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Discussion on Creating Bend
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Member:
halln5
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Posted on Sunday, Jun 10, 2007 - 11:42 pm:
This tip may not be new, but I'll share it anyway. I was trying to figure out what I might do to help me help my horse bend, creating that "arc" that I see in the diagrams in the magazines. It occurred to me to try working around the outside of the round pen. So, when he gets stuck and stiff, I trot (and canter) around the outside of the round pen. It helps him to bend into the arc, helps me because I have to hold him in the bend with the outside leg and he softens and focuses. Simple, but seems to work. Thought I'd pass it on. Cheers!
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Member:
lilo
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Posted on Monday, Jun 11, 2007 - 9:09 am:
Interesting! Lilo
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Member:
halln5
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Posted on Monday, Jun 11, 2007 - 10:19 pm:
Hmmm, interesting like "full of bunk" or interesting like, "hmmm, that could work"?  .
I just play around trying to ride dressage, read a lot of articles and try to do things on my own. Don't have a trainer as such and thankfully, my horse is pretty forgiving. I just thought riding around the OUTSIDE of the roundpen was a fun twist on bending.
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Member:
amara
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Posted on Monday, Jun 11, 2007 - 10:43 pm:
i think its a great idea in learning how to ride a correct circle and developing consistency... but unless you put everything together correctly, just riding around the outside of a pen wont create bend.. your horse can just as easily fall apart on that circle as on a circle with no barrier... but i think its an excellent training aid in developing the consistency necessary when working for correct bend...
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Member:
ilona
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Posted on Monday, Jun 11, 2007 - 11:13 pm:
I'm glad to hear that as I have just built my round pen with an exterior area for riding around the round pen from the outside. Viki, thanx for the thread as now I can feel that I am doing something positive in addition to just plain exercise when on the outside of my round-pen.
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Member:
lhenning
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 12, 2007 - 10:27 am:
Hi Vicki,
One thing I found when learning how to create bend is how much my body posture affects my horse's ability to bend. Linda Parelli talks about making your body shape like the horse's shape so I tried bending my body just a bit more and wow, what a difference. I think as Melissa says that your exercise will help develop the bend, but try moving to an area without a barrier and see if it follows through. It takes all elements, seat, legs, reins, etc. to get it perfected. A fun pursuit though, one of my favorite exercises. My family does not understand why I enjoy riding my horse in a circle over and over!
Linda
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Member:
lilo
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 12, 2007 - 2:55 pm:
Vicki - I meant, interesting as in: I think I will try that with my mare, who is kind of stiff to the right. The round pen indicates the shape of the circle, but, as Melissa says, you still have to create the correct bend in the horse.
Lilo
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Member:
canter
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 12, 2007 - 3:07 pm:
Linda brings up an excellent point and one I too have problems with. I can really make my horse difficult to bend by forgetting to turn my body with the horse. Frequently I'll turn my head in the right direction, but my body stays straight on the original line instead of in the direction I want to go. I've been practicing this a lot recently too and what helps me is to remember to bring my inside should back which then turns my body correctly at the waste enough to help the horse.
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Member:
maggienm
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 12, 2007 - 9:40 pm:
My instructor tells me to use my inside rein to ask the horse to bring her nose into the circle to help develope bend, when I do this, of course, I have to use my inside leg to keep her from making the circle smaller, too much inside leg and she speeds up.
So, the round pen would help to keep her 'out' but I could still ask for her nose to come 'in' without using my leg as much.
Vicki , could you explain to me how and why you use outside leg to hold a bend?
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Member:
halln5
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Posted on Tuesday, Jun 12, 2007 - 11:29 pm:
Lori,
What I meant by using the outside leg, is that I have to keep it on him to keep him from drifting out away from the pen. I attempt to get him to bend around my inside leg. There is that fine line between just enough and too much, isn't there?
Does that help?
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Member:
dtranch
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Posted on Wednesday, Jun 13, 2007 - 8:29 am:
You have to be careful if you are just using the inside leg as you may be getting the rear disengaged. Use the outside leg to bump the rear back on track of the bend.
DT
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Member:
halln5
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Posted on Wednesday, Jun 13, 2007 - 9:44 am:
Yes, that's exactly what I meant, but you said it much better, Dennis.
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Member:
dtranch
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Posted on Wednesday, Jun 13, 2007 - 10:05 am:
Vicki .. I also ride around the outside of the round pen a lot. The best exercise I have found for working on the bend is to work on leg yields. Head turned in slightly to the right, pressure with right leg to get the horse moving to the left .. using left foot to keep the rear in. Do same in opposite direction of course. You can start this by facing the fence so horse can't go forward thus encouraging to walk to the side. I first start by riding along the fence, then turning into it and asking rear to move over for a step or two, then straighten back out. Once your horse is good along the fence, move to the middle of the arena. Eventually you can bend and cross the arena in a diagonal. Then, work on bending and backing on a diagonal. Bending is some of the most important work you can do to soften your horse, and encourage his athleticism.
DT
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Member:
ilona
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Posted on Wednesday, Jun 13, 2007 - 2:28 pm:
Thanx Dennis,
You are always so helpful and specific.
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Member:
kjbm
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Posted on Wednesday, Jun 13, 2007 - 3:24 pm:
Dennis,
Should the right foot be behind the girth?
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Member:
dtranch
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Posted on Wednesday, Jun 13, 2007 - 3:42 pm:
Kris ...
If you are bending to the right (moving to the left), you want your right leg in neutral position asking for propulsion. Move it back if you need to speed up the hind, move forward if you need to speed up the front. left leg should actually be off the horse unless you need to nudge the rear or shoulder in.
I hope I got all that right .. sounds confusing, but once you get it, it really isn't. Don't forget your body position in all this as well to make it more confusing. don't just look with the head, turn slightly at the waist as well in the direction you are travelling.
DT
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Member:
kjbm
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Posted on Thursday, Jun 14, 2007 - 2:52 pm:
Thanks Dennis,
Leg aids confuse me.
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