Fencing is a drill that’s generally utilized by reiners and cow horse riders. They do that to work on a horse’s potential to run in a straight line from Level A to Level B whereas staying relaxed. The fence is used as a barrier so a horse can study to run relaxed and free all the best way to the top to the world and stop ahead movement as soon as he will get there.
What fencing isn’t is crashing a horse right into a fence to work on a cease. In case you do this, you’re going to create nervousness and concern in your horse. Plus, you’ll trigger your horse to be afraid of working the whole size of the world—fully defeating the aim of this train.
Right here I’m going to go over the steps of fencing a horse and why it’ll assist your horse learn to run the entire distance of the world with out anticipating stopping.
Learn Extra: Beginning a Reining Spin
Stroll Ahead
Start at one finish of your enviornment and stroll ahead earlier than asking for a lope departure. Your horse must be relaxed, monitoring straight, and staying in body on the stroll earlier than you even try to lope. This may even assist your horse from anticipating lope departures. Proceed strolling till you are feeling your horse chill out.
Preserve your eyes up, discover a level that you simply wish to go to, and work to maintain your horse straight as you ask him to lope off on the lead that’s away from the closest fence. (So if the fence is nearer to your proper aspect, you have to be loping in your left lead.) This can preserve your horse from gravitating towards the fence.
Begin Gradual and Construct
If you ask for a lead departure, begin gradual after which slowly construct pace as you go down the world. Your horse must be ready in your cue to extend pace. This can assist him keep relaxed, and preserve him from leaping into the lope and taking off at full pace from step one.
As you lope down the world, you have to be evaluating your horse’s pace management, correctness, straightness in his physique, and the way he travels down the world. Is he lengthening his stride, and holding his neck and physique relaxed? Or does he have a brief, fast stride and bracing towards the bit? If you choose up your hand and go to your leg, is he staying in body and straight? Or does he wish to lean into your leg or drift as you journey down the world? He must be staying between your legs and fingers and in a straight line from begin to end.
This can be a good time to guage what you’re doing, too. Are you sitting down in your seat while you ask for extra pace? Or are you bouncing round in your horse’s again? Are you sitting heart in your saddle, or are you leaning on one aspect? In case you’re leaning, your horse goes to have a more durable time staying straight as you’re off stability.
The extra relaxed and assured your horse goes down the world, the higher his cease will likely be.
Ask for the Cease
Experience proper as much as the fence, say whoa, and take your legs away out of your horse’s aspect. He ought to stop ahead movement
and cease.
Then ask your horse to instantly again up a few steps to re-
inforce what you simply did.
You at all times wish to be sure you ask your horse to cease while you strategy the fence. He must be searching the whoa and listening to your verbal, seat, and leg cues to cease. If he doesn’t cease while you cue him to, go to your hand to get him stopped. Then reinforce it by backing him up.
When you’ve accomplished your cease, flip him round to arrange him to go down the world once more. As you stand on the finish of the world, now is an effective time to examine in together with your horse and see what he’s doing. He must be snug on the stand nonetheless; relaxed and flat footed. If he begins pawing on the floor, or dancing round, chances are high he’s extra targeted on going ahead than he’s listening to what you’re asking him to do at that second.
In case you run into any of these issues, take additional time to face on the finish of the world to get his mind to cease eager about going ahead, and targeted extra on being affected person and ready to your cue.
Add Velocity
In case your horse feels good after the primary couple of journeys down the world, now could be the time you can begin so as to add pace and see if any flaws present up. Proceed to construct pace, examine in together with your horse to see if he’s nonetheless with you.
If any flaws present up, take time to appropriate them, however keep in mind to do it in a manner that can enhance confidence and willingness, not in a manner that can intimidate him.
Study Extra: Horse&Rider OnDemand
