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X’s and O’s-Training Techniques (Part 2)

By Nealia McCracken

The foundation for working any horse is what I refer to as X’s and O’s. The X’s consist of teaching your horse to work in a straight line, not only along the rail, but also diagonally across the ring, thus making X’s. The O’s are the millions of circles I execute during the day teaching a horse to canter (lope) and bend. One benefit to teaching a horse to execute X’s and O’s is that you will be in the process of obtaining total control for the rider and total obedience from the horse. Remember every new task I want to teach a horse I do in a snaffle bridle. We have already discussed the purpose of using X’s in your training with the article X’s and O’s Part 1. Now let’s talk about the O’s. I use circles (the O’s) to teach an inexperienced horse or green colt to canter. I also use circles to teach a horse balance, collection, to bend their body, as relaxation for the horse and rider, to square up the trot and to teach a horse to allow the rider to post both diagonals.

Let’s talk about cantering first. Before I ride a horse in the circle we do a lot of ground work in the same area that I will ride in. The point here is the horse will be familiar with the area and has already begun to relax when working in a circle. Since working in a circle is a smaller area than using the whole arena it makes it easier for a rider to maintain control of a horse, especially for the inexperienced horse. The horse being in a more confined area is less likely to run off or shy at things. Working in a circle tends to keep the horse’s mind focused in the circle and not at other distractions outside the circle. After a horse learns to work in a circle I will use it as a tool to help control a really fresh horse, a horse learning to canter or wear a curb. If a horse is worked properly in a circle it is an area he will begin to feel comfortable with so that when he is learning a new task you have reduced the number of distractions that might hinder his learning process. The circle will allow you to go back to an area where the horse is comfortable when relaxation is required.

The first thing I do in a circle is walk the exact path I want them to go 2 or 3 times. The purpose of that is so that they know what they are going to do. If you have been working around the ring and suddenly zip through the middle it will surprise the horse making it more likely to make a mistake. Again we are talking mostly about green horses or those learning something new. After I walk the circle and the horse seems comfortable in knowing where they are going to go I will then proceed with the canter. I do not have a bullpen and so I use the end of the arena. Thus I am using the end of the arena and 2 rails to make my circle. While on the rail side of my circle I will ask for the canter. To ask them to canter I set them up in such a fashion that they know they are going to do something. I do this in a relaxed manner not surprising them. I try not to run them into a canter as a bad start makes for a bad canter. If they pick up the wrong lead I won’t necessarily bring them back to a walk but bring them down to a collected trot (some horses need to be brought back to a walk) and ask them again. If you pull them all the way down every time they are wrong they will start thinking you don’t want them to canter. It is my experience that at the point when you are teaching your horses to canter the rider is thinking two things; canter and on which lead. The horse thinks, if you are lucky, we’re going to canter. It is important to not discourage the horse from thinking canter. When they are walking or in the collected trot there is a proper time when the body and leg position is key for the horse to get the correct lead. That is why I don’t start teaching the canter from a halt. Timing at this point is more important in getting the cantor than the queue. It is important that you queue at the same time and way in your canter start so the horse can learn. As the horse finishes out more and more the queue becomes more important. In other words to a green horse timing is most important to get the correct lead and in a finished horse the queue is the most important to get the correct lead.

Horses do not constantly say, “I’m only going to take the left lead or the right”. There are horses that are one sided and take one lead easier over the other. You may need to take this into consideration when working these horses. Usually it’s the rider that isn’t asking for the canter at the right time and is not helping their horse. If you are asking your horse to canter and you are thinking right or left often the horse is thinking canter so you stop them several times. If the horse does not pick it up the first time the riders frequently stop them more abruptly and get more aggravated. In this situation pretty soon the horse stops thinking about canter all together and tries to do something else to get the rider to quit kicking and stopping. From the horse’s point of view they are not thinking cantering on the right or left lead they are thinking canter or not. If they canter 3 or 4 times and they are always shut down then to them canter wasn’t the right choice and they become confused and frustrated. The horse will begin to start focusing on stopping if you are constantly stopping. If a horse takes the wrong lead take him down to a collected trot and try to pick up the canter again. Let the corners of the arena and your timing help you get the correct lead. Once you get the correct lead be careful not to canter 10,000 times because then you are making it a punishment. From the horse’s point of view he got the lead and then was worked to death. What fun is that? Remember your problem is usually with the start, which needs to be practiced. A few times around on a correct canter lead is usually sufficient. Always reinforce to your horse that he did it right. Let them walk and catch their breath. When I am teaching a young horse to canter I will try and start them at the same spot in the circle every time until they get the idea. Gradually I will ask at different spots.

Cantering is slower than an English trot. If you run a horse from an extended trot into a canter (a few horses have to learn this way, but not many) you are no longer cantering you are doing a hand gallop. You will usually lose collection at this point. Cantering is a 3 beat gait. If you are going to take the left lead the right hind foot hits first then the left hind and the right front hit at the same time followed by the left front. In order to start your canter at the correct time the horse has to lift its front up slightly to propel off its hind end. If you lift them gently at the correct time you can actually assist in a canter start. Cantering is a continuous gait, when the horse is up he is already coming down and when down he is already coming up. Picture the gait as a circle. When you work a canter you are going to lift and help collect them as they are coming up. This is not a bump or hold to keep them up or you will be working against the canter. As in all gaits its important to work your hands in time with the gait not against it. When you stop out of a canter you always ask as the horse is coming up. Never ask them to stop as they are coming down, as you will be launched forward out of the saddle. Turning and guiding a horse at the canter is also done as the horse is coming up.

Now that you have your horse cantering in the circle it is important that the horses body is bent on the circle. Going the first way of the ring and you circle to the left the head will be to the left slightly with the shoulder/belly to the right slightly and the hip to the left. Your horse should be curved on the line of the circle. I use my left leg by the girth (not a continuous pressure) and push the horse toward the rail. Using my left rein I will turn the horse slightly to the middle. If your circle is about 60’ around most horses will not swing their hip out to the wall to keep their balance, as it is awkward for them. As you circle through the middle it may be necessary to use your right leg to keep the horse from drifting out. At this point I stop using my left leg. When I use my legs I usually use mostly the calf of my leg with a little heel. When cantering I use my leg on the up movement pulling my leg (legs) in and releasing on the down movement. Avoid using continuous leg pressure. Once the horse is comfortable cantering in the circle I start using more collection techniques.

At this point you will be using your circle techniques to enhance the horse’s balance and collection now that your horse bends properly in a circle. Collection is where a horse shortens his body length and stride by getting his hindquarters underneath him to push him forward and raising his front end up. Many horses tend to pull their bodies forward with their front legs instead of pushing themselves forward with their hind legs. When a horse pulls himself forward they tend to drop their heads down and forward. Thus the term heavy on the forehand is used. A horse that is heavy on the forehand will tend to have less motion in front and be longer and lower headed. The second result to being heavy on the forehand is that the horse’s hind legs tend to trail out behind them which makes it impossible to have proper impulsion and also can change the timing of their gaits. An example is when a three beat gait, the canter, becomes a four beat gait. Collection is fundamental. Take a look at the rules for the saddlebred and notice that balance and collection are mentioned frequently. A collected horse is not choppy or hopping in place, it has a very fluid and comfortable movement.

I also use circles for relaxation for the horse and rider. When teaching a horse something new and/or difficult it is important to keep your horse in a good learning frame of mind. If you have properly worked your horse in a circle and not used it as punishment when you return to a circle you should be able to feel and visibly see a horse relax as they work at a familiar and comfortable environment. For the rider, once they understand how to use the circle they can gain control of a difficult situation. When the rider gains control they will become more relaxed and able to make correct decisions.

The last reason I want to discuss as to why I use circles is to square up a trot and to allow a rider to post both diagonals. Horses that only allow a rider to post one of the two diagonals are one sided and usually hop or skip in the back end. It’s important to label the problem correctly. How do you fix a hop or a skip in the back end? Since horses do not naturally hop or skip it is difficult to fix. If you label the problem correctly you will be able to fix it. When a horse’s timing is off in the back end and you free up your mind from conventional thoughts, you will realize that what you are seeing is usually a horse breaking into a canter on the back end. It has been my observation that these horses will consistently be breaking to either the left or right canter lead behind. To me hopping or not trotting squarely behind is merely breaking to the left or right canter lead. This is barring any physical problems such as lameness or a sore back. As you watch a horse trotting and they are consistently breaking to the left canter lead behind you should work the horse circling to the right at the canter on the right lead. This would strengthen their right canter lead thus making it more difficult for them to break to the left, which is what they are tending to do. This fix does not happen over night and it could take several weeks before you see a change. If the horse breaks to the right canter lead consistently you should canter them to the left in the circle on the left lead. After you have worked your horse for some time cantering and when they trot they break to the left canter lead you would queue them to pick up the right canter lead by using your left hand and leg. This should help square up the trot. (Don’t actually let the horse canter) This method works very successfully for me though it may not work for everyone.

Let’s review some of the key principles to good circle work that we have already discussed.

· First, don’t expect your horse to start working in a circle perfectly the first time out.

· Next walk the exact path of the circle several times. Only when the horse is comfortable with this you can ask him to do more.

· Never use the circle work as punishment. Treat it like it is a safe place for the horse to focus, work and relax. Use this training technique to get unto a win-win situation. This is to get the horse to do what you want without upsetting the horse or getting the rider upset.

· Don’t canter the circle a million times this detracts from training.

· The exact circle size is not important, but you do not want it too large or too small. My average circles are about 55 to 65 feet around. It can vary depending on the size, length of stride and your horse’s experience. You do not need a round pen.

· When the horse has learned the task in the circle I take them out to the rail and do most of my work on the rail. Smarter horses generally need less time in the circle and those lacking confidence or have attitude problems need more circle work.

· Remember whatever you do in one direction always work the other way as well unless you are strengthening one lead over the other.

· Remember there will always be some horses that will not benefit from circle work, but from my experience it should be very few.

· Good footing is essential. It cannot be slick, hard or too deep.

Good luck and I hope some of my observations over the years can help you with your horse. If you have any questions please contact the magazine.