Stewart - Advanced Western Riding

Roger Sipe, Special Projects Editor

Lindsay Hanks, Associate Editor

Matt Hennings, Art Director

Jessica Jaensch, Production Coordinator

Tracy Burns, Production Coordinator

June Kikuchi, Andrew DePrisco, Editorial Directors

The horses in this book are referred to as she and he in alternating chapters unless their sexes are apparent from the activities discussed.

Cover image by Sharon P. Fibelkorn.

The interior images are by Sharon P. Fibelkorn, pp. 27, 42, 73, 76; Lesley Ward, p. 57. All other interior images are by Charles Hilton.

Copyright 2007, 2010 by I-5 Press. Previously published in different-sized formats in The Horse Illustrated Guide to Advanced Western Riding.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of I-5 Press, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Stewart, Kara L.

Advanced Western riding / by Kara L. Stewart.

p. cm.

Horse illustrated training guide.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN 978-1-935484-54-7 (alk. paper)

eISBN 978-1-937049-41-6

1. Western riding. I. Stewart, Kara L. Horse illustrated guide to advanced Western riding. II. Horse illustrated. III. Title.

SF309.3.S784 2010

798.23--dc22

2010021094

I-5 Press

A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC

3 Burroughs

Irvine, CA 92618

Printed and bound in the United States

14 13 12 11 10 1 2 3 4 5

dedication

This book is for every rider who seeks a deeper partnership with his or her horse. Stay on the path and follow your heart.The discoveries you make together may astound you.

acknowledgments

T hanks Mom and Dad. Your love and support have made everything possible. On our journey through life, the right teachers appear when the student is ready. Each experience leads concretely to the next steps one needs to take.

Thank you, Mark Rashid, Wendy Murdoch, and Andrew Blevins, for being my teachers. Your ideas, integrity, lifelong learning, and gifts for teaching have greatly influenced this book, my horsemanship, and my life.

Mark, thanks for sharing your way of working with horses that transcends horses and applies to all of life. Youve helped me see that the knowledge in my head isnt much good until its part of my soul and that so many wonderful things happen when I bring all of me to my life. Im a better person because of you. And eternal thanks for introducing me to Aikido.

Wendy, thanks for sharing your brilliant and passionate understanding of human and equine biomechanics. Youre helping me and other riders see how everything is possible with the right connections, physical and mental. Thanks for helping me open the door to find presence.

Blevins Sensei, thank you for sharing your talent, time, and passion in your teaching of Aikido and for being a role model in so many ways. Practicing Aikido under your guidance has blessed me and changed my life in more ways than I ever could have imagined.

Deep thanks to Crissi McDonald for your friendship and support and for showing me that stature doesnt matter in working with horses when everything comes from softness; Kathleen Lindley, for your friendship and your insights into so many things; Shannon Brown, for being there in some critical times and sharing your beautiful connection with horses; Wendy Rashid, for all your help over the years; Cherry Hill and Richard Klimesh, for giving me a start and sharing your wisdom; Carole Williams, for being the best mentor ever; Dr. David Siemens, for your perceptive approach to equine anatomy and chiropractic; David Genadek for your ground-breaking ideas in saddle design; the amazing current and past teams at Horse IllustratedLiz Moyer, Holly Werner, Kimberly Abbott, Moira C. Reeve, Karen Keb, and Toni McAllisterfor the opportunities and your valuable suggestions over the years; and everyone at I-5 Press who made this a better book.

And thanks to Richard Bangs, Essie Becker, Frances Carbonnel, Peggy Cummings, the Douglas County Writers Group, Eddie, Joanne Hartmeister, Patricia Hendricks Sensei, Kei and Mariquita Izawa Sensei, John, Sue Littlefield, Mary Mueller, Eva Murphy, Katie Reid, Marion Schneider, James Shaw, Surino, Tasy, Linda Tellington-Jones, Sheila Varian, Suzi Zielinski, and Les-san and John-san and the wonderful students at Kiryu Aikido.

Youve all been teachers, role models, guides, and companions on this journey called life. Thanks for sharing this path. I cant wait to see what lies ahead.

Contents

Keep Riding; Stay in the Moment Leave Out the Emotions; Assume the Best Be Consistent Feel Free to Make Mistakes Be Confident and Decisive Practice Being the Person You Want to Be Have Fun

Developing Better Balance and Seat Refining Effective Aids and Cues Timing Cues for Greatest Effectiveness Moving Beyond Cues and Aids: The Inner Aspects of Riding

Striving for Self-Carriage Building on the Self-Carriage Foundation Smooth Transitions Lateral and Other Work Keep Things Interesting

Basic Saddle Fit Guidelines for Performance Event-Specific Saddles Western Bridles and Bits Transition from Snaffle to Curb

General Conditioning Tips Show Classes Gaming, Gymkhana, and Speed Events Cow Events Other Ways to Have Fun

Introduction

S ince taking up western riding, youve dedicated yourself to learning more of the details of riding well and improving your riding skills and abilities. No longer a beginner, youre now able to sit confidently at the walk, the jog, and the lope; direct your horse; and influence her speed. But, as youve probably discovered, there is more to being a good rider than just staying in the saddle, steering, and stopping.

Now, you want to be more than a steady passenger; you want to be a partner with your horse. You want to have the type of relationship with your horse that the advanced riders you admire have with their horses. Horse and rider seem to move to the same thoughts, with invisible cues, ease, comfort, and happiness. Talented amateurs and professional trainers make this look easy. For them, riding seems to be a dance. Will you ever ride like that? Can you ever develop such a deep partnership with your horse? The answer is yes! It will take dedication, work, and commitment on your part, but it wont happen overnight. If you persevere and keep the right mind-set, you will reach your goal.

Its helpful, though not essential, to take regular lessons with a trainer who encourages you and keeps raising the bar as you progress. A good trainer can spot areas in which youre struggling, help you work through these issues and push you a little further than you might push yourself if you were riding on your own.

Dont rely on your trainer completely, however. A large part of becoming an advanced western rider is honing your abilities and building your confidence and knowledge, so one day you will be able to train a horse yourself. As you continue learning, youll want to develop your own style of horsemanship, one that fits with who you are and is based on the type of partnership you want to have with your horse.