Postcard: Day 2, George Morris Horsemastership
Wellington, Fla., January 23, 2008 -- Today, the eight students in the George Morris Horsemastership Training Session incorporated gymnastics into their sessions. George had the first group warm up at the trot and canter, using many of the same exercises as yesterday. The riders and horses seemed more confident now that they'd had a day to settle in.
George believes in using progressive exercises that build on one another, which is how he creates confidence and trust in both horses and riders. One example: Because many of the riders were on borrowed horses, George had them start by trotting over a single pole on the ground to judge how each horse reacted to cavalletti. Once both he and the riders figured out whether or not the exercise made the horses tense, he had them move to a cavalletti gymnastic--three slightly raised cavalletti, each with one step between, then two steps to a pole on the ground. When one of the horses got nervous, George instructed the rider, "If he gets worried, just walk it."
Instead of going straight into jumping, George had the riders go back to the track and work on the horses' lateral suppleness, switching from shoulder-in to haunches-in and back to shoulder-in. He then had them do an exercise to help the horses collect, which was preparation for practicing tight turns to jumps later on. (There's that idea of progression again.) He had them pick up the canter on the rail, do a simple change of lead (done through the walk) and pick up the counter-canter. Simple change of lead again and back to the canter. George instructed the riders not to use their hands in the downward transitions, but stretch up and sit deep instead. This helped get the horses working more from behind.
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Before going to the jumps, George also had them practice different seats--galloping seat to the deep seat and back to the galloping seat. He told the riders, "The horse shouldn't change. The horse shouldn't associate the two-point with 'rush.'" He used the opportunity to address a question that he's asked often: "Do you ride a course in a two-point or three-point position?" "That's a STUPID question. The answer is 'both.' It all depends on the situation," he said. OK, I'm glad I didn't ask it, then!
The riders moved back to the cavalletti, going through the three raised poles to a small vertical. (Notice a pattern? With George, NOTHING is an accident.) George had them come around a corner, do a rollback turn and halt in front of a small oxer. "This makes the horse more rideable when we jump the oxer later," he explained.
Once horses and riders trotted through the gymnastic with the vertical at various heights, up to about 3-foot-6, he moved on to have the riders canter the liverpool. He built on the "galloping seat to deep seat exercise" he'd introduced earlier on the flat and had the riders do the same thing to the jump. They started with a light seat, moved to a deep seat (getting "behind" the horse) and back to a light seat, "catching up" to the horse again. George explained that the sinking into the saddle is different from "sitting" in the saddle--sinking does not incorporate straightening your body; the body stays inclined. George cautioned that this exercise is not for the beginner because going behind the motion causes ducking over the fences in inexperienced riders. It also causes the horse to jump flat. "You must listen closely to the horse and accommodate his back," George said. "The seat you use depends on the situation and the horse."
As he did yesterday, George got on Nikko Ritter's horse Aristotle and rode him through a four-fence gymnastic to demonstrate the automatic release. Most of the riders had been using the more elementary crest release, their hands pressed into the sides of their horses' necks in order to support the riders' upper bodies. The automatic release requires the rider to lower the hands on the side of the horse's neck while keeping the contact and a straight line from the bit to the hand.
"The crest release has a place, but we have to outgrow it," George said. He explained that the automatic release teaches position and balance. "It's excellent for the horse because in the air you can steady the horse just a little without pulling. It's also useful for turning in the air. Super riders don't turn after the fence or over the fence but before the jump, which is what wins a jumpoff."
The riders then tried it themselves, but most didn't drop their hands low enough or keep the contact. George said, "It's harder than it looks because it's a different habit." However, with a little practice and some reminders from George to concentrate on it more, the riders were soon becoming more confident using the new skill.
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