Table of Contents
Foreword Paul O'Shea xv
Introduction 3
What You'll Find Ahead 3
The Starting Point 4
Anne Kursinski on Flatwork 5
Yes…It's the Training Scale 11
Part 1 "Whoa" and "Go" 12
Chapter 1 "Whoa" 14
Teaching "Whoa" 14
The Outside Rein 14
The Process 14
The Correction 15
The Retest 16
Lynn Palm and Cyril Pittion-Rossillon on Flatwork 17
Putting It All Together on the Flat 18
Practicing "Whoa" 18
Lengthen and Shorten on a Large Circle 18
Leg-Yield on the Diagonal 18
Putting It All Together Between the jumps 19
The Approach 19
The Getaway 20
Trot-to-Halt with a Pole 20
Chapter 2 "Go" 21
Responsibility for Energy 21
Test to See if Your Horse Goes on His Own 21
Explain the New Energy Rules 22
Reactivity to Light Driving Aids 23
The Driving Aids 23
Carrie Wehle on the Importance of "Go" 24
Put the Horse in Front of the Driving Aids 25
The Process 29
Transitions from Halt to Walk or Walk to Trot 29
Transitions within the Gait 29
Transitions to the Canter 29
Activity from the Inside Leg, Driving Seat, and Voice 30
Mix-and-Match Driving Aids in Warm-Up 31
Jane Hamlin on Lengthening and Shortening Strides 32
Overreactive to the Leg Aids 32
Help Your Horse Accept Your Legs 33
Maria Costa on Overreactivity to the Leg 34
Putting It All Together on the Flat 35
"Whoa" and "Go" on a Straight Line 35
Putting It All Together Between the Jumps 36
"Whoa" and "Go" over Ground Poles and Fences 36
Mix-and-Match Driving Aids over a Course 37
Clicker Training 37
Part 2 Rhythm 38
Chapter 3 The Quality of the Gaits 40
Improve the Quality of the Walk 40
Feel the Rhythm in the Walk 41
Fixing a Lateral Walk or Pace 42
Improve the Quality of the Trot 43
Improve the Quality of the Canter 45
Part 3 Suppleness 46
Chapter 4 Suppling the Poll 48
Flexion and Counter-Flexion 48
The Rein Aids 49
Dealing with Resistance 50
Proof of a Supple Poll 51
Putting It All Together Between the Jumps 51
Suppling the Poll Between Fences 51
Chapter 5 Suppling the Neck and Body 52
Active and Passive Aids 52
Active Aids for Suppling to the Left 53
Passive Aids for Suppling to the Left 55
Neck Suppling Evasions 56
Timing: When and How Long to Supple 56
Testing Neck and Body Suppleness 57
Evaluate the Weight in Your Hands 57
Watch for the Lowering of the Neck 58
The Horse Should Stay on the Line of Travel 59
Putting It All Together on the Flat 59
Supple to Both Sides 59
Suppling During Lateral Work 59
Suppling Before and After Flying Changes 60
Putting It All Together Between the Jumps 61
Increase Suppleness of the Neck and Body Over Fences 61
Chapter 6 Suppling the Shoulders 62
Leg-Yielding to Supple the Shoulders 62
Troubleshoot with the Opening Rein 63
Use Counter-Flexion to Straighten Your Horse 64
Putting It All Together on the Flat 66
Suppling the Shoulders with "The Box" 66
Move the Shoulders Left and Right 68
Move the Shoulders to the Left Every Few Strides on a Circle 69
Shoulder-In (or Shoulder-Fore) and Shoulder-Out 70
Shoulder-Fore and Shoulder-In Through Transitions 72
Shoulder-In to and from the Halt 72
Putting It All Together Between the Jumps 73
Approach and Getaway 73
Drifting to One Side 74
The Staircase 75
The Staircase Between the Jumps 75
The Wiggly Horse 76
Second Track Work for the Wiggly Horse 76
Part 4 Contact and Connection 78
Chapter 7 Contact 80
The Qualities of a Good Contact 80
Firm 80
Consistent 81
Elastic 81
Symmetrical 83
One Bearing on the Rein 83
Straight Line Contact 84
How to Connect Your Horse 84
What Does Connection Look Like? 84
Kelli McMullen Temple on the Importance of Connection 85
What Does Connection Feel Like? 86
Prerequisites for Connecting Aids 86
Benefits of Connection 87
Using the Connecting Aids 88
The Process 88
Your Horse's Soft Side 89
Combine Your Voice with the Connecting Aids 89
Keeping Your Horse Even in the Reins 90
Common Connection Problems and Tweaking the Connecting Aids 90
Too Much Focus on the Inside Rein 90
Loops in the Reins (No Contact) 91
"Rolls Over" The Bit 93
Falls on the Inside Shoulder or Loses the Bend 93
Slows Down 95
Rushes 97
Shortens Neck 97
Gets Crooked 97
Adjust the Connecting Aids 98
Increasing Connecting Aids 98
Shorter Connecting Aids 98
Ride from Back to Front 98
Tests of Connection 99
Chewing the Reins Out of Your Hands 99
Überstreichen 100
Chapter 8 Exercises for Connection 101
Putting It All Together on the Flat 101
Lengthening on the Circle 101
Maintaining the Lengthening 101
Accelerate onto a Small Circle 103
Leg-Yield 103
Stepping Through the Outside Rein 104
Putting It All Together Between the Jumps 104
Build Energy with Continuous Connecting Aids 104
Connecting Aids Between the Jumps 105
Connect Your Horse into Either Rein 105
Chewing the Reins Out of Your Hands (Again) 108
Part 5 Straightness 108
Chapter 9 Solving Crookedness 110
Make Your Horse Straight Every Day 110
Different Examples of Crookedness 112
Stiff and Hollow Sides 114
Identify the Weaker Hind Leg 115
Cara Dayton on Treating the Cause 118
Leg-Yield 119
Transitions from Lateral Movement to Lateral Movement 120
Transitions from Gait to Gait 121
Straighten the Hindquarters 121
Bend the Stiff Side and Straighten the Hollow Side 123
Advanced Lateral Exercises 124
Strengthen the Weaker Hind Leg Between the Jumps 126
Leg-Yield to and from the Jump 126
Shoulder-Fore to and from the Jump 126
Haunches-In to and from the Jump 126
Correcting Rider-Created Crookedness 127
Hip Shift to the Left 127
Sit Straight and Square 128
Part 6 Collection 132
Chapter 10 What Is Collection? 134
What Does Collection Look Like? 134
Frequent Transitions Skipping a Gait 135
Walk or Rein-Back to Canter 136
Debbie Dean-Smith on Schoolmasters 136
Half-Halts 137
Timing 137
Überstreichen (Again) 139
Nancy Bliss Byrd on Soft Contact 139
Half-Halts Between the Jumps 140
Shoulder-Fore for Collection 140
Shoulder-Fore Between the Jumps 141
Chapter 11 Pirouettes and Half-Steps 142
Teach the Canter Pirouette 142
The Process 142
Collect the Canter 142
Quarter Pirouettes 143
Working Pirouettes 143
Half Pirouettes 144
Walk Pirouettes to Canter Pirouettes 145
Quarter and Half Pirouettes Between Jumps 146
Paul O'Shea on Half Pirouettes 148
Half-Steps 149
Teach Half-Steps from the Trot 149
Teach Half-Steps from the Walk 150
Use a Ground Person to Help with Half-Steps 150
Half-Steps Between the Jumps 151
Part 7 Flying Changes 152
Chapter 12 The Importance of Clean Flying Changes 154
The Timing and Aids for a Flying Change 154
Claire Bangert on Flying Changes 155
Introducing Changes 156
Problem-Solving During Flying Changes 156
Rushing Off 156
Disunited Canter 156
Stays on the Same Lead 156
Tense or Anxious 157
Late to Answer the Aid 159
Late Behind 159
Lack of Engagement of the New Outside Hind Leg 162
Late in Front 165
Crooked Changes 165
Drifts Sideways 166
Flying Changes Between the Jumps 167
Clean Changes After Jumps 167
Supple for Relaxation 167
Leg-Yield to Flying Change 167
Collect After Flying Changes 168
Flying Change, Collect, Turn 168
Final Thoughts 169
Index 171
