Mark Rashid Clinic Write-up

[Thyme & Me]

Horse 6:
Rising 4 year old. Beautiful little grey pony. 15 hours or so under saddle so far. This was about balance. Now this was interesting to me because I also have a rising 4 year old with very few miles on the clock. My RI has said 'leave the front end alone' - work on balance, rhythm, working through from behind etc. Head will sort itself out over time. So Thyme is very poky-nosy.
However Mark focuses on acceptance of the bit from day 1. He said the mouth is crucial for balance - balance starts in the mouth, then back through the whole body. SO a horse above, in front of or behind the bit, or leaning on the bit cannot be balanced. So he teaches a horse to flex at the poll and soften his mouth and jaw to softly accept the bit. He is not afraid of using some pressure to do this - the aim being to lessen that as much as possible. His view is the amount of pressure needed is set by the horse. So if a horse is balancing by leaning on the bit, and you increase the pressure to - say- a 2 or 2.5 on a 5 point scale and there is no change in the horse then the horse is telling you that e is ok with this amount of pressure. So you will continue to have a heavy horse. As long as you start light and increase incrementally the horse will let you know - via a change - how much he needs. When horse first decides to try and release the pressure he may experiment with different things- backing up etc. Ignore all that. Don't worry about it. Horse will offer a variety of responses and ignoring them is telling the horse 'no that is not what I am after'. When the horse softens THEN release. But keep the contact. Timing is very important.He will do this in halt, then walk, then trot. Mark expects this bit acceptance even in a very young horse. As far as he is concerned if a horse is not ready to carry himself plus rider in balance then he should not be being ridden. He tarts this process on the ground prior to backing.
So the little grey pony was encouraged to soften to the bit for 3 paces in walk then allowed to relax/ stretch down. Then 5 paces, then 7 paces etc. Once it was good in walk, he did the same in trot. When the pony softened the pressure was automatically released as the horse found 'self-release'. This needed very soft, flexible hands so you could follow the movement of the horse and not throw the contact away when the horse softened. He did a lot of work with this rider on making sure the movement came from the hands in a smooth, flowing way, not in a jerky way. Hard to get this across as it involved Mark being the 'reins' and feeling what the rider was doing and demonstrating how it should feel. Whatever he did, worked and the pony was moving beautifully.
This, incidentally, was not about being in an outline or 'frame' as he called it. Although actually he was clearly moving in that direction. But it was about a softening and a flexing in the mouth, jaw and poll so he was balanced.
This was another reason he doesn't like styles of riding that don't use reins. Bits aren't essential though he prefers them as he feels they allow for more subtle communication. But contact is important - (in his view!)- so you can communicate.

[Thyme & Me]

FINAL HORSE (7)

Either I am having a brain freeze or there were only 7 horses..... Just can't remember another one. This was the last one I saw on Saturday - I left before her session on the Sunday. Here is what I can recall.....

Beautiful horse. Very high level of skill in both horse and rider. She wanted to work on control at speed and on lateral work. The work echoed what I have previously written: subtlety, using the inside of the horse, energy flow.

She came down the centre line leg yielding one way then the other. There was a bit of a hitch as the horse shifted from one side to the other. Mark talked about the change in direction as a single flowing movement. Not leg off, leg on, but a seamless shift in aids/weight. Lovely.

He also said this particular horse was so connected that just THINKING about putting on the aids would be enough. As indeed it was. Interestingly he seemed to think that once a horse was trained to cues, thinking about the cue or thinking about what you actually want (rhythm, speed, direction etc) worked as well as each other.

Overall themes:

CONNECTION

Use the inside of you to connect to the inside of the horse..... In the break I approached Mark and said that sounded fascinating but how? He replied: "when you ride, replace your fear with gratitude". Very odd as I have been increasingly afraid of riding Thyme recently...... And I had lost touch with my gratitude that this beautiful animal was allowing me on her back and into her life. When I approach Thyme with gratitude, I am changing what is inside me. This changes something in her too, as horses mirror people.... In the week since the clinic, my ridden work on Thyme - and how I feel about her - has been transformed. Yesterday someone saw us riding and said 'I had no idea she was going so well'. Well until this week she wasn't! I have not learnt any new skill/technique. We are just more connected and it shows.

CLARITY

The aids are for communication. Chances are if a horse is not doing what you want then there is probably some confusion in the horse as to what you are after. We create so much NOISE around and on our horses it's a wonder they ever understand us at all!

ASSUMPTIONS
We assume horses that are doing what we want are 'well-trained' and that those that aren't doing what we want are 'naughty' as opposed to 'badly or confusingly trained'! Examples: the chestnut who moved away from the mounting block. Horses do not plan to thwart us! That's a human trait, not a horse one....

EGO/CREATING THE OPENING

Mark did a very interesting exercise with some spectators about openings. He had 3 people lined up on his left, and 3 on his right. The linked hands and braced against him. He pulled on them using muscle and they were easily able to resist the pressure. He then 'changed' something (don't ask me how) and you could see all 6 people soften and begin to move inwards as he drew them in. One woman then locked up in a 'Ha! You're not pulling me!' kind of way. Mark repeated this 3 times. The 2nd time she softened, the 3rd time she started to move but locked up again to the extent that she hurt the people either side of her...

Mark said this was a good example of human ego getting in the way. She experienced softness and began to move. Then her brain jumped in with a 'No way!' and she fought the softness. Mark said luckily horses don't behave like that! If you create softness and an opening they will gladly take it. They don't feel like they have anything to prove. I happened to speak to the lady concerned at lunch who said it had been a very profound (if chastening) experience for her. She said she was always letting her 'contrary' nature get in the way. She was beginning to see this as unhelpful.....

LIGHTNESS

Mark wants the horse to respond to the lightest possible cues. Starting with thoughts. Then a touch, then increasingly firm until you get a change. He has no problem with using a whip/spurs/strong contact. As long as you release the instant you get a response. And always start soft. People can assume that if a squeeze or a half halt or a kick is what you need, then that is what you will always need and they never offer the horse a chance to respond to less. He said his mature horses respond to thought cues only now.

ENERGY & RHYTHM

Don't think of transitions, think of rhythms

In the field horses don't transition from walk to trot, They just walk and then they trot, and then they walk again. There is no hitch/hesitation. Whereas under saddle horses (or rather riders!) will put in a hitch/hesitation by separating the gaits. Walk - aid - trot - aid - walk. Thyme is very lurchy and abrupt in her transitions, so this really rang true for me. Mark said instead of thinking aout transitions just think about rhythms. Move from a 4 beat to a 2 beat to a 3 beat to a 2 beat to a 4 beat etc....... No aids needed! Just connection and a feel of the rhythm. Again this was demonstrated by a rider who was able to get wonderful free transitions with no aids at all!

RULES

His view is that too many 'rules', especially around techniques and methods and things like shod/barefoot; bits/bitless, what ropes/halters etc to use are very restrictive. Be open minded. Be creative. Use what works for you and your horse. Rules limit your options.

COMPASSION BUT NOT SENTIMENTALITY

This came across in his attitude to the abused horse. Feeling sorry for him was no use to him. He needed practical assistance & direction. He said he had a soft spot for scared horses, abused horses etc. He said the vast majority of horses want to get along with people and like to have boundaries and a job to do.

But not all horses. He also said he had requests from people who said they 'love their horse soooooooo much' after having them 3 weeks and when said horses spent those 3 weeks trying to kill them! He has told people that they should shoot their horses before as they were no good to anyone. He also has no hesitation in getting rid of horses. He will give a horse every chance to get along with people and to do his job, but some horses (not many, but some) just won't and there are too many great willing horses out there to spend too much time on unwilling highly resistant ones.

GIVING HORSES A JOB

His horses work 4-8 hours a day on the ranch. If there is a specific job to do, they work till it's done. He commented that he found it strange that some people come to his clinics and are worried about a whole hour's work being too much for these strong fit, animals.

FEED

Related to the above, far too many horses are fed as if they are working hard, when to a horse an hour or 2 of work a day is nothing. A lot of problems with horses are actually just feeding too many concentrates. Hot horses benefit from Magnesium Oxide and B vitamins.

That's all folks.

Please comment though. I'd love to know what people think about all this. And I'd love to keep the conversation going as it is now informing how I approach things.... I don;t want my interest and enthusiasm to ebb away! Maybe we should set up a Mark Rashid Fan Club!!!! Aimed at disseminating his teachings and keeping them alive. Or something. There are various people in the UK who have trained with him. Perhaps this approach can be made more accessible if people want that to happen.....

[Whatanejit]

Excellent write ups and lots to think about.

I don't have the will or the time for deep discussion anymore but there is a lot of food for thought.

Thanks again

[carthorse]

Thank you Thyme & Me, this has been very interesting

On the odd occassion someone else rides Jim I always struggle to tell them how to ride him & find myself saying "just think canter/trot/halt/shoulder in etc". I sound crazy & so many people think that because he's a big powerful horse he must need big powerful riding & yet he's almost telepathic.

I love the way Mark Rashid's books sound like he deals with individuals rather than having set approaches & it sounds like he's just the same in his clinics. This, to me, is what horsemanship isall about

[Skib]

Thanks so much thyme. (written from phone in car) I am so bad at writing up my rashid notes. And we are packing for holiday. But lets keep in touch and compare. I am sure you wont forget. One applies something of Marks. It works. So one repeats and reinforces for both oneself and horse. From this particular clinic for me what was added was what happens when we first mount. And then reins as positive soft communication -feel through the reins. That relates to all he taught us about head position and eyesight and breathing of horse.

[Ruskii]

You write really well Thyme, I'm starting to think I should have shelled out for tickets as the demo was only 5 mins away from where I live

[Skib]

Back at the computer - I am trying to match up my dreadful unreadable notes with yours. Was your missing horse No 3? ridden with a western saddle - quarterhorse/New Forest cross, who was taught to line up to the mounting block.
The terrified horse that Mark caught outside was number 4, the last of the morning horses.
5 was Amanda who organised the clinic, riding a lovely young grey? She rode immediately after the lunch break. It was less easy to make notes as she has ridden with Mark for many years, was assisting in the teaching and was asking him to help her apply what had been learned in his akido for horsemen workshops earlier in the week. That made it hard to understand, but also hard to see exactly what she was doing. OH says he hasnt any notes on her.
6 was the Icelandic who didnt trot and whom Mark taught to behave and know boundaries. (you have this as horse 6)
7 was the lovely eventer that the rider said she found hard to control at speed but changed so much with Mark's help that "she eventually galloped (not gallop - sorry - cantered - those were OH's words) straight towards us at what felt to be 90 miles an hour." This is the horse you have at seven.
8 had been under saddle only a few days and first time indoors - a little beginner New Forest pony.

This is not to criticise your report because you have been so clear and added so much about Mark Rashid's general views and answers to questions. Just to help you line up your notes if it worries you to be missing a horse.

[Tomas]

I was at the Mark Rashid clinic on Friday and Saturday. I agree with the conclusions listed above.

Some interesting answers to questions.

A lot of horse problems appear to start with the horse having to make decisions because the rider doesn't.

A horse needs 3 things to sit back and be happy the rider is in charge.
Speed
Direction
Destination

Don't polish the saddle with your backside.

If you are dong something in the saddle and it looks silly, it is probably wrong.

Your movement in the saddle should mimic what you would do on the ground. He demonstrated by jogging along and then stopping by bracing both legs in a wide braced stance. It looked daft - don't do that

Intent and internal rhythm are very important to the horse. Aids should back this up. The rider doing lateral work got an impromptu ovation. Lateral work with no leg or hand aids - just intent, my jaw was somewhat hanging .

When riding - Breathe. So important, taking deep breaths while riding allowed the horse to breathe and relax. This alone helped half the riders and horses. The rider would do one circuit of canter and come back out of breath. Purely because they weren't breathing and it was causing the horse to hold his breath and become tight.

If you want the horse to relax. You have to relax first. Softening the lower back of the rider really helped the horse. (This may be the problem I have with canter. I notice I tense a lot at the transition, and hold my breath)

[Thyme & Me]

Speed direction, destination is interesting! Thyme tends to amble a bit on her way back to the field. The other day I was riding and glanced at my watch and realised I was late. I jumped off, pulled her tack off, fed her, then marched towards the field. She kept up very easily with no reluctance at all, so I broke into a jog. She trotted alongside readily. When we do in-hand work normally she is a bit reluctant to trot and will sometimes shake her head. This time, my intent was clear, so I guess I was giving clarity about speed, direction and destination to her, and she was happy to go along with me. Whereas normally I daydream and so does she!

[Jane&Ziggy]

This is great stuff, I am so enjoying the discussion. Thanks to T&me and all other contributors.

[kathyt1]

Originally Posted by Jane&Ziggy

This is great stuff, I am so enjoying the discussion. Thanks to T&me and all other contributors.

Second this! It has been very interesting.

[LBrider]

Thanks from me also. I've printed off the entire thread to sit and read in comfort later this evening.

[LBrider]

Well have just had a read through. Thank you so much, T&M, next best thing to being there. I hope this discussion will continue, I have read one of Mark's books and will be purchasing another in the next day or two.
I was very interested in what you were saying about breathing - this is something I have been working on, as I am a nervous rider and can completely understand how this would affect the horse. I have found the book 'Centred Riding' by Sally Swift very useful for this as she uses visualisation which is a method of learning I find suits me.
The other thing which really struck a chord with me was your comment that you have been replacing fear with gratitude. What a wonderful mind set to have, and the fact that it has changed your relationship and your riding with Thyme is wonderful to hear.
I hope you will keep us up to date on how your training progresses as you change your approach to it using Marks suggestions.
Thanks again.

[Thyme & Me]

Thanks LB and everyone else who has read or commented. I have begun to use the ideas in my work with Thyme - our progress in on the diaries section if anyone is interested in how these ideas play out in practice with a relatively inexperienced rider/trainer.....

Mark learnt much of what he knows from 'The Old Man' - Walter Pruitt - when he was a child. Walter, in turn, learnt his horsemanship from a Plains Indian when he was a child. So there is a long lineage. But I think the Plains Indian, Pruitt and Mark are also gifted horse-men. The way I see it: they 'get' horses and had to the find the language they need to communicate this to others. But I (and many others) don't 'get' horses. So I am coming at it from the opposite direction: Can I hear the language-based explanations and from them learn to understand horses? Well I guess we'll see.....