A New Site

Finally the new site with all its ideas, attachments and leads is working.

At http://www.otherideas.typepad.com you find the representation of the 'Association of Interdisciplinary Studies'' ongoings, of which Study-Horsemanship, a research of the physiology of riding, now in its fifth year, is only one.

If you would like to read the continuation of Report 2006 please use the link http://www.otherideas.typepad.com/report_2006. In the introduction of this site you find links to all other Study-Horsemanship published information.

The Half-Halt

The interaction of extending strides and the half-halt, although, quite obvious, never occured to me.

Fabian, after an earlier concentration on L1 and the second gear, now is on a detour. Making him go forward with less effort, the extending of strides suggested itself and with it, without prior warning, he has begun to understand the outer ringfinger's impact on his hindlegs. It still vage, but it is there.

Meanwhile I am testing the effect of moving C8 up and back on the lower vertebra forward move from L1 on down. So it may have been these two things, the extending of strides and a changed mobilisation of my vertebra, which have brought on the half-halt.

As The Season Gets On

It always is fun to see the horses improve as the season gets on. To see them get straight and muscular, to see how, as their understanding improves, they get more serious and committed by the day. To watch them serve the rider with pride.

Sometimes I overtrain and, experiencing a set back, have to wait until they have overcome the difficulties I have created for them. Still I find the greatest difficulty in training horses to know if more or less work is appropiate in a given situation.

Fabian, after giving him a real work-out on the lunge the other evening, appearing to be frustrated and a bit cross, now does very well. Nidal on the other hand, after a similar work-out still is very cautious while getting straight. Leporello after doing very well under saddle yesterday, today was set back.