Spring continues to evade Altantic Canada...buds barely the size of
small acorns. The Hummingbirds have not yet arrived..but I look for
them every day. The horses however, give promise of warmer days as
they magically shed their coats. :>)

This thing you saw in a training ring is far too common...and while
watching it I have dreamed of tearing rider of saddle and spinning
them in a circle of their own. This the warrior in me. The gentler
side hopes for the education of riders every where.

The one rein stop is taught during quiet moments...Cathie will
verify this. It is taught from a stop...a lifting of the rein and
then a soft give and take of the rein..asking the horse...suggesting
kindly to the horse that they give their head to the pressure...with
this process he is taught to understand the goal. And surprise of
surprises...when it is needed more seriously down the
road...often...a slight lift of the rein...will cause him to stop
moving his feet...a take on the rein to the left...will cause him
to 'give' with is head.

And the whole process is done respectfully and with great
understanding.

Sheila


--- In bitlessbridle@yahoogroups.com, "dairyfarmertoo" <alixkru@...>
wrote:
>
> Hi everyone, I hope that some of you are having some spring
weather. Here in upstate NY
> it is slow to coming. I've been recovering from dislocating my
shoulder falling on the ice
>I was watching a barrel racing class and this one
> horse, fairly green, and novice rider were in the class...I could
see the situation unfold and
> worsen before my eyes...her horse kept 'acting up' and i could see
that the horse was
> getting more and more frustrated with the bit...and of-course
the 'worse' he was the more
> the rider pulled and tugged....one of the training techniques that
has been taught at this
> stable is "to spin your horse" when it acts up....this involves
pulling the horses head
> around toward your knee and kicking furiously at the same time so
the horse is
> spinning...(smilar to the one rein stop that Cathie shows in her
BB video but remember
> Cathie doesn't kick, kick, kick as a 'punishment' and is not
pulling on the horses mouth
> with a bit).....so this rider has 'spun' her horse numerous times,
with the trainer's blessing,