Chinook in training

[DianneC]

Here are a couple shots of Chinny in training.

Preparing for canter departure


Slow Trot

[fantasykiger]

Oh he looks fabulous, just stunning

[dara]

Wow he looks so big, how tall is he? He looks incredieble.

[DianneC]

He measures 15 hands at the withers but he wears a 78-80 sheet. He's all muscle again, after being a pasture potato for a couple of years. All our foals this year were out of him.
This method of training doesn't use any leg, except to allow more room in the direction of travel. The horses are taught self carriage and there isn't any pressure on their face. The tiny bit you see in the bottom picture is quickly released. In the top picture she has asked him to raise his head by using a half halt, a small backward circular motion the size of a quarter. She will move her outside leg back a tiny bit and give a reverse half halt on the inside rein. He will lift up his withers and flow into a canter. We're both in training, but since he gets worked five days a week he's ahead of me!

[JoanMRK]

Dianne, every time I see him I think that if I didn't know he was a Kiger, I'd think he was Andalusian. He is always so impressive.

[dazzlingduns]

Nice candid shots Dianne. Chinook Canyon definitely has presence. Has he been gelded or still a stallion? Just curious, what kind of bit is being used? Does this method of training have a specific name that I might recognize? In classical riding which I am more familar with, the half hault is used for something entirely different than your discription of raising the head in preparation for a transition. Maybe there is a web site that describes your trainer's methods? It is great to see that some of your horses are recently in training. I know you spoke highly of Bravo Canyon's potential. Have you started him in training yet? Haven't heard much about him lately. I remember him from the Kiger video show.
Do you plan to show Chinny at Kigerfest? If so, what classes and I hope he does well!
Keep up the good work.
Melissa

[DianneC]

Thanks everyone, he is such a great guy. Even the barn hlep comment to me on what a great stallion he was to handle. He's a gelding now and healing has been a slow process but he's doing well.
Melissa, the bit is a simple egg butt snaffle. There are four stages to the half halt in this method, elevation of the head, slow, stop and back. I've had to unlearn most of what I knew, but that's been a good thing, although for accomplished dressage riders it can be hard. The aids and the horses are both incredibly light. Unbelievably light. And its fun!
There is an extensive period of ground work - work in hand which teaches proper postion and strengthens the horse extremely well. Here is the website www.classical-equitation.com/index.htm There are pictures of Cricket there as well.
I'm trying to bring Bravo to Kigerfest but don't know if we'll be able to do it. My friend is buying him, she's a trainer (not NSAE) and has fallen in love with Bravo. I figured I would never get him back without losing the friendship so am selling him to her. She does mostly trail with him, he's a wonderful endurance horse and can out trot all her other horses. Such a solid mind on him - typical Kiger. He looks wonderful!
I'm looking forward to riding Chinny and will keep you posted on our progress.

[dazzlingduns]

Why is the crop/rod being used, carried on the inside, in front of center of the horse,at his shoulder, and in front of the rider's leg in the pictures? It is my understanding that it is used as an outside aid and extension of the rider's leg. I disagree,that is not a regular egg butt snaffle. The purchase on the bit is to too high to be a regular egg but snaffle. I am curious about the bit. Interesting.

Oh My! Rubber chicken? Interesting. What's that for?
This is too unconventional for me. I guess I'm just considered old school.
Melissa

[kimk]

You are right Melissa, that is no regular eggbutt snaffle. Don't recognise exactly what it is; almost looks like a mutant kimberwicke or something along those lines.
I am also interested in the purpose of the rod she is carrying. Who is that riding him, Dianne?
Kim

[dazzlingduns]

I believe that the bit is designed to place pressure on the horse's poll when contact is made through the reins. Similar to subtle leverage action. It seems that the purchase rotates a bit forward when pressure is applied through the reins. It almost resembles a kimberwicke without rein slots. Very interesting bit.
I have a large collection of bits, and I'm very facinated with the many different types and their function. I'm also starting a collection of bosals and mecates.
Melissa

[toucan]

I've had to unlearn most of what I knew, but that's been a good thing, although for accomplished dressage riders it can be hard. The aids and the horses are both incredibly light.

Light is subjective I guess. The bit is not an eggbutt, can't see the mouthpiece but the purchase makes it a modified Kimberwick as far as I can see.

Nice horse. It's nice to see someone making an effort to see that their horse is well trained. Don't you think it would be of more benefit if you did the training under supervision though? I see a very tense horse in those pictures. Pretty picture but very, very tense.

[DianneC]

Hmm, sorry about the egg butt, that's what I use on the lesson horse and just said that without thinking. I'll have to ask, in fact I'll get a picture if I can. The rod is a dressage whip and is used in a way to say I'm speaking to you, please listen by a little tap. As MaryAnne says, no dents in the horse please. Not sure what the rubber chicken reference is about - not using leg pressure? This style of riding was taught before the French Revolution. I don't pretend to be an expert after a few months, just learning and having fun doing so. If you want to learn more read the website.
Toucan, I don't think you can teach a horse if you don't know what you are doing. I have an experienced horse teaching me and an experienced rider teaching Chinook. Not sure why you think he is tense, he seems to enjoy it and he tries really hard to learn new things. There is no swishing of his tail or resistance. Sure he is asked to do things that are increasingly difficult, requiring self carriage and athletic ability. But he's never corrected harshly, just asked again, and his mouth is not pulled on. The cues are very small and usually done by making a small closing of the hand or a circular motion the size of a quarter. The cues are well taught from the ground before the rider uses them. I know from my lessons how light they are and it is amazing to me that I can move the bit the tiniest amount and get the response from the lesson horse. A lot of my work has been learning to separate my hands from the rest of my body and improving my seat and balance. I've learned more in the last four months than in five years of lessons and am enjoying it a lot. They don't overface their students any more than they do their horses.

[cherylw]

It's wonderful that you are investing so much time and energy into Chinny. He's already a great ambassador for the Kiger breed, but will become an even greater one with the training that you and he are receiving.
He's is positively beautiful.

[JoanMRK]

I think with pictures it is hard to see if a horse is tense being that it has only captured one second of the ride. I think that Chinny looks as though he's thinking about what's being asked like Dianne said. I also know that if Dianne had any question about her horse's care while at a trainers, he wouldn't be there much longer. She has enough sense to know what is best for Chinny and her others who've been in training.

[kimk]

I don't think he looks particularly tense. I still want to know what that bit is.... and I've not ever seen a dressage whip that looks like that either. They are usually longer, where that one is more "crop" length. I have seen them used in the manner Dianne describes though. The trainer who started Kody was a dressage trainer ( actually a USDF judge) and she also used it in that manner.