"Give Your Horse a Chance" Part Three
If I thought the previous two parts of this book were technical part three takes the cake! The third part focuses on the training of the horse to jump. It also goes over some math (gasp!) and calculations that can be used to determine the best strategy in addressing tricky combinations that are not neat distances apart.
He starts out easy enough, discussing how the horse should first be introduced to grond rails and cavelettis at no set distance apart before moving towards gymnastics. He includes the importance of working with varrying terrain as well like small ditches and banks.
With the gymnastics he discusses the use of each and how they affect the horse's jump, aiming to improve certain aspects of it. One of the set-ups he used was called the "star" with four jumps set up in a square and four others radiating from the corners of the square with various types of fences.
What I found particularly interesting was how he suggests one handles a refusal:
"Despite thorough schooling, a correct approach and a well-arranged fence, it still may happen that the horse will stop./ When this occurs the animal shold be held for 8-10 seconds facing the fence. Then it can be turned away and a fresh attempt made as if the former incident had never happened."
He does go on to say that repeated stops would warrant taps from the whip and that "the whip should only be sed to educate the animal, and not to punish it." Repeated refusals should also be addressed by dropping the difficulty of the fence and then building back up to the previous height (though not necessarily in the same session).
I found that a much gentler method than you often see applied nowadays in jumping.
This is echoed again when he talkes about introducing ditches:
"If the horse cannot make this decision [to jump the ditch]...in the meantime, the rider mst be carefl that the animal does not trn away or step back. If necessary, thehorse should stand still for 5-10 mintes or even longer in front of the ditch. Shoulds the horse get to the verge of jumping, bt then decline, it should be patted a few times and allowed to come to a fresh decision."
Emphasis added, but a definite echo of the title of the book!
He also talks about ways to develop feel for distances and the like as well as how to learn to feel for varying speeds. He has charts describing how speed affects the horse's stride length and how that stride is affected after a jump. Minimum speed for the size of an obstacle and more and more charts.
There are descriptions of sensations for both good and bad jumps, how to improve certain mistakes, and also the importance of the horse being able to take care of itself over an obstacle.
The really technical stuff is where he discusses take-off and landing distances and sets up calculations as to how determine them along with more equations to help one determine how to handle oddly distanced combinations (as the horse to jump long in so you can fit the proper striding in to the next jump because a reglar take-off would put you too close to the next jump and other puzzles like that).
I admit to glossing over some of the more technical stuff. I imagine if I were more into jumping I would be more fascinated and attempting to understand his calculations more and figuring out how to practically apply it.
He ends the section talking about terrain jumps (ditches, banks, water) in detail and briefly talks about high and long jump contests.
Two more sections remain: Cross-Country and Show Jumping, which I will probably review together because they are just barely 100 pages combined.
I have been enjoying Mr. D'Endrödy's work, but I am looking forward to reading something else a little lighter! I've been working on this poor book for almost two years I think and I am ready to be done reading it and start feeling like I am making progress through my library again!
He starts out easy enough, discussing how the horse should first be introduced to grond rails and cavelettis at no set distance apart before moving towards gymnastics. He includes the importance of working with varrying terrain as well like small ditches and banks.
With the gymnastics he discusses the use of each and how they affect the horse's jump, aiming to improve certain aspects of it. One of the set-ups he used was called the "star" with four jumps set up in a square and four others radiating from the corners of the square with various types of fences.
What I found particularly interesting was how he suggests one handles a refusal:
"Despite thorough schooling, a correct approach and a well-arranged fence, it still may happen that the horse will stop./ When this occurs the animal shold be held for 8-10 seconds facing the fence. Then it can be turned away and a fresh attempt made as if the former incident had never happened."
He does go on to say that repeated stops would warrant taps from the whip and that "the whip should only be sed to educate the animal, and not to punish it." Repeated refusals should also be addressed by dropping the difficulty of the fence and then building back up to the previous height (though not necessarily in the same session).
I found that a much gentler method than you often see applied nowadays in jumping.
This is echoed again when he talkes about introducing ditches:
"If the horse cannot make this decision [to jump the ditch]...in the meantime, the rider mst be carefl that the animal does not trn away or step back. If necessary, thehorse should stand still for 5-10 mintes or even longer in front of the ditch. Shoulds the horse get to the verge of jumping, bt then decline, it should be patted a few times and allowed to come to a fresh decision."
Emphasis added, but a definite echo of the title of the book!
He also talks about ways to develop feel for distances and the like as well as how to learn to feel for varying speeds. He has charts describing how speed affects the horse's stride length and how that stride is affected after a jump. Minimum speed for the size of an obstacle and more and more charts.
There are descriptions of sensations for both good and bad jumps, how to improve certain mistakes, and also the importance of the horse being able to take care of itself over an obstacle.
The really technical stuff is where he discusses take-off and landing distances and sets up calculations as to how determine them along with more equations to help one determine how to handle oddly distanced combinations (as the horse to jump long in so you can fit the proper striding in to the next jump because a reglar take-off would put you too close to the next jump and other puzzles like that).
I admit to glossing over some of the more technical stuff. I imagine if I were more into jumping I would be more fascinated and attempting to understand his calculations more and figuring out how to practically apply it.
He ends the section talking about terrain jumps (ditches, banks, water) in detail and briefly talks about high and long jump contests.
Two more sections remain: Cross-Country and Show Jumping, which I will probably review together because they are just barely 100 pages combined.
I have been enjoying Mr. D'Endrödy's work, but I am looking forward to reading something else a little lighter! I've been working on this poor book for almost two years I think and I am ready to be done reading it and start feeling like I am making progress through my library again!