Is your horse relaxed and supple?
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- čas přidán 24. 07. 2024
- Do you know the difference between relaxation and suppleness? This video goes into detail on both concepts and how to get your horse both relaxed and supple.
(FULL DESCRIPTION BELOW LINKS)
#Suppleness #Relaxation #GetYOurHorseRelaxedAndSupple
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Is your horse relaxed and supple?
Timestamps
0:00 What this video is about
1:24 Help your horse relax at the walk
1:54 Establishing a good walk tempo
2:37 The Difference between relaxation & suppleness
3:32 Trot circles and serpentines for suppleness
3:57 Bending Aids
4:17 The benefits of monotony
4:45 Three-loop serpentines
6:24 German Serpentines
7:50 Letting the energy out
7:50 The Stretch Circle
9:10 Why relaxation was changed to suppleness on training scale
Suppleness and relaxation are at the base of the dressage training scale just above rhythm, so it’s fair to say they’re pretty darn important, but while they get put in the same bracket, they are distinct from one another. By the end of this week’s video, you’ll DEFINITELY understand the difference as I’m going to give you three really effective tips to help you get your horse relaxed and supple!
WALK IT OUT! - The walk is the first port of call for getting your horse relaxed and supple, but it has to be the type of walk that will help your horse.
Firstly, take up a light contact and supple a little with the inside rein. If you let them just look where they want, that will often lead to them being tenser! Walk them on a circle with their head turned slightly in so you can see their inside eyelash.
Establish the tempo of the gait. It needs to be forward going, but not rushed. You want to feel a swing through their body and follow with the swing of your hips and your elbows.
When we walk about relaxation, it refers to the mental state of your horse. Suppleness encompasses both the mental AND physical states. Suppleness means that the muscles are elastic and loose and the horse is bendable.
BENDING! - Once you’ve done a good amount of walk (about 10 minutes) we can move it up to trot and start doing circles and serpentines. The reason circles help with suppleness is twofold.
A circle helps your horse mentally to stay focused on the arena and on the task at hand.
The aids for bending are
Inside leg at the girth
Outside leg behind the girth
Outside rein turns the shoulder
Inside rein gives slight flexion
We want to maintain the tempo rather than letting them speed up and slow down as, a bit like rocking a baby, almost monotony promotes relaxation in your horse. Once they’re relaxed on one side, change the rein and start doing some serpentines.
You’ll notice that sometimes when you change the bend, you’ll lose the suppleness, so make sure you repeat until you get a change of bend where they keep focused.
If you want to challenge your horse a little more, or if they’re particularly hot or fizzy, you can do a German Serpentine. This just means you make deeper loops and more frequent changes of direction and is very helpful for getting hot, tense or unfocused horses to come back to you mentally and physically.
When your horse is hot, forward is always better. Just asking them to slow down will only tense them up so letting the energy out and forward is the best tactic.
STRETCH - The third exercise is the stretch circle. This demonstrates the mental and physical relaxation we want from our horses. They need physical relaxation to be able to stretch, and mental relaxation to be able to place their head low as they lose some of their visibility of predators so they need to place their trust in the rider.
The 2nd rung of the training scale used to be “relaxation,” but it was changed to suppleness because it incorporates both the mental and physical states of relaxation. These two states are very much connected in the horse. You can have a horse who is mentally relaxed and physically stiff but you can’t have a horse who is physically supple and not mentally relaxed.
Have a look at this video where I explain these three exercises in more detail and let me know if you find it helpful in the comments!
Need help assessing your strengths and weaknesses as a rider?? Take this free Rider Assessment Quiz: Rider assessment quiz:
www.ameliasdressageacademy.com/dressage-rider-quiz/
My thoughts are that relaxation is more about my horse's mind, and suppleness refers more to her physical abilities. Relaxed mind, suppleness muscles and joints.
Yes! Exactly!!
Great video. I have not seen the German serpentines before, definately going to add them in to my took kit. I love how genuine you are in praising your horse at the right time.
Check out this free PDF on patterns and figures amelianewcombdressage.com/lead-gen-patterns-figures-o/
I love the German serpentines! I can't wait to try them!
Such a good exercise!!!
Great Video !!!
Great lesson!!
Great explanation, thanks :)
Beauty video as usual!!!! Thank you so so much!!!!
Great video👍
Your videos help me so much, Amelia. This is excellent. Thanks so much!
Always helpful watching your videos, Amelia. Thank you.
I feel connected to you, and all the riders that comment, as we aspire to have the ultimate connection with our horses in this utterly amazing art form.
I just love your videos and your explanations are very helpful for a new rider like me happy New Year !!!
Thank you Amelia, great video. It always takes time for my older horse (22) to warm up and become supple. I love these exercises to promote that!!
Like the video very much. I have a tb mare most of our sessions are often just getting her mentally relaxed!
Tnx 🙏
Supplenes but still strong, It's needed long time for this exercise..Thank you with this lesson 🙏
Great video & advice! I really liked your description of the 2 types serpentines.
Glad you enjoyed it! Please subscribe so you can get notified when I post other training videos :)
Thank you Amelia, as always your videos are really helpful. My horse was trained in rollkur, he’s always tensed while at work and I’ve never seen him stretch his back, despite all saddle, bit, global health checkups. I hope your advices will help us achieve relaxation
Relaxation for me is free from tension. Suppleness is the horse accepting aids without stiffness and the ability to bend. Also adjustability.
Love your videos. Thank you 🙏 Relaxing both mentally and physically. Great explanation. Again thank you.
I'm glad you enjoyed it! Please consider subscribing as that helps me a lot.
What you call supple, I call soft. But the idea is the same: physical suppleness combined with mental relaxation. I find that leg yields increase softness, too, and disengaging the shoulders or the hindquarters from the saddle. Do you have some simple exercises that would teach us to do that in a correct manner, Amelia?
That's a great question Isabelle! I'm going to answer it in my LIVE tonight since I think others will benefit from it too. Be sure to tune in :)
Thank you Amelia. Always great descriptions & beautiful demos. Trying the German serpentine this week.
That's great! Let me know how it goes for you!
Thank you for these videos- your realistic attitude about timing , certain horse temperaments and rider confidence are helpful even in reined cow discipline.
Thank you so much! I'm glad you're liking them. Happy Riding!
I tried your exercises today. It worked. They are great. Thanks for that inspiration.
So glad to hear that! Please consider subscribing for more educational videos
Tried the German serpentine, what a super tool ! Feel it will really help with the one sided stiffness, I have two horses one finds it harder to bend to the left, the other right, it was a brilliant exercise for both. Thank you once again for your insightful schooling tips that you so generously pass on to us all.
You're so welcome! Thank you for sharing how it went, I love hearing from riders in our community
Good video! Nice to be reminded on how to relax and supple your horse. Love the serpentine exercises!! PS what horse is this, Kensington??
This is Ralph :)
Thank you for another great educational video. BTW....love your shirt! Who makes that? lol Super cute.
Kastle denmark! Glad you liked the video :)
Very helpful!!! My horse is sweet, but tends to be hot and doesn't want to relax. I think this will be very good for us.
I hope so!
Hello Amelia 😊 I enjoy watching your videoes very much . I have a mare who tense up a lot especially in canter 😳 Can you give me some tips and excersises to make her relax and get supple in the canter ?? 🤔😊
I have a great free resource on the Canter about to launch, be sure to subscribe so you get the notificaiton!
I did real good on ride ing my horse and she did a real good and I got her in the counter and the tout and I did so good Nannette and I like your video that you do it is helping me ride my horse Nannette
awesome
Hi Amelia! Do you have any tips for an EXTREMELY tense horse that won't calm down, doesn't respond to any leg or seat aids, falls on the inside shoulder, especially during upward transitions, and rushes in all of his gaits? Would love to hear from you! Lots of love from the Netherlands 💜
Groundwork! Here's some tips: amelianewcombdressage.com/dressage-training/3-groundwork-exercises-for-a-relaxed-and-focused-horse/
Amelia, what did you do differently to get the stretch circle? I'm unsure how to get that or change my riding to get the stretch circle. Can you please explain?
I don't think I have a youtube video about the stretch circle, but essentially we want them working over their back and into the contact. I go over it a little in this video and then in depth in my training level course amelianewcombdressage.com/dressage-training/new-training-level-test-3-2023-edition/
Please share what your saddle is ..looks so comfortable!!
It’s from Custom Saddlery! And it is!
ANOTHER informative video. What kind of helmet 🪖 wearing?
It's a trama void with MIPS!
Could you give me the brand of your technical t-shirt?
Castell!
Loves this….I feel so boring doing trot all the time. Do your horses ever get let out in the field for a blast or do you train every day ??
they get turnout everyday, but they don't always go for a run! hehe
Thanks for watching and subscribing Sam.
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@@AmeliaNewcombDressage I love watching your videos; I’ve just bought a new horse and really want to start again with her so they’re so motivating and your explanations are fab and so non “horsey” !! Perfect to watch while I’m on breakfast 🐴🥰🤓.
I don’t understand how to make my horse head in the same position like your horse.
I’ve got an exciting new announcement about that coming up! Be sure to stay tuned to find out!
My only criticism is that the horse is too beautiful which was distracting…
haha!