Riding The Youngsters

Nob began riding my horses in 1999, and since I taught Nob everything he knows, I'm able to relate that every horse we've dealt with has posed some sort of challenge. This one runs away, that one refuses lead changes, the other one over there frets to the point of danger, and so on.

How nice would it be if right off the bat we could train and mold our race horses into perfect push button mounts?

With my new youngsters there are several books I refer to. Preston Burch of course. Bill O'Gorman's book provides a comprehensive step by step guide in the breaking process. O'Gorman starts with extensive groundwork and comments on this groundwork:

"This breaking regime will not be regarded as fashionable nowadays...the method described may seem, particularly in its emphasis on minor detail, to be both old fashion and boring to read. It is offered as a basis for safely breaking the vast majority of yearlings under the prevailing conditions. It has produced the most prolific winning two year old in Britain on six occasions."

"The most prolific winning two year old in Britain" six times will get your attention, and so, I'm considering O'Gorman's method of breaking yearlings.

I also refer frequently to the book pictured "The Complete Handbook of Horses and Horse Riding"aimed at the show horse-jumper crowd, but of interest as the best riding manual out there. There's neat stuff like this:
on every page as the book breaks down in text and photos beginning riding to advanced dressage techniques step by step. The titles and chapter headings alone indicate the comprehensiveness:

Forwards to Trot
On into Canter
Full Speed Ahead-The Gallop
Influencing the Horse
The Rider's Goal-To Lighten the Forehand
Control and Motion-Introducing Lateral Work
Maintaining Rhythm
Bend and Flexion
Working Within Each Pace
The Half Halt
Developing Lateral Work
Variations Within Each Pace
Achieving Collection and Extension
The Counter Canter
Flying Lead Changes

Now, if only our race horses...sigh! Let's say there's some value in this stuff in racing, but, we also take note of Bill O'Gorman who writes:

"The Old Man, as we addressed my father in his absence, always said that he made a mistake with the first yearlings he broke in forgetting that they were to be ridden by stable lads and trying to make them into show hacks."

Interesting! I'll post a bit more on this, and explain precisely how we moved Art, the two year old, on into trotting based on the above.

Training:
11/2 Fri: Art: riderless: w/u + 2 x 1 miles at 90% speed. I'm unable to say Art looked good in this tough w/o, but that he accomplished it easily is a big step forward. 10 min. walk-trot under tack. The yearling went through the w/u with the oldsters and was removed. He's been saddled! 11/3/07 Saturday, they rested.