The day I was supposed to post this blog, the Covid-19 virus came, and turned the world upside down. Suddenly, we are all in the middle of a world wide crisis. I wondered if I should write a new blog, abuot that sudden situation, but my conclution were-NO! In this time of crisis, it is more important than ever, to try to keep our daily routines. Our TOPIC OF THE MONTH blogs, are exactly that, a tool for staying with our routines, and stick to the plan!
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So that is what we do, cling to our plan the best we can.
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The last couple of months we have worked with canter and transitions, and the topic of March, is "the different arena patterns". We are choosing this because  it is a perfect diagnostic tool, in finding lacks and gaps in our education. Both for horse and rider. ​

It reveals where you are in your riding today, and give you the perfect opportunety to simplify your aids if needed, or you can add different schools into the patterns, to make them more interesting for your horse, or to improve his balance and suppleness. It all depends on what is needed in your education right now.

All these questions will be answered as soon as we start riding different patterns. And, that is exactly what we are going to do this month! ​

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The spring is coming to Norway, and the clinic season was about to start. Because of the pandemic, we are all stuck around our homes, and all clinics are cancelled. We, as humans, are rapidly adapting to the new situation and instructors all over the world are offering online lessons in different forms. In  this case, it is important to be prepared in knowing what we need the different instuctores to look at, and help us with. Riding the arena patterns as neat as possible, is a great thing to do to figure those things out.

When I start to figure out our weaknesses, I have to look at the basics...again!
I struggle with the shift of bending on the serpentine, and maybe the problem isn't the bending from one side to the other, but the straightness in between. That is what I then tested, and voila!, I had a little problem there, and then I needed to focus on having my hips square a couple of trides before asking for a new bending. That helped alot.

About my lower leg aids, I think he has been a bit desensetized, so then I must work with me, doing less. I have to work on relaxing in my back and seat, and keep my legs still. One way to force my self to do this, is to ride without a saddle for a while. Then, I need to relax into every movement, or the ride will be quite bumpy!  

This means that we have to work with
Basics for the Human
1. Relaxation
4. Influence
Basics for the Horse
2. Lightness for the aids
​4. Balance
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While we were working with the canter last month, we knew that it is one part of the never ending development of the basics. I explained some easy step by step in how I prefer to build up the basics of canter.
In this blog I will talk about the basics in general. How I see them as such important building blocks for everything else. 

The main topic of February are transitions, and I believe that our difficulties about transitions often is caused by the lack of certain elements in the basics.
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To expect the horse to understand what we want him to do, "The Basics for the Horse" list, depends on certain qualities from the rider/trainer as well.  I have therefore added a short list of "Basics for the Human", which is equally important to accept, and  work with.

So, let's be honest, and ask:
"Where am I, in our (the horse's and mine) education, right now?"

We can divide us into two types of riders:
1 Novice (passanger)
2 Influencer

As a Novice, I am most concerned of how to relax and how to do things correctly in my own body. Step 1 and 2 in The Basics of the Human. From the the horse I would not expect more than relaxation and that he listens and tries to understand what I try to communicate. Step 1 in The Basics for the Horse. 

As an Influencer, have more or less automated, when and how, to communicate my aids. I am most concerned of the balance and movement underneath me. Step 3 and 4 in The Basics of the Human.
My goal is to improve the communication, skills, strength and the suppleness of the horse. Step 2, 3 and 4 in the Basics of the Horse​.

The word "transition" can be used for any change in shape, gait or movement of the horse. 

This month we will focus on the change of gaits, and how it fits into the elements of the basics.

The horse needs to be relaxed enough to be able to listen to his trainer. He also needs to understand the aids that are given, or be relaxed enough to be able to learn them.

The rider needs to know how to give the aid. He/she also needs to feel the tact and balance of the horse, to be able to know when to give the aid.

I think that is why it is so difficult to ride a transition from a higher to a lower gait. We, as riders, have a tendency to do the downward transition by using the reins and half-holts, more than riding the transition from the hindlegs and as a change of rhythm. In that way we loose the forward thinking and the roundness of the horse.
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The first topic we will work with this year is the canter. There are several reasons why. One reason is that the horses have had a lot of time off in December, and the canter is an amazing tool to build up fitness, strength and roundness for the horse, relatively fast. With an increased fitness and strength, you get a more forward thinking horse, and the work for better suppleness is more likely to succeed.

​That is what I will focus on with bolcher this month. To build a strong foundation of the basics in canter, but also challenge them now and then to see if we can bring him up a step more.

Its fascinating how everything is connected, and how it all depends on each other.

If you think of the education as a growing tree. You can grow one branch at the time, but to get a well balanced, and beautiful tree, all branches needs to grow to the same length, before the tree can grow any taller. If it grows too much on one branch, it will be to heavy and the tree starts to lean, the growth tries to equalize that unbalance, and grows a crooked trunk. Then the task gets a lot more difficult for us to complete. Therefore I believe its important to always have the great picture in mind, while allowing every little twig to grow equally towards a strong branch before letting the tree grow taller. 

Step 5
Play, educate and grow together with your horse. Use your imagination to give him new tasks and challenges, most horses love to use their body and mind. Then they grow strong, confident and proud. Remember that the stronger foundation (trunk) you have grown, the less likely it will break or bend if you do "something wrong".  
- only the sky is the limit.

I hope you feel a little inspired, and maybe even join us in the canter work, this month. That would be super cool!

Feel free to add a comment or share a picture/movie, at our Facebook site of what you are working with these days. 

Questions? -Shoot-
Lets inspire each other!

Ronja had now, no riding pony left, so we had to get her a new one! That was a hard investment for both the company and Ronja her self, but we thought it trough, and found the coolest Lusitano, Gladiador, in Portugal.

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