Warwick Schiller for the Win

 

I’ve really been liking this playlist as a frame work for Cruise lately.  We’ve been struggling a bit with balance and after forays into Your Riding Success, Mary Wanless, Connection Training, and Balance Through Movement Method we’ve finally struck gold.  Adding THIS Warwick Schiller playlist, specifically Stopping from a Canter parts 1-4, and Teaching the Half-Halt, to concepts from the above programs has proven to be the sweet spot.  Mix in a dash of sit to the inside of the banana with a speck of using more core, combined with tilt my pelvis back/touch the back of my neck to the collar of my shirt,  while keeping the 3 pillars in mind, has really been working for us.

The techniques in this playlist are a step by step to have a better rebalancing half halt but also to have a more present horse.  I love the way WS explains things and breaks down concepts for horses and people.  He is such a gem and everything is free.  What a deal!

A Visit from the Sherrif

 

Monday morning I went to barn to feed  at 7.  I was a bit out of it and noticed the interior gates looked a little funny but fed the barn cats and both horses as usual.  When I went in to pick Cruise’s stall I saw that one of the double ended snaps was gone from his door latch and his blanket was on the ground.  I couldn’t believe he got it off and as I looked at it, I realized he didn’t.  The front snaps were both undone as were the rear leg straps but the belly surcingles were still fastened.  WTF?  Then I really looked at the gates and finally woke up enough to see that not only were the interior gates unfastened but so were the front barn gates.  As I walked up the driveway to see that the gates there were also not properly fastened, just jammed together, I finally got it that someone had been in my barn and in with Cruise.

So, after a frantic call to my husband, then the Sheriff, and then the vet, we have a plan.  We made an official trespassing report and found out there haven’t been any recent incidents like this in the county.  The Sheriff recommended security cameras out the wazoo and we already have 3 of 4 installed.  We are upgrading our front gate lock and both horses are getting microchipped tomorrow.  Someone also suggested doing current 4 side views of the boys just in case, which we did last night.  

I have no idea WTAF was going on with the person in the barn.  Why remove his blanket partially?  Why re-close his stall door if it was just mischief making?  Why didn’t they just steal Cruise?  I’m going with the thought they will be back and bought a quality security system that will even see into the interior of the barn.  I think I’ve made things as secure as possible but it was a really scary incident that has me a bit on edge.  I am grateful though, to still actually have both horses and that Cruise didn’t kill himself wiggling out of his blanket.  He deconstructed the blanket rather thoroughly, pulled the stuffing out, drug it to his pee spot and peed on it.  At least someone had a good night.

Another Way of Looking at Half Halts

This is an interesting take on half halts by Dressage Institute/Your Riding Success.  Basically, it has you think of a half halt as anything you do to rebalance a horse, not just one specific set of aids.  And it is continuous, not just in the corners or before a transition.  Think of half halts as more like all the corrections you make while driving a car or crossing an icy bridge under saddle.  This concept has been really hard for me to implement,  and I’m still working through the process, but I think this is how great riders do things.  Who knew you have to rebalance A LOT more?  See it HERE

The 80/20 Rule

 

As I explained in my previous post, when I had some downtime, I found YourRidingSuccess on YouTube.  Another great gem from this channel is the 80/20 rule for weight in the seat versus the legs.  Just thinking about this when riding has improved my seat and lower leg so much.  Check it out HERE.