Caniambo Clinic - Part 2 

We want our horses to stand perfectly still when we get on. Then we walk forward on a loose rein. If there’s anything going on with the horse on that particular day, I want it to happen going forward. If there’s a problem, and you ask the horse to back up, you might just find yourself in a world of hurt after your horse tips over on top of you. Aside from the safety aspect, the first thing I want the horse to do is to go forward willingly. I don’t need anything else. Let the horse get his back warmed up and his mind right before you start tuning on him. So many people think they have to always be teaching their horses something. Always tuning them up. The horse has got to get pretty discouraged if that’s what they can expect every time they are ridden. Why not let the horse relax and get his mind wrapped around the day’s work before you try to school him?

Here’s a playlist on a horse that Pat rode a few years ago. I think you’ll find that he explains exactly what he’s doing in a number of these videos. Let us know if you still have questions…ru-vid.com/group/PLqolZu7D-bMOMbkYpWIIIjFUs1HFAgYB_

I'll take a stab at answering that. Pat will probably have a better answer though because I am pretty sure he has forgotten more about horses than I will ever know. Moving your seat bones shifts the angle of the way your weight is distributed on the horse. Say you weigh 140lbs from the seat up, that is 70lbs straight up and down over each seat bone not to mention what you have hanging off it in the form of your legs. Like you said a horse can feel a fly on its skin, you shift 70lbs from one angle to another and you better believe that the horse can tell exactly what you did. A horse that is listening to you can feel your intention before you ever go to ask because your mind prepares your muscles for movement before you consciously make your muscles move. An animal that is that sensitive has zero problem picking up on you full on shifting the angle of that much weight. The hard part isn't getting them to feel the shift in your seat, they can do that all on their own. The hard part is being consistent enough in how you ride and how you release so the horse understands what you are asking for when you shift your seat. I have one horse that is 14 or 15 this year, I'd have to look at his papers to be sure, but I can up and down cycle him through the gaits just by thinking about what gait I want him in. It isn't a Jedi mind trick although it looks like it when you do it, but the horse is just picking up on my seat and posture sub conscious changes as my mind anticipates the gait I am wanting to go into. He is by no means a rarity in that he can do this. I'll give you a story from my childhood as an example and then I will quit hogging so much comment space on Pat's video :) We had a mare when I was a kid that my uncle would get on and have us hand him an old tractor steering wheel and he would turn the horse left and right with the steering wheel and by pushing the wheel forward it would go faster and by pulling it back it would stop or back up depending on how far he pulled it. He wouldn't have any reins on her and then he would get off and hand us the steering wheel and us kids would spend hours taking turns trying to get it to work. It wasn't until I got a bit older that I realized he was riding her with his seat and legs, but it kept us out of his hair and occupied for a good long time when we were little.

It’s Sally Swift “Centered Riding.” Our slick fork saddles are built on a wade tree. Our trail saddles are not. The slick fork works well for me (Deb) but probably not for petite women. The trail saddle works well for most women… www.thedisciplinedride.com/trail-saddle

No.

We can tell you how but it’s something that our brilliant bit maker does for us now!

Marie DeLozier wilder too

When turning to the left, you shift to the right seat bone and vice verse. Let us know if that’s what you meant or give me the time in the video that you’re referring to.

@@PatnDebPuckett Got it, thanks And what about leg position? Can't emphasize enough how helpful your videos are right now. Thank you!

Your leg just hangs straight down unless you have to help your horse with the hindquarters. You can move your leg back as much as needed but never forward of the cinch.

Yes on the breathing but the muscles along your spine tell the horse if you want to slow down or stop.

It’s the copper or brass thing that sits in the middle of a bit and turns on a piece of hexagonal metal to make a noise like a cricket.