More on Uberstreichen Excercises
Apr 23rd, 2009 by Carolyn Resnick Method
Today I’d like to continue to talk about the ubstreichen excercises I use.
The exercises isolate and address blockages in the horse’s body, whether in the neck, jaw, shoulders, back or hocks. Once the horse performs the exercises easily and properly, he will be in front of the leg. I have found that the exercises’ greatest benefit appears in their use before competition. They enhance the horse’s way of going, its attitude and desire to perform.
Clarity of aids is the key to a horse’s willingness to perform. A horse commonly gets turning rein aids mixed up with supplying rein aids and half-halt aids. We can hardly get angry at a horse for turning off to the subtle differences of our rein aids and leg aids. Many times, when asked to supple, a horse will drift in or out of the turn because he thought the rider was using a turning rein rather than a suppling rein. I believe most performance problems are caused from the horse’s lack of understanding, which can create defiance.
Some individual problems can occur. Aggressive horses with big performing gaits can find it difficult being submissive to rein aids when they are at the top of their performance. Self-carriage can create the same out-of-control result in a normally calm horse. A wild horse will posture a collected frame as a way to communicate. Putting a domestic horse in self-carriage can trigger his wild instincts and affect his performance. He may want to look around and shy because his blood is up. Shying is another form of expression a horse uses to control other horses. His body language says, “Watch out, I’m in charge.” When a horse is in a collected frame he is feeling his self-importance.
Once you have brought your horse to a higher level in dressage, where he puts more energy into his performance, you may be dealing with more submission issues than in the past. A common problem with horses that are naturally submissive to the rider’s aids in moderate gaits is that, when asked to perform to their maximum in self-carriage, they lack the desire or energy to do so. Some horses learn to pull or lean on the rein with green riders. All these problems can be addressed with the uberstreichen exercises.
Many times problems between self-carriage and manual control of rein aids and leg aids are related to a rider’s inabilities. I will not address these errors because there are many schools of thought regarding riders’ training techniques in developing collected and extended gaits. But no matter how the horse is being ridden, the exercises are beneficial because an unlocked horse in self-carriage at the top of his ability is what all the different riding schools wish to achieve. If the horse is being ridden incorrectly, the exercises will help but you must learn how to ride correctly or they will lose their effectiveness.
The exercises school horse and rider. While they are most effective in the hands of a skilled rider; they will advance the beginner’s understanding and skill level on how to communicate half-halts for self-carriage. All riders can use them to identify where the horse is locked, where the problem is in the horse’s performance and reaction to rein and leg aids.
It is important to remember to keep dressage in the act of your riding and training your horse. One rule that should never be broken is never asking your horse to perform any movement before he is prepared and willing to try.
Please write in with your questions and comments and I shall do my best to answer them.
Have a good weekend!
Carolyn
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Dear Cindy – I have observed the same behaviour a couple of years ago when my old mare got a cut on her lower hind leg, and my gelding Tom would lower his head and lick her wound regularly. Quite a peculiar sight!
Horse are very prone to developing proud flesh and apparently the saliva of animals contains enzymmes to prevent this overproduction of granulation tissue from happening. So I think what our horses are doing is applying their innate wisdom and encouraging wound healing. And I must say my mare’s wound healed beautifully. No infection and no proud flesh, hardly a scar.
When Tom then hurt himself and had a deep wound on his lower hind about a year ago, I let my Great Dane lick his wound daily(apart from tradtional wound care and loads of calendula ointment that I applied). Tom tolerated it and again the wound healed as if somebody had sutured it.
I think what you observed is a wonderful sight and a beautiful example of the wisdom of our beloved horses!
Thankyou Carolyn for the comments on shying, which made a lot of sense. I have a young mare who seems to shy when she is annoyed at being asked to do something or go somewhere she doesn’t want to. Yet she will happily go past pretty much anything without problem if it’s her idea or she’s going where she wants to go (e.g. if we’re heading home). Not a spooky horse–the shies are an expression for her.
Thanks for your response Carolyn,
!
You said that the Uberstreichens were very relaxing for a horse….so I thought that scratching that “just right” spot , usually just on his shoulder blade ,he would bend his head down and in all by himself so prettily, and I thought to myself …this looks as if this could be one of Carolyn’s Uberstreichen stretches:)
Funny thing is he gets so lost in it… feeling so good that he will stay like that to the point that he is pretty oblivious to his surroundings..whether it be another horse entering the arena or a loud noise …he just is soo relaxed ! I’ll take it
Thank you Carolyn. It is so helpful to have a list of reasons to go thru so I can understand our relationship better. I will work on the three speeds. Is the speed of travel significant because it provides gradual escalation of energy between us? Something along those lines?
Carolyn, thank you so much for your information on shying. The way you look at it from different angles, with different horses and in different situations makes a lot of sense.
Dear Darynne,
Shying is a moment when connection between you and your horse is broken.
Shying in the middle of training a horse wants to change the subject.
Shying is also cause from asking the horse to perform something that does not suite the horse’s ability or attitude in the moment.
Too much too soon.
The fix is to return to something that the horse would rather do. The other cause is that the person is insecure.
Dominent horses shy the most. It is their nature. This attitude will adjust by developing a work ethic with the horse. Focus on developing three speeds of walk trot and canter at liberty in a round pen on a dependable scedual. Your skill will grow and your horse will settle.
May times horses shy becuase they are not taken out enough. I believe that this might be the most common reason.
Take your horse to where he feels secure and choose a course that you know you can control.Take your horse on a hand walk in nature often.
Hi Carolyn,
This has nothing to do with your post but did not know how else to contact you. Love your book every time I read it!
I have a herd of 14 horses on 20 acres. I rarely ride as my joy comes from caring for them, observing and just being with them. A few days ago I observed a behavior I had not seen before. One of the horses had gotten a cut on her lower front leg. I cleaned it up and the next day noticed that a lot of the drainage was dried around the cut. I planned to clean it up later in the day. A little later I noticed her standing in the trees with two others. Something about them seemed different so I walked over to see what was happening. One of the geldings, Red, was licking the mare’s leg; all around the cut but nowhere else. The other gelding, Bandit, seemed to be providing support for the mare letting her know this was what she needed. The mare held her leg in a way that made it easier to be cleaned. This continued for a good five minutes after I arrived.
Bandit is number 2 in the herd. The mare follows him around and likes to be close to him. The mare and Red are lower ranking but Bandit is submissive to Red. The three of them have an interesting dynamic.
I am curious if you have observed this behavior.
Carolyn – Would love to learn more about your thoughts on shying and whether you’d address the shying differently depending on the reason for it. I know that being attentive is key because prevention is the best cure. But sometimes it just happens so fast… Best. Darynne
Thank you Carolyn. I sure am glad I asked. Leading from behind worked like a charm
By the end of the day he stopped mounting the mare completely – while I was around anyway (yes, they were in the same paddock). And the next day he was very attentive to ME and not the mare. “Hi. I’m so glad you’re here. What are we going to do today? Where should I stand? Is right her with you ok?” he seemed to say!
Dear Connie,
Thanks. I wll cover part of them on this blog in the furture and I will be doing a DVd as well to include all of them.
Love,
Carolyn
Dear Karen,
Horses shy for all kinds of reasons. Some times then are afraid or joyfull or controling or aggresive or nervus. You can come up with some more reasons I am sure. May times they shy when they are affraid of being confined by the riders aids. Some times they will shy to control the rider. A horse could be saying “If you ask me to do that I will shy” Then if the rider goes ahead and ask they will through a fit to gain control. There is all kinds of reasons for shying that I have not listed here.
It is not a simple matter.
Mitzi,
Yes you are getting the result of the first exercise. I will give theire exercise in a few days.
Dear Marja,
I am so glad you are still intrested. The first step is to understand the theroy and purpose becuase then you can use them to there best use. I will give you exercises on the blog soon.
Dear Daryenne,
I would suggest sharing territory and then leading from behind because I do not want to address a horse when he has an agenda. I wait till he is in a better frame of mind.
If you take territory you are wanting to address his negitive attidue. In this way you are leading yourself right back to fixing the problem rather than building connection.
Hope this is of help,
Carolyn
Hi Carolyn!
I would love to be able to purchase the exercises with directions and diagrams–your descriptions are fascinating and again, come from the horses’ innate place of being–you continue to illiminate our ability as humans to see/feel more deeply into the relationship and prevent misunderstanding and promote harmony in ways that are so meaningful. You truly help us to think/feel like a horse and that is really the only way to become empathic enough to be the partner each horse deserves. I welcome all the help that I can get and would love to purchase desriptions and diagrams of the exercises or better yet a DVD with you doing a demo–It would be wonderful for you and Stormy to create a DVD for the rest of us!! Thank you, Carolyn!
Love,
Connie Funk
He may want to look around and shy because his blood is up. Shying is another form of expression a horse uses to control other horses. His body language says, “Watch out, I’m in charge.” When a horse is in a collected frame he is feeling his self-importance.
Please explain why/how a horse shies because he is feeling up? My pony will as I call it muck around doing shoulder-in piaffes down the road, is a gorgeous outline because he is feeling happy and full of himself, my question is I thought real ‘shy’s’ were getting a fright from something and jumping sidways on the odd occasion whilst on a ride from a bird, rabbit, crisp packet etc. Maybe we are just using the same word to describe two different things.
I also dont see how being in this frame is aggressive.
Karen.
Karen
Looking forward to the actual exercises too
)))
Carolyn,
!!
I remember in one of the dvds or possibly in one of the articles on the HC website you mentioned one of the Uberstreichen exercises consisting of lowering the horse’s head at chest level and then gently putting his nose back to help him bend at the poll…if I’m not mistaken and I could well be
Well my Friesian gelding when we are spending time together and I am grooming and scratching him ,which he loves ,occasionally when I hit that “just right spot” he will lower his head and bend towards his chest and seems lost in absolute nirvana …could he be doing his own Uberstreichen, himself?
Carolyn, like Marja I am also unclear as to the specifics of the überstreichen exercises and like Marja, have enjoyed reading the background information on them but still I have no idea what the exercises consist of. Did I missed something ithat was in a previous blog? Thank you for enlightening me.
Carolyn, I have one question only: can you explain the specifics of the überstreichen exercises? You gave a lot of interesting background information but I still have no idea what the exercises specifically consist of. (Or am I being too impatient now? Sorry, the Dutch are said to be rather direct
…).
Carolyn – I found this post to be very enlightening and timely. Can I ask you…In terms of getting the hang of incorporating the Rituals… If I walked into the paddock and I find my young gelding saying, “Watch out! I’m in charge!” and feeling self important (perhaps because a mare is in season!) it would be appropriate to take some territory (with the understanding that this ritual should be used in a very limited way) and follow that with a nice long session of leading from behind. Would love your thoughts if time permits. Thank you.
What exactly are these exercises? And where can I find them?
Thanks,
Chris