62 SIDELINES OCTOBER 2013
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
tense and fearful and all they can think about is getting back to
their stall or friends where they feel safe. Do this until your horse
blows out her tension, lowers her head and relaxes. If possible,
allow her to graze along the way too.
Circling Game:
Instead of lunging, you are going to make this
more interesting and, therefore, more mentally captivating. Send
your horse out in whatever gait she wants to do and then keep
changing direction after every lap. Every time she has to turn the
other way (without coming in to you), it stimulates the thinking side
of the horse’s brain. As prey animals, horses are designed to run
without thinking in order to save their lives… this is why they don’t
calm down quick enough!
Squeeze Game:
Send your horse through lots of narrow
spaces, like between you and a fence. As soon as she has passed
through, get her to stop, face you and wait. Then send her through
again. Keep doing this until you see her have more self-control and
calm down. Like the constant change of direction in the Circling
Game, every time she has to stop and turn her hindquarters, it
triggers the thinking side of the horse’s brain. You can also do the
same thing over a log or a small ditch.
Once your horse is calm and safe to get on, you need to have
a very strong focus when riding. At the walk or trot, make sure
you are riding forward rather than holding your horse back and do
not let the rhythm change. Again, following the scale of training
principles, rhythm helps relaxation. Choose a pattern like a figure
eight or a spiraling circle. When you can focus on a pattern and
maintain the rhythm and tempo, your leadership will help your
horse get calmer and more focused.
For more information on the Seven Games and the training
scale, including my collaborative DVD with Christoph Hess, visit
.
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By Linda Parelli
Question:
I have just started taking my five-year-old Dutch
Warmbloodmare to some recognized dressage shows. We are
starting out with Training Level and hope to start competing
in First Level this winter. My question is this: she is super
quiet and sensitive at home, but when I take her to shows she
turns into a basket case. I have done three shows with her
so far and at each one I had to lunge her for two hours to get
her rideable, plus the judges made lots of comments about
tension in her test. What can I do to help her relax at shows?
Answer:
This is such a great question. A lot of people deal with
tension issues in their horses at shows and there is a lot you can
do to help your horse become calmer and braver. In the dressage
scale of training, “relaxation” is one of the most important of the
three basics. Unfortunately, lunging doesn’t usually calm a horse
very effectively, which is also why you have to do it for so long.
What you need to do is have a set of exercises on the ground
that will help mentally focus your horse. This is what the Parelli
Seven Games are all about; circling (a more mentally effective
kind of lunging) is just one of the games or exercises. There are
six others and that is what makes them so effective. They help you
deal with every issue you might encounter.
Here is what you need to do: First of all, rehearse all seven of
the games at home.
Note:
You’ll want to check out some of our
resources to learn exactly
how
to play the games, but this is what
they accomplish:
- Friendly Game: get your horse more confident
- Porcupine Game: teach your horse to yield from steady
pressure
- Driving Game: teach your horse to yield from suggested
pressure
- Yo-Yo Game: teach your horse to back up and come forward
- Circling Game: teach your horse to maintain gait without
having to be reminded
- Sideways Game: teach your horse to confidently move
sideways
- Squeeze Game: teach your horse to become confident in
narrow spaces
At the show, there are going to be three main ones to use:
Friendly Game:
Walk your horse around the grounds, but go
where she wants to go. This will actually help her get calmer and
even a bit curious. You’ll see what interests her and learn a lot
about what she needs. This works better than leading a horse
where
you
want to go because if they don’t want to go, they get
About the writer: Linda Parelli’s experience
with Pat Parelli as co-founder of Parelli
Natural Horsemanship, coupled with her
time studying with classical dressage master
Walter Zettl, has given her unique insight into
horse psychology and development. Linda’s
gift for identifying and interpreting horse
behavior and teaching her students to bring
out the best in their unique horse makes
her one of the most sought-after natural
horsemanship experts in the world today.
Transitioning to a long rein walk when your horse feels tense
helps him relax; you don’t want to overwhelm him!
Photo by Coco
Questions Answered
