CASE STUDY # 1 HELEN AND HAZE
BECOMING THE LEADER FOR YOUR HORSE
When I first meet Helen , she was struggling to connect with her loan Haflinger pony , Haze .
Haze was very on edge , confused and nervous which resulted in Helen losing confidence in her . Helen is a good rider , she just needed to develop her confidence in Haze and herself . She needed the confidence to guide the pony forward because the more she held Haze back the more nervous they both became .
Guiding her forward , of course , is counter intuitive to most riders and so we started by looking at Helen ' s position in the saddle and how some small adjustments could allow Haze to move more freely underneath her .
We also worked on how Helen could take charge of the situation and become more of a leader for Haze . With Helen in the driving
seat , Haze soon relaxed and started to take her cue from her rider . They now have a more connected partnership , improved trust and more of a respectful , harmonious relationship .
Helen has taken Haze out to a local dressage competition since starting her sessions with Vikki and they gained a very respectable 73.33 %.
“ When I first meet Helen , she was struggling to connect with her loan
Haflinger pony , Haze .”
“ They now have a more connected partnership , improved trust & more of a respectful , harmonious relationship .”
CASE STUDY # 2 JAKE AND MARS
LEARNING TO UNDERSTAND YOUR NEW HORSE
Riding schools are an ideal way to introduce children to horse riding and to test out their commitment to the sport before you buy a child their own pony .
I started working with Jake ( 13yrs ) in December when he bought his pony Mars . When a new horse or pony comes along , there is so much to discover about them . Sometimes we have to remember to slow down a bit and start paying attention to and noticing how they behave , what they need , what they like and don ’ t like and , therefore , how we need to be with them . We then achieve this sweet spot of harmony , a mutually respectful , trust based reciprocal relationship with our horse .
Mars arrived with an old , badly fitting saddle , a grackle noseband , a universal bit and a martingale - because he tended to poke his nose up . As is often the case with tack , we mask the real problem rather than understanding and dealing with the root cause of the issue . Within the first week , we had Mars ' back checked by an osteopath and he started a 3 month treatment plan with our Bowen therapist .
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We introduced a more natural fibre diet & invested in a made to measure saddle . He also had regular Reiki sessions and wore a massage pad at least 3 times a week . Quite the pampered pony ! But what a difference it all made . Years of back tension slowly started to release and we could see visible improvements each week .
Working with Jake , he started to learn how to ride the horse from the back not the front . We worked on his rider alignment , straightness and hand position . He learned to squeeze , not kick , and started using voice commands for walk , trot and canter . Jake has now joined British Dressage and has his first few Quest competitions under his belt with some frillies to match .
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You can find out more information about Vikki & The Compassionate Equestrian at www . tcecoachuk . com or find them on facebook – Vikki Jenkins The Compassionate Equestrian Coach UK .
Look out for Part 3 in the next issue .
ISSUE 36 • AUGUST 2018 • EVERYTHING HORSE MAGAZINE 21