Weaving, Riding and Arithmetic: Gems from George

I survived my first George Morris Clinic. Patty Ball turned out her facility, Hunterville in Penryn, beautifully for his 23rd annual visit, which is just as reliable as swallows returning to San Juan Capistrano. There were three sessions per day for 2 days, each over 2 hours long. We were rewarded with a lot of wisdom gleamed over the years, and had some challenges thrown our way. Thanks goodness I was in the first (i.e. lowest) group. I fit about in the middle, could get the job done, but some activities were a stretch. I did not expect the first jumping exercise to be the bank, and the next day to include jumping the bank without stirrups. This, of course, was followed by self-evident comments like "Horses like to buck coming off the bank." George humor.

I present the top ten countdown of concepts I intend to remind myself riding in the future, based on this informative clinic.

10. Don't grip solely with the knees. Wrap around the barrel with thighs, knees and calves for more effective leg aids. Squeeze, don't kick. If no response to a squeeze, remind with spur, stick, cluck to get a conditioned response to have the horse in front of your leg, forward on request. Inside leg at the girth, outside leg slightly back.

9. Hand in a straight line to the bit or above, never below. You are then communicating with the lips, gently and steadily, never with the bars of the mouth in a punishing manner. When she puts her head up, your hands move up with that motion, a learned response is for her is to come down in response to that cue. Look at the muscles in her neck, and the puny muscle in your arm. You are really going to pull her head down? Hands steady, no see-sawing.

8. Get off her back! Don't be a "butt grabber." That heavy seat is activating and energizing, the wrong thing for a hyper horse. A light three point for driving forward is useful. It was amazing to see a harried hyper horse calm and slow down with the rider riding up out of the saddle in a two point. This stopped the tapping/slapping/driving stimulation. The transition happened in minutes.

7. Get your heels down by getting your butt out of the saddle. The weight shifts down and the heels drop like magic. Another reason not to be a "butt grabber."

6. In the beginning of a schooling session, jump a jump and stop on a straight line. This has multiple effects. When landing from a jump, the horse is shifted completely to the forehand. An elevated halt practices transition back to the hocks, gets them listening after the fence, teaches them not to cut the corner since they don't know which way you are turning as you have not told them yet.

5. At the end of a session, end a short course with a nice cadenced circle, maintaining size with the inside leg, and yielding the inside rein.

4. Correct a cross canter with the inside leg, push weight to the outside to lighten the inside so they can switch behind and correct the late change behind. The natural tendency is to kick with the outside leg like a lead change, but that shifts weight to the inside hind leg maintaining the status quo. Thank goodness someone actually had the situation, and it worked!

3. "Pace to the base." When approaching a jump with a steady or short distance, keep up impulsion to get the job done. Don't wilt and take off your leg. The horse has to jump more vertically if close to the base, and therefore needs even more impulsion than taking off from a regular distance.

2. Build up scary situations slowly, building up confidence all the way. A line was placed strategically right up against the rail, in the shadows, and was getting lots of horse attention. For the first time, we jumped only the last fence and angled into the rail so that they could not shy and bulge away. Second time, last two fences with less of an angle. Then the line became no big deal. This was much more pleasant and positive approach than muscling them through, nervous and squirmy, right off the bat.

1. Practice without stirrups. Important GM survival skill.

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