Impulsion:_getting_horses_to_go

How to get the
world's LAZIEST horse to go forward

There are very few horse sports where power, or impulsion, is not a very big part of success and winning.

And, in the pleasure horse, it just a pain in the neck having to kick-kick-kick all the way home.

We hear all the time "not enough impulsion", or "get him more forward".

Often it's just a matter of the rider having confidence to follow the rules and give the judge's what they want, "light contact", in other words "take the handbrake off". Often the riders are pulling and kicking at the same time, and the lazy horse will listen to the hand more....and stop!

But, sometimes it really is just a lazy, or untrained horse that just wont go!

My horse bucks going into canter....

One of the emails I get all the time is from people asking me for help because the horse BUCKS or PIGROOTS.

They often think their horse is frisky, and that's what's the cause of it. However, when you really ask you find that the horse ONLY kicks out going into canter.

Often the horse is just fine every other time, but it can be really dangerous and scary. They can even buck people off as they go to canter. That's because, for whatever reason, they're not happy with the rider's leg.

They ONLY buck or kick when the rider uses the leg, and considering the latest studies that found that 25% of horse cadavers have broken ribs...perhaps then it's no wonder!

So, although using the leg works for some horses, it doesn't work for EVERY horse.

Spurs - is there a legal change to come?

The legal situation, in my lifetime, has changed so much. When I went to school, corporal punishment, hitting your kids was just part of the norm, now the laws have changed and it's illegal. It is my own personal belief that the same changes that have led to hunting being banned in England, rodeos banned by councils in my area, will lead to a change, not so much in horse riding rules, but in the actual law of the land regarding spurs.

The problem is the legal discrepancy between other animals and horses. If you kick a dog with a metal implement you will be charged by the RSPCA or other legal body. If SeaWorld trained their dolphins with metal implements instead of fish, they would be shut down. So, legally there is an inadequacy, legally, between the rules for different animals that I believe will personally lead to the change in the future.

But, no matter what your moral or legal beliefs, spurs just don't work with some horses.... Some buck to the spur, some pigroot, some kick out, and some dig their toenails in the dirt and just WONT GO ANYWHERE (except perhaps UP!)

So, again, this technique won't work for EVERY horse. And, often times it's very much against TWO rules in the FEI rule book, that is "thighs and legs steady and well stretched downward"....and "heel the lowest point".

On the right is one of the world's most famous riders, and naturally, according to the rules the rider mark must be marked down because she has broken two (of only ten) rider rules in Article 418 of the Rule Book.

In addition, her impulsion mark would be marked down as the horse is not really forward on its own.

When the whip just doesn't work...

You would think either using a whip, or threatening with a whip, should work to make a horse go forward. Well, often it just doesn't!!

Sometimes the horse shies at the whip, I've seen head shaking to the whip, and even more common kicking out...or perhaps worse NOTHING AT ALL!

Although, thank goodness it's rare, I've actually seen horses lay down on the ground and point blank REFUSE to take another step.

So, although this technique works for some horses...it doesn't work for EVERY horse.

The "Miss Piggy" Technique

When I was a little girl my Uncle bet me that I couldn't get Miss Piggy to go through the front gate. Now Miss Piggy was as old as the hills and had not been through that front gate for years and years!

So, the next morning I went down, saddled her up, and I tried EVERYTHING! I kicked, I got a stick, I yelled, I got off and pulled, pushed, shoved. I tried EVERYTHING.

Absolutely nothing worked, and I'm sure I was there for hours!

Then, I finally "lost it"...

I cried and cried, and I remember taking the reins in my left hand, and with my left hand STILL AND RESTING ON THE WITHER, I remember getting the other end of the reins and hitting her over the shoulder left-right-left-right-left crying at the top of my lungs....."I hate you Miss Piggy".

Well...Miss Piggy shot through that gate at a million miles per hour! (Um....I hate to admit that she went through on her own with me on my butt on the ground....but hey she went through!)

And, this was the ONLY thing that worked. No-one had got that horse to go through the front gate in YEARS with any other method.

The Advanced (European) "Miss Piggy"

Years later when I finally got to train in Europe, I was astounded.

Here I thought that the riders would all be in their posh clothes with their flash techniques and their brilliant style....and to my surprise...Day One....and here's me in the stands watching rider after rider doing a very elegant and sophisticated version of "Miss Piggy" that I'd learned on the farm back home!

Here's how they did it:

They had the horse stand. Fully stand.   Resting at least for 1 minute to get the hang of it.   They patted the horse, breathed and let the horse relax.

Then, they put the reins in the LEFT hand, and FIRMLY PUT THE LEFT HAND ON THE WITHER.    The most important thing to remember about all of this is that it is NOT a one-handed technique, as that interferes with the bit. It must be done with a STILL left hand.

Then, with the RIGHT hand, they flicked the buckle and the excess rein "left and right" over the horse's shoulders. Not hard, just lots of times - left and right over the horse's shoulders.

It wasn't to create pain....what they were doing was COUNTING.   They just stood there, in halt, flicking the rein left and right, counting the number of "flip flops" it took for the horse to step forward.   And...they were very careful NOT to use the LEG/WHIP/SPUR (because it wasn't working in the first place).    And, very careful to do it TWO HANDED, and not to move that left hand.

As soon as the horse moved forward in any way (even one step)....they loosened the reins, patted the horse, and let them travel forward.   And, if the horse took off too fast, they didn't stop them, they just SOFTLY TURNED IN A CIRCLE to control the speed.

They let the horse travel on for a while, and then eventually brought the horse softly and nicely back to halt again.   Then, again, they let the horse FULLY STAND AGAIN for 1-2 mins.   Then, again, reins in the left hand, then flip flops with the right hand, and COUNTED HOW MANY FLIP FLOPS until the horse moved on.

Every single time the number got less and less.   The horse started to anticipate the flip flops, and it got easier and easier every time.

They also did NOT use it to maintain the pace. They would rather that the horse fall back to halt so that they could do it all again.   That way they're teaching what that signal means.

After the horse got the hang of it and was happy to walk around on their own (still without leg, whip or spur - because that wasn't working anyway), then it's "how many flip flops to trot", and then ultimately from trotting "how many gentle flip flops to canter"....but no leg!

Eventually when you PRETEND you're ABOUT to flip flop, and the horse will go forward!

Then, eventually you just move your hand forward and the horse goes forward.   That's how double amputees can still ride.   That's how people who cannot use their legs (like me with my lupus) can still ride.

It ultimately becomes like this   a) the aid is you move your hands forward   b) the warning is you slightly shake the reins to pretend to threaten   c) is you actually do the flip flops if they don't listen.   Wont take long and that horse will CANTER when you move your hand forward....seriously!

And the good news......SO LONG AS YOU DON'T USE THE LEG....I haven't had a horse kick, buck or pigroot to this technique, but please still DO IT SOFTLY, and be careful.

(By the way...the "world record" is an Arab Stallion who took about 100 flicks before he took ONE step...he was absolutely the most non-forward horse I've ever met. After all that flicking he only would take just ONE step...but after two lessons, he was going forward and is just FINE now!).

I promise you, "Miss Piggy" has worked for some pretty famous horses that every single top level trainer has tried to make go forward....and their techniques just didn't work!

It's the ONLY technique that I have used with THOUSANDS of horses around the world and it's worked on EVERY SINGLE ONE (yes even my friend's Arab Stallion *smile*).

It stopped working

"Miss Piggy worked for a while, but then stopped working". That's because you went back to your old ways! Promise yourself to go back to step 1 again.

What Champions Do...

Something very interesting was said to me not long ago...

I asked one of the world's most famous barrel racers that I work with why she doesn't use her legs...AT ALL....

And, she said this: "when you kick a horse they shorten their stride". Just a little bit, but if you think about it, they "toughen" up around the ribs to prepare for your kick. It might just be one or two inches difference in their stride, hardly noticeable, but over a championship course, that could be a whole stride, and the difference between a National Championship and NOTHING!

And for dressage the difference would show up in the extension, and of course in jumping, there is the old saying "one stride less is one stride more"!

Be careful....

Again, be careful. All our techniques and interactions with our animals should be humane, professional, caring, and above all designed to get lighter and lighter. Start very carefully please!....and let me know how you go!

And, remember, when the horse goes forward LET IT GO!!!! It's not fair to say go go go go and then change your mind! If the horse goes to fast, or is too scary, then just turn in a lovely soft circle to bring the speed back under control.

Email me your success stories info@colleenkelly.net