Thursday, March 22, 2012

"According to my opinion the worst thing is to train young or advanced horses with draw reins"


Sain lainaksi Durandon omistajalta Anja Beranin DVD:n Elegant Dressage Training. DVD:n extra osiossa Gerd Heuschmann (jonka kirjoittamaa kirjaa Tug of War luen juuri tällä hetkellä) ottaa kantaa hevosen (Flamingon) rakenteeseen ja kehittymiseen. Tässä Heuschmannin upeita lainauksia DVDltä:

"Our main aim was to strengthen the horses back, to build up correct muscles and above all to build up Flamingos confidence in the rider and to ride him independently of the aids of the hand."

Young horses are meant to have a relaxed raised back. All riding theories teach the young horse to stretch. In order to avoid that the rider causes tension on the long muscles of the back, we need a stretched forward upper neck line. There will be tension on the neck ligament and the horses back can come up. This is the only position which allows young horses to find and to develop their normal basic phases, their balance and the forward thrust of their hind quarters. And it is absolutely necessary for the development of the carrying power and inevitable for the collection later on.

The upper bracing consists of ligaments only. I always call it the passive system. There is of course also an active system, the muscles of the upper neck. They stretch between the cervical vertebrae and the shoulder girdle just like the neck ligament. These muscles are very important because they help horses carry their back in a relatively high frame. These muscles need approximately 2-3 years to develop. Some horses need even longer. Then our horse will be able to lower the croup in a relatively high frame with its back relaxed and we can start to train the collection.

Without forward downward work there will be no well developed upper neck muscles and they are a basic necessity for the expression relative high frame in our kind of equitation.

Relative high frame in comparison to complete high frame means that the horses position of head and neck is not higher than the muscles are able to carry in order to have the back free.

If a horse is well trained it shows a regular rhythm and a ground covering walk. In the walk we can clearly see whether our horses back is relaxed and whether and how it maintains a confident and soft contact. A horse can only walk well and maintain the four beat rhythm under the rider if the long muscles of the back can relax from side to side so that the walk can swing through the entire body. If the rider restricts the natural movements of the head and the neck of the young horse, it will not be able to nod or turn the head or the neck. The long muscles of the back can not relax anymore and they are forced to carry the riders weight with tension. The neck ligaments cannot compensate this tension with the result that the natural ground covering movements and the rhythm of the young horse will be disturbed very quickly and sometimes even forever. This sometimes also applies to elder, advanced horses. According to my opinion the worst thing is to train young or advanced horses with draw reins. The horses are virtually forced to maintain the contact with the bit. The long muscles of the back will start to tense and as already mentioned this will have a negative influence on the basic phases.

In my opinion todays kind of dressage sport is frequently misunderstood. Dressage trainers very often work their horses one hour without any breaks. No muscle systems of the world would be able to work that long withouth any breaks, without any negative effects. An excessive acidity of the muscles is a logic consequence and it will cause the horse pain and reluctance. Many young horses have reached the limit of their capacities after the initial training and the adaptation to the training sessions and this is frequently the reason for their resistance against the rider. There is no ill will intended. You will create ill will if you continue the training with aching muscles."

 

Pientä puhetta -blogin kirjottaja on arvostellut Anja Beranin DVD:n. 
Linkki Gerd Heuschmannin sivulle. Kannattaa tutustua. 

Lue myös: 
Heitä gramaanit roskikseen

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