Energy and impulsion

[High_Stepper]

Hi, I would be interested to hear from the NHers how you approach increasing impulsion and how you approach getting the energy levels up in a horse.

And which advocates do you like for this, and why? (oops this is starting to sound like a title for an essay, sorry!)

My horse is a happy laidback lassie, but i'm starting to think it's not about her energy but possibly about getting her concentrating...? thoughts?

[chunkman]

more energy usually vit B boosters before competing or a high vit b supplement. Usually if they are grubbing well that should be enough no?

[storm]

My horse is a happy laidback lassie, but i'm starting to think it's not about her energy but possibly about getting her concentrating...? thoughts?

My horse has much the same attitude as yours HS and I am only just recently getting him 'listening'. Like J his lack of 'impulsion' came from disinterest (if that's the right word). I can't advise on NH methods but I can tell you that varying flatwork exercises have helped me.

I've also found lots of transitions helped (but not repeating things too often in a short space of time) because he starts to perceive what's coming and then gets bored. :)

[intouch]

Steve Halfpenny advocate - he used a flag behind the girth - he asked nicely for forward, if it was ignored, he asked more firmly then annoyed the horse with the flag and rewarded as soon as it showed impulsion. Worked in minutes. Resisr the natural instinct to nag with your legs - if you ask for a pace, the horse is responsible for maintaining that pace till you ask for a change. www.silversand.com.au I think.

[High_Stepper]

Yea.. i think it's concentration and impulsion.

Storm I've stumbled across the transitions and it is working at home... But when we go to a jumping show, i seem to plough away with my leg, and have resorted to stick. Which i can't see working for long, mightn't she tune out from that too?

I need her, laid-back or not, to respond to me when asked!

She's such a darling and she's not overly schooled so i want to get these little basics right.

ETA - Intouch, will check him out, thanks :)

[Teegee]

Can't advise on NH methods either, but basically what you should be asking for is more energy from behind. I find the simplest way to do this is to alternate your leg aids - you do not ask with both legs at the same time. Use right leg to left rein and on next step use left leg to right rein. Your leg creates the impulsion forward, then your hand restrains horse from rushing forward from the leg. You are not looking to create speed. If she is very dead to the leg, a dressage whip will help to reinforce the aid.

[High_Stepper]

Teegee that's what i'm doing to date, giving the aid on each side. But she still dies on me quite easily, I was worried she might get dead to the stick too. I'll start carrying a dressage whip and see how we go, thank you.

I am finding it's ME carrying her forward rather than the other way round - I am using my leg, my voice, my seat, to drive drive drive her on... but i'm tiring out very quickly!

[storm]

No wonder you're tiring very quickly, she's an awful lot of horse and I'd safely
say you have had to completely change your way of riding (from when you were riding B)! I always carry a Dressage whip at home (even when jumping)!

[poi-chick]

I have much less horse to motivate but she isn't always the most willing I ride with two dressage whips, it has had the added accidential benefit of helping our straightness as well as impulsion. Loads of voice aids help develop a more "snappy" reaction to leg aids. I always prepare before I ask for something but then when the aid is given clearly, she must respond, praise when she does and a tap with the schooling whip and lots of vocal motivation when she doesn't.

[stormfox]

Natural horsemanship-old fashioned horsemanship-BHS or western....good horsemanship is good horsemanship whatever you name it!
I find a good way to get horses obeying the leg is to use a pair of spurs (not to be cruel but to ensure the horse feels the aid, and ensure its given in the correct place).
Ask for more impulsion clearly, with minimum force. If the horse doesn't obey instantly, and I mean instantly, give a sharp hard 'kick' - he should move then! DO NOT use your hands, its the leg aid you are trying to teach. Even if he bursts into a gallop, praise. Once you have the horse moving forwards from the lightest of aids whenever you want, THEN you can use the rein aids to hold the forward motion and convert it into impulsion.
Good luck

[gussmith]

...Loads of voice aids help develop a more "snappy" reaction to leg aids. I always prepare before I ask for something but then when the aid is given clearly, she must respond, praise when she does and a tap with the schooling whip and lots of vocal motivation when she doesn't.


hhhhmmm:blushing: I use this method too...I find using my voice to maintain impulsion ...have beem known to get quite vocal...i think he knows when I mean business without using too much leg or stick,,

[Little-Miss-Muppet]

I know the feeling HS and its not easy you end up wrecked yourself! The pony can be chronic for ignoring leg - its a trick she learned in the school. I found lunging in side reins worked wonders, its different so its harder for her to ignore than your leg. The whip works like your leg and gets her going forwards then your side reins work like your hand and they contain that energy. If she tends to hang in the circle to avoid work, shorten the lunge and point the whip to her shoulder to push her out. Once you have her moving forwards start to work on transitions on the lunge - trot to canter, canter to trot to walk to trot and so on - it gets the hind quarters working and builds impulsion. I know you might think its only on the lunge but honestly when I did this the pony's transitions improved so much when I rode her too.

I know this is not strictly NH but I think the principle of gaining impulsion is the same whether its leg, a lunge whip a flag or something else that is used its all about getting the energy moving up from behind.

I am not great at long reining myself but if you can get someont to show you that with her it might also help.

Have you checked what her protein level of her feed is now compared to what she was on before you got her? If its lower then maybe she need a bit more protein in the diet to give her a bit more of a buzz, any excess protein will be released as energy - although after her bucking before this may not be something you do lightly!

[intouch]

The trouble with using more and more leg is that the horse will more and more ignore it.

It should be the horse's responsibility to maintain the impulsion whatever the rider has asked for, until the rider asks for something diffeent.

You want the horse understanding lighter and lighter aids, not having to be thumped along. That's why the flag is useful - it creates an uncomfortable place for the horse to be, without interfering with a light leg aid.

Ask tor impulsion, then reward it AS SOON AS you get it - don't keep asking. Then work up to a few strides and reward. Make the forward movement the happy place to be.

When the horse understands what you want, and that it's easier for him to be there, he'll give it more willingly than if he has to be prodded along constantly with spurs or whip.