Blog for Natural Gaited Horsemanship

 I just got back from Edmonton, where we did a BLESS clinic for the Alberta Walking Horse Club.

When a horse bends its body in a circle, the inside hind leg has to step up under its belly.

I just got back from a clinic in Duluth. It is so green and beautiful there this time of year.

There are a few ways to shift the balance of a horse, so that they will utilize and engage their haunches.

 We have had a week of snow, rain, sleet, and mud !!it's good for the hay crop, but I'm ready for some warm weather.

 

One of the key elements to correct or enhanced gaiting is the engagementof the haunches. Without it, the horse will be off gaited or will short stride, and not utilize their full potential. It's kind of like driving your car with the clutch part way pushed in. You are only getting part of the power that is available.

Sunday we took a ride into the National Monument called Canyon of the Ancients. It was a warm, sunny day and the cactus was starting to bloom.  The Monument is loaded with Archeological ruins, including one of my favorites.

It's springtime in the Rockies. The mud is drying out and the grass is starting to green up.This is the time of year we like to ride in the low canyon country where it's warm and dry.

Pat Parelli once said that power is gained not from allowing the horse to rush through their work, but from working slow with energy.  This is how you need to approach your workouts with your horse.  It's kind of like burning rubber on your daddy's car.  Using the brake along with the gas pedal.  Think about lots of RPM'S