western pleasure lope and head set

Question
QUESTION: Dear horsehuman,thanx so much for taking the time to give your acreddited advice for free! I have three young horses that I have trained from the ground up and am at a standstill with the lope and headset as I've never been this far in my schooling of horses before, I even wonder if I'm slowing the jog correctly my horses say their rather confused about the whole issue. My question, after I get the horse to a point where they are giving very softly at the stand still and walk and you say release immediatly when they give, is there a point when I should start asking them to hold the softness with the reins? they all give latterally very well and are soft in the poll at the walk but now should I keep the reins for a little longer, as soon as I release they stretch back out and I don't understand how you continue from this point to where they stay collected on a loose rein. Thanx again , I ride six days a week and have seven horses and have always dreamed to ride and feel a real pleasure lope , my horses are quarter paints and finally I own some that have the easy going type of mind ,a little on the lazy side so I have the right mind set for my dream disipline, you see I spent my youth trying to slow and ride hot horses and now feel I have a better understanding of how to help my horses and myself I just need some inside training help at this level and dream of teaching and learning a flying lead change one day.

ANSWER: Hi Sue Lynn!

You are absolutely on the right track here!  Good for you!  Yes, you will hold that soft feel for a bit longer as your horses develop the proper muscling and get stronger.  This soft feel will develop into the collection you are looking for.  Remember, you have to be engaging the WHOLE topline of the horse not just having them break in the poll.  If they are just breaking at the poll, you get a very straight neck that lack the overall suppleness and roundness through the whole body.  This is why it is so important to continue to drive with your legs as you are asking for the soft feel or beginning of collection.  

The reason the horse is not able to maintain a frame on a loose rein is just the lack of muscle memory and building the frame.  They are not quite strong enough to hold the frame.  This will come with quality, over time.  You are laying on the basics in you snaffle bit and this will carry through to the bosal and finally straight up in the bridle.  

Make sure the back in lifting and the hocks are really driving under the body when you are asking for soft feel.  WP in not about just being slow, it is about moving strong with a lot of drive and being deep in the hock.  You don't want you horse leaving his bum out behind him!  

Your horses should go at whatever speed you are asking them for.  You are working toward developing infinite speed control, all the way from a jog to a lengthened trot!  I want to see horses going naturally without the excess head pumping that makes them look like an oil derrick!  The whole goal is relaxed and natural movement that is in keeping with the confirmation of the horse.  Never sacrifice good movement to collect a ribbon!  Stay true to good horsemanship and the wins will come!  

When you achieve the proper degree of collection and you are riding every footfall, flying lead changes become easy.  This is why it is so important to have the infinite speed control, because you will need a bit more go when first teaching the flying lead change.  Of course this means that you have done all of your lateral work, you can smoothly get haunches in and you have control and can elevate the inside shoulder.  It also means that you can do simple changes and your horses can lope out of their tracks!  Do lots of changing at the trot and be very particular at changing the bend.  Counter canter too will help you with good clean lead changes!  

Let me know how things are going!  

Smiles!  Denise

Hi Again Sue Lynn!

I hope your FINALLY get this answer.  It was sent to my "rejected questions" file for some strange reason and I had to contact AllExperts Tech support to have it sent to you!  Yikes!  I must have hit the wrong key or something!  Ugh!  So sorry, and I hope you get this soon!  Denise

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Ceelee marie   QUESTION: Hi again,Denise I want to learn more about what I have in my little hater horse "Signedsealdnshameless" she is my 05 mare by "Shamelessrisk" a Ford Farms halter line in Las Vegas,I've never shown her at breed level but we have two APHA shows in northern ca next year, both less than a 2 hour trailer ride away and would like to know if you can pick her apart for me. Don't worry I will love her forever even if she grows another head! She was a long yearling here.

ANSWER: OKAY Sue Lynn, Here goes...

First lets start with you, in the picture, and the picture makes me guess at a lot, but I'll do my best, no spurs in halter class.  It does not make for a pretty picture and it is equipment meant for riding not for halter, take them off.  Up date your hat in a more modern style.  There is a huge range of prices and you can spend pretty much anything from a hundred or so dollars to hundred$$$ of dollars depending on how much beaver pelt is in the hat.  A good Resistol hat in one or 2X should be just fine.  Start with black.  It looks good with your horse and covers most seasons.  I might do a nice white for summer.  That would really pop and look great!  

Jackets are a must for halter or showmanship.   Check out www.showtimeshowclothing.com for all the latest trends and looks.  If you can't afford what you see there, make it!  You can also go to your local Macey's, Nordstroms or other large department store and buy jackets that will fit the tone for hater classes.  If you can't throw down the cash, get creative!  You can also look at Sargents Western Wear for great looks that are more affordable and mix and match for a top flight look.  Pants are easy.  Color coordinate, and press well!  Make sure you do your hair and make-up.  Keep hair neat, neat, neat!   Tuck it back behind you ears and use good product to freeze it there.  No stray hairs popping out after a short trot in the halter pen!  Again, look at the Sargents catalogue.  It is a good place to help you pull together a really nice total look!  This time of the year is a good time to shop for nice earrings to complete the look.  Lots of "bling" out there and good prices too!  

Now for Ceelee...I like her, but she looks like a performance horse.  Halter horses are the body builders of the horse world.  They are BIG!  Huge gaskins, forearms and muscles on top of muscles.  It takes time and dedication to fit a halter horse, and you can only do with them what is naturally there.  You can develop some muscle, but only to the extent that genetics allow it.  Go out and buy the APHA journal.  It is published by the Paint Association and is their trade journal.  LOOK at the halter horses!  They are monsters, even as yearlings!  It is just how they are bred.  Your mare is a bit long in the back and very smooth over the withers with not much in the muscle department.  Her neck ties in a bit low and I can't really see the throatlatch because everything in the picture is black, her body color and your outfit.  She looks pretty good though.  The biggest mistake with your horse is a very poorly fitting halter.  This detracts from her whole head.  You have to have a halter that if it does not add to the total look, at least does not detract.  This halter makes your horses head look coarse and unrefined.  The halter should fit clean in the throatlatch, along the jaw in over the poll.  Find one that fits your horse and you will really clean up this whole picture.  Again, look in the AQHA journal, or the APHA journal, look at the World Champs and do what they are doing.  Simple, copy the best and then add your own style!  Also, attend an AQHA show and an APHA show.  Look closely at what the winners are doing, how they and their horses are turned out, how they set their horses up to show, notice all of the details.  When you are setting your mare up, make sure all four legs are coming straight out of her body.  Stand her up as correctly as possible because she seems to be a very correct horse.  Make sure the head and neck are elevated and not just hanging out the front end.  Picking up her head cleans up the neck and throatlatch, gives her a more "alive" look and makes her say "look at me"!  She has GREAT color and for Paints, that will mean a lot.  She is kind of long from eye to muzzle, so finding a halter that has a wider nose band will make her head look shorter and more refined.  Also, watch the trimming.  She has a long toe and a low heel and this will make her appear weaker in the pasterns. The look for halter horses tends to be almost post legged behind and very upright in the fronts.  I can't see if you banded her or not, but do it.  It really makes a positive impact on the shape of the neck.  If you don't band well, find someone who does and make you bands look good.  Small, flat and even, then trim the mane so it is all one length.  There is an art to banding well.  Take the time to learn it, or pay to have it done.

My guess here Sue Lynn is that your mare will place right behind the "real" halter horses.  The muscled up huge horses that are eating 10 million calories a day and being trotted for hours on end and that spend three days a week in a pool.  Really it is all in how the genes align.  Tess and I led the nation in halter for the first part of the year until the "real" halter horses hit the big circuits and then were disappeared.  That is where she placed in shows as well, right behind the real halter horses.  She was a bit long in the back and had kind of a thick throatlatch, but her loin, hind quarters were to die for!  Long, strong and correct she had a really great look.  My Zippo horse is the same way!  He is DODO Chick on the dam's side and that is lots of halter breeding.  He has a HUGE forearm and mega muscles in his rear end.  I have always said that I am going to take him back and get an ROM in halter on him just for giggles.  It would be fun.  

Show your mare with the attitude of getting her exposed to the world and having FUN!  If this is your intent, it will be great for both of you!  Your grooming by the way looks top shelf.  This mare just gleams and that is great!  I can't imagine grooming all that white!  I get headaches just thinking about it!  Oops, that reminds me, use some hoof oil on her feet.  It will cleans up the total look.  If you are doing showmanship, use hoof black.  I like the look.  Very neat and complete.  I can't see enough to critique your clipping...Send me new pictures when you get them.  Have a blast!

Smiles, Denise

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------


Sighnedsealdnshameless   QUESTION: Hi Denise, thanx so much for critiqueing my halter horse! Gosh, so much goofy stuff in that photo, it was taken as a 2 year old, she is 3 now and I was beans and taters poor and that ol' halter was borrowed, looking back I should have shown her in a clean web halter as when I took it off she had a rub spot on her nose from the thing. I will get some photo's of her now and upload them a.s.a.p.. Now you talk about her trimming, when you say postlegged behind, does that mean more upright in the hinds? Leave more heel? She looks weak in the pasterns? is that the front hooves? I do my own shoeing and only put fronts on her Just to bring her up that extra 1/4 inch in front as she is still downhill by an inch. She has a little more heel now than in that photo, but again I can only go so far without comprimizing her. I have her on 6 pounds of L>M>F> showtime 1/4 cup oil, and 19 pounds of alfalfa per day. but I only fit her at the trot 6 minutes each way per day, I don't have a four wheeler to pony her with so I ask her to trot around the full size arena to get her flat tracking as much as possible. Is this enough or should I build her to more time troting? She really isn't breathing hard after fitting but I'm afraid of too much compression on her forelegs as I don't have real soft footing. Oh, Denise you got my number for sure, I wan't sooo much to have fun when I get to the show, but alas, I lose it every time and my poor horses have to pay for it as my emotions are all over the place. I try to park next to quiet people and horses, skip the caffiene and breath . what do you tell basket cases like me before a show? I would love to see you and your Zippo gelding back on the circut! Is there a photo of him somewhere I could see online? What is his name? I'm trying to send photos of a better show day as a yearling.








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Answer
Hi Sue Lynn!

Please check out Barbara Schultz's "Mentally Tough Riding" program.  You can find it on the web.  I'm going to add a link to it from my website.  It is a wonderful program!  It was taken from the Olympic training Center for elite athletes and modified for  horse competition.  It is just wonderful.  Let me know if you can find it.  I use the program all the time and it has helped me and others make huge positive changes!

I would be very careful in fitting your horse.  I would just want her in great condition as an All-Around horse.  From the photos, she just looks to smooth to be able to pull off tons of muscle and you could be sacrificing a great horse to many potential problems from excess weight, food, possible OCD problems.  Just get her in good shape and do the "performance halter" classes.  These that into account the fact that she IS a performance horse and not the body builder type.  This is where you will find you best success and have the most fun!

Smiles!  Denise

Sue Lynn...I forgot...you can see my Zippo/DoDo Chick horse on the front page of my website!  His name is "Hip Chip"...you can guess why the Perry's named him that!