6 Exercises to Develop Relaxation
A routine I call the “kindergarten exercises” is for horses and riders needing to learn more about rhythmic application and timing of the aids. These exercises translate human thought into a common language both horse and rider can understand: the aids. Although these exercises sound very intellectual, they are really simple.
Purpose of the Exercises
These exercises will help you teach your horse to respond to your leg and rein aids in an increasingly sophisticated manner. Developmentally, I was taught that there are three steps from basic to advanced for determining the effectiveness of the aids and that the horse learns to respond to the aids in these three steps:
1. relaxation
2. obedience
3. desired effect
In the first step, the horse relaxes from the rhythmic application of his rider’s aids.
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