Softening at the poll/lateral flexation?

[CurlyWurlyRach]

Ive jut been reading this article :-http://www.todayshorse.com/Articles/LateralFlexion.htm by clinton anderson and im stuggling to understand it, lateral flexation just seems to be pulling the horses head round and collection seems to be pull until the horse lowers its head, then let go.
Am i all wrong here?
I like the idea of poll-softening and getting Curly collected, I can collect her in canter but no other gait.
Do i baisically just have a contact and as soon as she gives i let go? What if she doesnt soften and i end up riding for ages with a tight contact?
Help?

 

[katefarmer]

Ive jut been reading this article :-http://www.todayshorse.com/Articles/LateralFlexion.htm by clinton anderson and im stuggling to understand it, lateral flexation just seems to be pulling the horses head round and collection seems to be pull until the horse lowers its head, then let go.
Am i all wrong here? Help?

Yes, you are all wrong - but I can well understand how you got it all wrong!! The article doesn't explain it very well - or at least, does not explain how to set it up before you get on for it to be really meaningful for the horse and an effective training exercise. It sort of starts half way through the story.

The idea of the lateral flexion is to reach the horse's mind. It's like a big version of a really good half halt - but written in letters 3 feet high! I spend a while teaching the horse this on the ground before doing it from the saddle (there's a full explanation under Bridling and Bitting on my website, if you want to see the whole process) and the idea is that when you pick up on one rein, the horse relaxes at the poll and jaw.

What's seems to be missing from the Anderson article is all the pre-preparation that will make this anything other than "pulling the head round".

You ask for the lateral flexion on the ground first, gradually on both sides until the horse is really soft and relaxed with the whole thing. There should be no pulling - its just a "feel" - if you pull, the horse will start pushing back against you and the whole thing is counter productive. When this is good on both sidees, you start picking up on both reins together, and the horse relaxes as it has been trained, but the head stays straight - the beginning of going on the bit, and after that, collection. The object is not that the horse lowers its head (although that will happen as a by-product) - the object is that it relaxes at the poll and in the lower jaw. If the horse lowers its head but is still leaning on the bit, or ducks behind the contact, or sets its jaw against you, you need to go back to the lateral flexion and work more on that, then try again.)

When you can ask the horse to relax at the front, as you activate the hindquarters, the horse will start moving into a soft, round frame.

Hope that helps!

Kate
www.harmony-project.net

 

[cvb]

Ive jut been reading this article :-http://www.todayshorse.com/Articles/LateralFlexion.htm by clinton anderson and im stuggling to understand it, lateral flexation just seems to be pulling the horses head round and collection seems to be pull until the horse lowers its head, then let go.Am i all wrong here?
I like the idea of poll-softening and getting Curly collected, I can collect her in canter but no other gait.
Do i baisically just have a contact and as soon as she gives i let go? What if she doesnt soften and i end up riding for ages with a tight contact?Help?

"lateral flexion" is exactly what the words say - flexion laterally or in plain language, bending to the side ! As such, if you ask your horse to bend, and it bends - you have achieved lateral flexion.

So ?? what good is lateral flexion ? Well in the article CA suggests that if you horse is bracing to *vertical* flexion, lateral flexion can help..

OK, so now we just have a NEW question - why do we want vertical flexion ?

Vertical flexion in itself is NOT the same thing as collection. But, to collect the horse needs to accept the aids, and needs to shorten their frame. So if you ask the horse to shorten their frame, part of which is going to be flexing at the poll (and hence vertical flexion), and they can't or don't, you're not going to get collection.

By asking, and then rewarding (by stopping asking), you show the horse what you want. Initially you may only ask for a momentary "give" - but over time you are going to want them to accept the aids for longer, so you are going to ask for collection (a shorter frame including flexion at the poll) and then ride that shorter frame i.e. you may not give all the rein back (as that might be your cue for the longer frame again - for extension).

I've already started answering your second question - by talking about reward. But actually thats what a lot of the article is about - about NOT getting to the point where you take up a contact and the horse braces against you rather than giving - that would be completely the opposite lesson to the one you want to teach

It isn't just about "pulling" the horse's head in any direction. The rider needs to ask, softly and with a quality of feel. if you "end up riding for ages with a tight rein" - you're doing it wrong. because you are asking, but not getting the answer you want. So you normally need to ask a different way, one your horse understand. Just getting stronger is rarely the answer.

 

[CurlyWurlyRach]

Thanks for your help but...im still confused!
Can someone explain to me, slowly and simply what i want to be doing next time I go to see Curly?
How do i ask her to flex?
Are there any cues that im doing something wrong? (knowing her she'll let me know...)

 

[cvb]

CWR

If you stand, in halt, and close one hand around the rein and allow with the other, what does Curly do ? if you swap reins (i.e. close the other one, and allow with the first one) do you get the same response ? if you close *both* what does she do ?

When you are in walk or trot, if you half-halt, what happens ? if you ask for a downward transition, what happens ?

Without doing ANYTHING with the rein contact - i.e. just with your normal rein contact for whatever pace you are in, can you use leg and seat to ask for a bigger walk, or a smaller walk ? a bigger trot or smaller trot ?

 

[CurlyWurlyRach]

CWR

If you stand, in halt, and close one hand around the rein and allow with the other, what does Curly do ? if you swap reins (i.e. close the other one, and allow with the first one) do you get the same response ? if you close *both* what does she do ?

When you are in walk or trot, if you half-halt, what happens ? if you ask for a downward transition, what happens ?

Without doing ANYTHING with the rein contact - i.e. just with your normal rein contact for whatever pace you are in, can you use leg and seat to ask for a bigger walk, or a smaller walk ? a bigger trot or smaller trot ?

If i stand in halt and give with one rein she usually either does nothing, walks off or will look around (its more of a 'oh, look, a barn wall' look around - no real purpose to it). If i close both she pulls against me or sees this as a signal to walk off.

Half halts tend to do nothing if i only use one, but if i do a few then he grudgingly slows down, it does take me the length of the long side of the school to get the downward transistion.

I can get a bigger walk/trot by leg and seat and i can slow her trot down by rising slower. tbh ive never tried to slow her walk down.

Im leaving for a weks holiday in Ireland at 3am tomorrow morning so please do keep posting here, i will check it as soon as i get back as im eager to start this technique.
Many thanks again

 

[cvb]

ok, so it sounds like she's not particularly accepting of the rein and bit. The seat aids are encouraging - collection is as much about the body as the head and neck

The article you originally referred to is about helping the horse find that acceptance...