(From the archives: Clarity Dressage original YouTube Channel: Posted 2/11/2015)
Featuring Clare and Korri:
16.2hh, liver chestnut Oldenburg gelding
Part 1: Unavailable
Part 2: "Warm up for Lunging Over Cavellettis"
& "Keep the Circle Moving (Continued)
(Wording from video):
So this particular horse, for some reason, really likes to lunge small.
I am not asking him to stay small like this, he wants to stay small like this.
It is really interesting.
I do work on pushing him out, the reason why is because:
the smaller the circle, the harder it is on their bodies.
So, obviously, I want him out on as big a circle that I can get him on, but he likes to lunge small, so we will work it out as we go.
The fact that he likes to lunge small makes it actually a
lot easier to put him over the little cavellettis.
Warmup:
Before we start the little cavelletti work, I always get them going a
little bit walk, trot, canter both directions.
Again, I am not asking him to stay on this small a circle, he is insisting.
With this wonderful lunging attachment, we can change directions easily.
I know he is putting the attachment in his mouth, he does that, he thinks it's funny, and it doesn't matter, he'll spit it out when he is ready, and then it will
slip back to where it is supposed to be.
Working with the cavellettis:
The way I start is with the cavellettis on the ground,
and then go up to half height, than up to full height.
As you can see, the full height is what, a foot and a half? I mean, it's tiny.
But that's the whole point, that they are little tiny obstacles, so it is just gymnastic work for the horses, rather than difficult work.
It's mental work, it's fun mental work for them.
I've done this quite a bit with this horse.
The other fun thing is you can move the cavellettis around, you can take some away, you can put them in different places, you can turn them into little combinations, you can make them quite a bit taller if you stack them.
You can use little jumps, as long as you use blocks as the standards, so you can get the lunge line over.
Usually I will ask him to jump them in the trot,
sometimes he will jump them in the canter.
You'll see what we do.
I won't be able to talk because you won't hear me any way,
so I'm just going to go ahead and play with him a little.
Part 3: "Lunging Over Cavellettis" & Schooling to the Left
(Wording from video):
Good boy!
Ok, so there is the first direction.
I do it that way, I do everything one direction, then I pat them and praise them,
then I do the other direction.
You can mix it up.
You can go over one one way, and them go over it the other,
any way you want to do it is fine, as long as it is fun, mental work.
This work is going to make him really relaxed and happy today, he will be super 'chill' for the rest of today, and super happy to work tomorrow.
Because of my handy, dandy cool attachment, I can just reverse him,
and we can just play around a little this way" (to the right).
Part 4: "Lunging Over Cavellettis"
To the right & Time to Play & Explanation of the whole game
(Wording from Video):
I'm just going to let him play for a minute, he needs to run a little.
Good boy.
One more and then we are done.
I wanted him to land on the right lead there.
He's tired now, he wants to quit.
OK. So that is 'all she wrote' for his energy.
You saw he got tired there, and he was ready to quit.
And that's the whole point: getting him tired without
getting him horribly physically tired.
We get him mentally tired, and happy and relaxed.
So, there it is.
I am going to come closer to you and explain what I was doing.
He already knows how to jump, so that makes it much easier.
The hardest part is lining him up properly for the jumps.
And you can see me having to do that.
When I want him to jump, I get him lined up properly, and when I don't want him to jump, I make sure that he is not steering straight for the fence.
I'm sure you picked that up, you saw how I set him up when I wanted him to jump, and I set him up when I don't.
The other thing is: you saw right there in the middle, he was really high.
He just needed to run and plunge and gallop and buck and trot enormous.
So, if they are really hot like that, stop with the cavelletti work,
and just let them run and 'buck it out'.
That's the whole point: for them to be in here, having fun.
Then, once they settle, go back to a little more cavelletti work.
Again, if he gets super high, go away from the cavellettis, because it makes it pretty impossible for him to concentrate on his fences, when he is plunging about.
Now, he needs to cool down and have a roll.
After pretty much any work, I turn them loose to roll and wander around.
(I will make that the subject of my next video).
So, I am going to go ahead and do that, and I'll see you next time.