The Missing Pieces

"More Notes from Leslie Desmond Clinic in Fort Collins CO"

Last month I shared with you notes from the Leslie Desmond Clinic I attended in Fort Collins Co. The article was titled "Everything Counts Even the Little Things". You can reread the article by going to the newsletter archive links on the left side of this page. At the end of last months article I promised to share more insights I gleaned from Leslie.

As I watched Leslie handle horses in a natural way with subtle yet clear communication I noticed some pieces I was still missing. The most obvious one was, I often lacked the awareness of what the root of the neck and shoulders of the horse were doing and how this affected the overall performance. I realized I was often too focused on the nose and the head of the horse instead of keeping the root of the neck available and the shoulders open and responsive.

When I got home from the clinic I started to notice a lot of tension in my horse's shoulders. I discovered I needed more access to his shoulders. Every time I went out to ride after the clinic I could hear Leslie's voice saying, "Don't stuff the forehand down. Never unstick the shoulders by pulling on the head. Get the belly out of the way and the hips under to get the shoulders opened up." I have been focused on getting the horses hindquarters and rib cage relaxed soft and responsive, which I have almost accomplished. When I started paying more attention to the rest of the horse especially the root of the neck and shoulders the whole horse started to balance better which in turn makes riding easier and more enjoyable.

We need a freedom and lightness in the shoulders in order to get good turns. When we have this freedom a hackmore or snaffle bit shouldn't weigh anything, because we are releasing the horse into position instead of pulling them into the turn. In other words we want to see how little we can do to get the best possible response.

Every good horseman, trainer or nationally know clinician talks a lot about pressure and release. However, Leslie said, "the idea of feel and release fits a horse better, because feel and release is what a horse NEEDS!" This is the second missing piece which I am still trying to find a way to put into words on a page so it makes sense to most of us. This concept is easier to see than to describe. Here are some quotes from my notes which may help us understand this other way of thinking about feel and release as opposed to pressure and release.

**Feel and Release with Intent has to be clear to you or the results won't be clear to the horse.

**The release has more to do with intent and focus than applying and letting go of pressure.

**Never pursue a horse who has yielded.
**Stop asking before the horse gives out.

**The response of the horse should be a reflection of intent, not an escape move from pressure.

**A horse is in self-preservation mode if he is moving to escape from something.

**The horse is never the target of pressure, if this happens step away and re-present with better intent and focus.

**When the horse stops being the focus they are able to blend in with you.

**Focus on where you are going and how you want to get there then the horse will have more confidence to come along with you.

**Step back to release a horse into speed.

**Give the horse more line opening the leading hand for more speed. (This could be a lead line or even reins while riding.)

**It's not about domination, it is about clarity.

**Don't think of punishment. Change your thinking because punishment has no place with horses.

**A genuine invitation to do something leaves "No "as an answer.

**Let a "No" response be OK because that makes a "Yes" response from the horse have meaning.

**However even though "no" can be a response we could accept from a horse, I want to clarify that Leslie stressed over and over the importance of respect.

**In fact she said, "Trust is not as important as respect." So if your horse is pushing you around while saying "No". It would be wise to change your approach. You must be worthy of respect and you must earn it from a horse.

**Accuracy comes from respect!

I don't want to put anyone on overload. There is enough to think about from these two missing pieces; (Keep the root of the neck and shoulders available & Feel and Release fits a horse better than pressure) I still have not exhausted the notes I took at Leslie's clinic. I will share even more in next months newsletter which may help link up some of the missing pieces we could still have in our horsemanship attitudes and skills. When we have more of the missing pieces in place it will help ensure our success with horses.

Happy Trails,
Sherry Jarvis