Posted in Advice on Jan 7th, 2010
I’ve had a change of heart. I previously said you should master one exercise before moving on to the next. However, as the second Uberstreichen Exercise is a lot easier to do than the first, I’d like you to give it a try to see how your horse responds, even though he may not yet be able to do everything I mentioned with the first exercise.
When you read about this second exercise though, it will seem easy to do but don’t be surprised to find out that your horse will need training and practice. Please do not get frustrated and quit. At first, your horse may do the exercise easily but be a little harder to control. It is part of the process so be prepared.
You can do both the first and second exercises at the same time. The second I believe will help you to complete the requirements of the first.
We are going to add another 10 minutes to your exercises. As you advance, no more time will be added to your practice time. Remember as you are practicing the exercises to continue to do your usual program of riding and training with or without tack.… Read more
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Posted in Advice on Dec 31st, 2009
For anybody coming in to my blog for the first time, I welcome you.
Thursday’s blog is my classroom on the Uberstreichen Exercises, the exercises that I offer are a system of training horses to be able to create collection when you ride and to introduce tack and rein aids. You can go back through the blog and find the start of this class. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment.
Continuing with the program…
After having worked with the first Uberstreichen Exercise for a month, on a regular basis for 10 minutes a day, and that you feel that you have received a great deal of benefit, you are ready to move on to the Second Uberstreichen Exercise. Before I give you the next exercise, on next Thursday, I want to further explain some details in what we are achieving through their practice, and what benefits you need to have received from the first exercise.
1. Your horse is more trusting.
2. Your horse is willing to allow you to hold on to both sides of the halter, in a free-floating hold that asked nothing from the horse.
3. Your horse allows you to… Read more
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Posted in Advice on Dec 24th, 2009
Hello, I hope you are enjoying this holiday time with your family. Today we are going to continue our exploration of the Uberstreichen Exercise by learning to use the first Exercise to recognize when the neck begins to form a true arch.
When a neck comes shorter it does not always arch, most of the time it just bends or lifts. As you practice, you will start to recognize when the neck arches and later to recognize when the shoulder raises, from the arching of the neck. You will learn more and more to see subtle shifts in the horse’s whole body that are needed for collection.
Before you start the practice of forming the arch in the horse’s neck, there are two new things to practice within the first exercise with the horse, when his poll is relaxed in a floating hold. So far we have been working on relaxation, cooperation, training the horse to accept us holding the halter with consistency, lowering and raising the head and neck, tipping the nose, along with straight and lateral flexions of the neck created when we rock the horses head from side to side. Now we are going to start… Read more
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Posted in Advice on Dec 22nd, 2009
For anyone new to my blog, the programs I offer are about developing better connections between horse to human and human to horse. They are meant to support the equine community by creating better equine partnerships through social interaction and communication that strengthening the bond, trust and dance.
If you are new to my classroom and want to understand more deeply my philosophy and the programs I offer, I would suggest that you order my book Naked Liberty, the DVDs Introduction to the Waterhole Rituals and Panadero’s Journey. I also invite you to join in on the free training course on the Uberstreichen Exercises. These are exercises to develop a better partnership and connection when your ride, by working from the ground teaching a horse to perform the beginning stages of collection.
You can join in the free winter Uberstreichen Exercise Program by going back in the archives and reading from the November 19th entry. Every Thursday there will be a new lesson, Tuesdays will be regular blog entries that might have further information regarding the lessons.
From reading all of your comments, many of you say you are visual learners and are grateful for the YouTube… Read more
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Posted in Advice on Dec 17th, 2009
Hi again. Today we will be moving on with the Uberstreichen Exercises.
When your horse will stand on his own then you are ready for the next step. Put your hands on each side of the noseband of the halter and do not but in fingers or thumbs inside the halter in order to prevent injury to yourself your horse should jerk his head up. Don’t but your head above his for the same reason. Hold the horse’s head straight, breathe deeply, and relax. If the horse turns his head one way or the other gently bring it back to straight and then float with him holding his head. Do this for a short time as the horse will tolerate it, then let go slowly and walk away and disconnect. The disconnect is very important to practice. The horse is learning to give and to stay put. He is learning to be responsible without you having to police him. This teaches your horse to stay focused in a hold as well as in a disconnect. Self-carriage of the horse’s gaits can only occur when the horse is free from the rider’s active influence. This exercise starts the journey. Self-carriage creates… Read more
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Posted in Misc on Dec 10th, 2009
The Uberstreichen Half-Halt Exercises school the horse from the ground to respond more effectively to your half-halts when you ride.
(Half-halt is when you ask the horse to stop and he responds immediately and in the moment you know that the horse will stop you ask him to go forward and he does this whole-heartedly. The purpose of the half-halt is to prepare the horse to listen for your next request. It prepares the mind and body of the horse to be able to respond easily and promptly.)
There are about 10 different reasons one asks a horse to half-halt. Keep in mind that a half-halt is a message to a horse that you will be asking him to perform something different that what he is doing in the moment. From your half-halt you may be making a request to halt or go forward or change pace or gait become more active, lengthening or collect or soften or change direction or to bring a horse to straighten. I am not going to go into the minutia of the benefits of all the exercises because it will not really help to create better result. If you need more explanation… Read more
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Posted in Advice on Dec 3rd, 2009
Hi there. Before I get into today’s post, I wanted to remind you about the call I am doing on Sunday at 10am Pacific, 1pm Eastern on the subject of the use of rollkur in dressage and why I think it’s not only wrong but unnecessary. You can find out more about the call by going to the DressageDisgrace site. Here is the link: http://www.dressagedisgrace.com/teleseminar-carolyn-resnick
I invented the Uberstreichen Exercises to help me train dressage horses and then Arabian show horses for my junior students. They helped me produce more relaxation, performance and consistent collection at the shows for my junior riders. Libby Ouellette suggested the name Uberstreichen Exercises and I thought it was appropriate. She was a Hilda Gurney student at the time who was also a student of mine and is now a long time family friend.
Uberstreichen is a term used in dressage that is a test to see if your horse is in self-carriage or leaning on the rein for support. You release the contact rein and if the horse stays in frame without the reins for a few strides he is in self-carriage. If he falls immediately, he is leaning on… Read more
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