thinking about the role and responsibility of the seat and leg aids in “on the bit” and whether “on the bit” is dependent on those aids from the rider or simply influenced and/or refined by them at a later stage of training.  I got to wondering about all of this because all of the horses I start are given considerable training from the ground long before they are ever backed, and that ground work continues in addition to ridden work as a part of their training for the rest of their careers.  An important part of that ground work for me is introducing the horse to contact with the bit and the rein effects before riding in hopes of developing the best possible relationship between horse and hand, while also developing the correct form and balance needed for their later ridden work. Contrary to popular belief, longeing is not just a way to give horses a little exercise when you’re too busy to ride (though that’s not a bad thing) and it shouldn’t be the way ...

I love getting my www.thehorse.com e-mails, as they are usually filled with interesting news and information for concerned horse owners/trainers like me. So I was a bit dumbfounded by this recent article title: Study: Horses Prefer Less Rein Tension It stated: “According to a new study by European equitation scientists, horses might prefer to avoid rein tension rather than just get used to it. And beyond a certain force threshold, rein tension can cause conflict behavior . To make the most of training and to keep the horse's mouth sensitive, riders need to know when to apply less rein tension, generally when the horse displays conflict behavior.” When I read the title of this study I thought to myself, “uh, no shit, Sherlock.” Like a previous study stating, “ Study: Shelter-Seeking Behavior Most Common in Poor Weather Conditions ” this was not a major newsflash. But it was a topic near and dear to my training, so I read on and, to my great unsurprise, t...

I have posted before on the position known as the “ turning seat ” and its necessity for balance and positioning through bends and in turns. The theory, in a nutshell, is that the rider’s hips and shoulders should be parallel to the horse’s hips and shoulders respectively.     Prevailing wisdom tells us that, while bending, the horse’s inside hip comes forward and inside shoulder comes back.    Therefore, the rider’s inside hip should be positioned slightly forward and inside shoulder should come slightly back (and outside shoulder slightly forward) to match those of the horse. It sounds like a perfectly reasonable theory, and in practice it seems to work.    But it may be based on a false assumption. Jean-Claude Racinet (among others, I am sure) makes the point that, when flexed laterally, the horse’s inside shoulder does not come back, but forward! Most assume the horse’s shoulders and hips remain perpendicular to the spine no mat...

I've been so busy now that spring is here that I haven’t had a chance to post in a while, but I’m hoping to post a few more installments related to rein aids next, so I thought I’d post these links all in one place before I continue.  If there are any topics you’d like to see discussed, please leave a message below and I’ll try to post something soon…  I've missed being here and  I'm looking forward to catching up with all of your blogs :-)  see ya soon! - jacquie Rein Aids Series: Holding the Reins The Turning Seat Inside vs. Outside: The Weight Debate ***** The Five Rein Aids: Introduction The Direct Rein The Indirect Rein The Direct Rein of Opposition The Indirect Rein of Opposition in Front of the Wither The Indirect Rein of Opposition Behind the Wither ***** Going Bitless