Articles
Horsemanship and Training
the Gaits
New Trainer for Britain - Ísólfur Líndal Ţórisson
Horsemanship and Training
the Gaits
Horsemanship is the “in” thing right now, both in the
FEIF world and in other international horse circles. It covers how we keep our
horses, how we train and ride them, and how we, as riders and colleagues, treat
each other. You could say it’s a moral code that relates to every part of our
lives with our horses – as relevant to amateurs as to professionals. We can
only be pleased that “horsemanship” has become a topic for debate.
Even if we, the Icelandic horse people in the FEIF world,
are in agreement when it comes to many of things that affect our horses, it is
evident that we have very different ideas about what an optimum training
programme should look like. Our points of view are heavily dependent on the
culture (and equine culture) we have grown up in.
This is often evident at World Championships, and last year’s was no exception. Styles of riding, training methods, the horses in general (physical condition, shoeing, musculature, and protective equipment) varied tremendously, all depending on which country you visited.
To start off with I assume that we, the riders, want to
have a psychologically positive and physically strong riding horse, that is
confident in its work and offers the rider all it is capable of: a riding horse
that can communicate with the rider, because it has, during its education,
learnt a language that is used in European equitation.
I feel that although many trainers here in Europe have a
background of classical dressage, they focus more often on current training
trends, rather than on the fundamental precepts of their knowledge.
I got my first Icelandic horse when I was 10 in the early
70’s, and like so many others at that time, I totally disregarded everything I
had learnt since I was 5 at the local, very English riding school. The only
things that counted were those taught by Icelandic trainers. Fortunately we had
the good trainers like Eyjólfur Ísólfsson
and Siggi Sćmundsson from time to time, (for which my patient horse must
have been eternally grateful), but there were also other less refined trainers
with quick fixes. They relied, as a rule, on a good deal of brute force from the
rider, which the horse would have been quite happy to have gone without.
There must have been very few of us who saw any kind of
system in what we did with our horses, but we didn’t question anything. In
those days it wasn’t done.
Around the mid-70’s new methods of mechanically influencing the gaits began to come to Denmark
from the USA, via Germany. New methods and new equipment, (some more peculiar
than others) were a ”must” for anyone who wanted to do well on the oval
track. This is what we today call ”mechanical doping”.
I could go on for ever: certain trainers regarded as
guru’s, such and such a saddle, bit or other gadget being the answer to a
rider’s problems.
In spite of many peoples’ fascination for the various
types of Natural Horsemanship, and the increasing enthusiasm for an academic
approach to the art of riding, many riders who deal with gait training still go
for quick, measurable results.
The riding horse can be regarded as an athlete. If we, the
trainer/rider, are to be responsible for its education, then we must make sure
we bear in mind the fundamental principles of the horse’s anatomy and the
building up of the riding horse’s strength and suppleness, and act
accordingly. Without strength and suppleness it is impossible to show the horse
at its best.
Regardless of the horse’s potential, its natural balance
is disturbed the moment we sit on its back and ask it to carry us. In order to
remain balanced with a rider on top, the horse must build up its strength and
suppleness. This will take a certain amount of time, depending on the horse’s
conformation, its formative years, physical ability and temperament. If we are in too much of a rush, the horse will regard
working with us as something unpleasant, and will hold back from further
cooperation. Depending on the factors mentioned above, in a situation like this
we will get something out of our horse, but never as much as could have – and
the horse will rarely be happy.
We must give the horse the necessary amount of time to
build up its physical strength in order for it to be able to give a powerful
performance. It is important to remember here the fact that, after its 5th
optimum stretch, a muscle has reached its limit for one session.
The period of time spent on basic training (straightening
up and lateral work is included here) is an exciting one. To put it crudely,
once we have managed to ride the horse in a straight line and can control the
front end, then we can begin to learn to control the horse’s back end. While
the horse is learning, each exercise is split up into several small exercises,
so that the next step is always a logical consequence of what the horse has
already learnt. The exercises improve the horse’s suppleness and strength, and
help us to develop and improve our communication channels with him.
This work goes well in tandem with riding the horse in the gaits he offers, and shouldn’t prevent us from encouraging the horse to go forwards briskly, in order to maintain the horse’s natural willingness, energy and good humour. This kind of work can easily be done out on a hack. It is more a question of the rider’s self-discipline than the physical surroundings.
What makes the situation confusing, however, is this: if we
don’t educate our horses within a framework where the keywords are time, logic
and system, and instead take a shortcut and teach the horse habits that may
result in a good breeding assessment or good marks at a competition, but are
nevertheless wrong in relation to the horse’s education as a whole, then we
teach the horse habits that it is difficult to eradicate later.
A typical example is a talented young horse that uses his
hindquarters well. He has potential, but is lacking strength. For a while he
will do really well, considering his young age, but over a period of time he
will begin to go down more and more on the forehand. The rider will find he has
more and more in his hands, particularly in transitions. The horse will often
begin to throw his shoulder out or stiffen his neck in an attempt to avoid the
demands which he finds physically difficult to accede to. The vicious circle has
begun: a slightly more severe bit is used with more weight from the rider, and
both horse and rider develop sore muscles.
It is not possible for the rider to correct the horse:
partly because the horse hasn’t learnt those exercises which can be used to
correct it, and partly because he has developed the wrong musculature, which
makes it difficult to do as is required, even though the rider asks nicely.
Many trainers know of horses like this, and they also know
how long it can take to get the horse to trust the rider again. When a stressful
situation arises later on (e.g at shows and competitions when the horse is asked
for a transition) the horse easily falls back into its old habits. Once a
muscular reflex has been learnt – perhaps stiffening of the neck or throwing a
shoulder out when the rider feels on the reins – it is difficult to remove it
from the horse’s “hard disk”.
Things take time with horses… And it is our
responsibility as a rider to give horses time.
If we could move our focus away from the quick fixes of the
tracks for a moment, and concentrate instead on the development of our horses so
that we are constantly improving strength and suppleness, it is not
inconceivable that an added bonus would be good results, and above all happy
horses, that physically wear well.
As I mentioned earlier, we have many different equine
cultural backgrounds. Consequently, we will also look for our training
“tools” and methods in different equine areas. For many – in the EU, at
least – it will be natural to use classical dressage riding as a starting
point. That kind of riding is the very backbone of what we have learnt, whether
we like it or not. For others, the
principals of natural horsemanship are the solution.
Many will argue against that, by saying it will make our
horses boring, stiff, on the forehand and lazy. My answer to this is a resounding NO.
Is a grand-prix horse boring to look at? No. He may have
been when he was started off, but there is nothing boring about a well-educated
dressage horse with good gaits. Think about the Spanish Riding School’s highly
schooled stallions. Are they boring, stiff, lazy and on the forehand? Is this
lack of ability in the gaits? Certainly not - for here they managed to train the horse as
an athlete.
There are many boring riding horses and ponies of other
breeds around – boring Icelandics, too – stiff, on the forehand, not willing
to cooperate with the rider. “The others” are neither better nor worse than
us as far as this is concerned But if the curious Icelandic horse rider wants to work on
training the gaits, then it means throwing himself into the process and maybe
even accepting that there are methods that we as riders will have to practice
and learn ourselves, which means we have to learn from those who know more than
we do.
The point where many Icelandic horse riders start to have
their doubts is the phase where the horse is learning the most basic exercises.
Many people find it “boring” to teach the horses to learn the signals that
allow us to control first the front end, and then the hindquarters. So they give
up and look for quick fixes. Maybe they also give up because they haven’t
really got to grips with the system themselves. But then it is difficult to go
any further – also for the horse. But it’s a shame, because when we reach a
certain level of communication with the horse and have built up a certain amount
of strength and suppleness, then it is a pleasure to connect all that with the
energy that is so unique to the Icelandic horse. The result is a much better use
of the horse’s resources and a crucial factor in the training of the gaits,
for now we can also use the exercises already learnt to influence the horse’s
gaits.
One of the best examples of this relationship is probably Eyjólfur
Ísólfsson, the head trainer at Hólar
Agricultural College, Iceland, and the mare Rás.
If we as
riders and trainers wish to progress, we must acknowledge that the naive years,
when anything was allowed, are over. We must use what we learnt as children –
for many of us this will be about
basic training and classical dressage – and combine it with everything we have
learnt from the good trainers in Iceland about gaits and willingness. We
must let ourselves move the focus to the training process itself, which is
completely different for each individual horse, and acknowledge that experienced
riders and trainers too could do with being a bit more sparing in some ways and
a bit more education.
Things take time with horses – fortunately.
Karen Rasmussen
New Trainer for Britain
Most of you will
not yet know the name of Ísólfur
Líndal Ţórisson ( Iso ).
I firmly believe that his name will be one of those that will become a
‘household name’ within the Icelandic Horse community over the forthcoming
years. This young man is an
excellent rider who understands both the needs of the horse and of the rider.
He has an exemplary command of English and can explain clearly the
complex issues involved in the biomechanics of the horse in motion.
Not only is he a qualified instructor and horse trainer but he is also a
qualified and licensed Sport judge.
Allow
him to introduce himself:
My
name is Ísólfur Líndal Ţórisson ( Iso ) and I was born in 1978.
I am married
to Vigdís Gunnarsdóttir, a social worker, and we have a son, Ísak Ţórir Ísólfsson
Líndal, born in 1999.
Childhood:
I am born and bred at Lćkjamót which is in the north-west of Iceland.
Breeding, and the taming and training of horses has been the main source of
income for my family over the last decades. I have competed frequently since my
youth, won many prizes, including several Icelandic Championships.
Career:
-
Aged 16 I opened my first training-centre at Lćkjamót and have worked in the
industry, mostly without interruption, since.
-
In 1998 I worked as a trainer for Karly and Rúna Zingsheim in Germany.
-
In 1999 I worked as a trainer for Sigurbjörn Bárđarson.
-
2001-2003 I worked at a rehabilitation centre in Iceland for teenagers that had
fallen into drug abuse. There I used my knowledge of horses and created a
treatment program that, amongst other things, sought to teach the teenagers the
care of horses and riding skills, but above all respect for the horse and
themselves.
-
In 2005 I worked with Sigurđur Sigurđarson and Guđmar Ţór Péturson in
Iceland.
-
Spring 2005 I graduated from Hólaskóli College, with riding instructor and
training qualification C, topped the class in the riding instructor part and was
runner-up for the riding part.
Other
information:
Recently
I have given private lessons and clinics both in Iceland and abroad.
My
approach to the training of horse and rider is the same, that is: help the horse
to understand what it is that the rider wants to achieve and therefore help the
rider to give the horse the right signals.
All
the training is firstly drawn from the horse, that is: its inherent responses
and physique and secondly from the rider, that is skill-level and understanding
of horse and equestrianism.
I
use dressage considerably in my training of horses in order to improve the
gaits. I am very focused on gaining control of the horses overline, because in
my opinion the overline is the key to the horse.
Generally
speaking, with me “what you see is what you get”. I am positive and
optimistic and take people and horses as they are.
Iso
came to Midfield in March and gave his first clinic in Britain.
The first of many, I hope. It
is always interesting to see how a new trainer/instructor approaches his work. In Iso’s case he has several ‘first steps’ or key
issues that he wants to ensure that his students have and understand.
These could be described as essential riding tools and their grasp
ensures not only that Iso is on the same wavelength as his students but also
that he knows his students have a safe way of controlling and stopping their
horses. Safety is uppermost in his
mind, training as he does, some extremely sensitive and talented young horses.
Some of these riding tools were practiced on the ground and other under
saddle.
As he said in his introduction, he is a student of the
classical methods of riding and horse training.
This was evident in his teaching and in his riding.
He impressed on the riders the need to develop strength and power in the
horses’ backs and hindquarters and was very much against the upside down type
of tolting.
Iso is an example of the new generation of Icelanders that
have studied a more classical approach and who are keen to apply this to their
training methods. Of course this is
all to the direct benefit of the horse as the basis of classical training is to
develop the horse for longevity. Iso
is more than a successful competition rider.
He is also a serious student of equitation and of teaching.
Iso rode a few horses while he was here and as I watched him
ride I was reminded of the riders from the Spanish riding school.
This young man was still and empathetic in his riding.
It was a joy to see.
We
are fortunate to have been able to get Iso to step into the breech when we lost
our judge for the Have a Go Show in June. We
will have to pay him as he does have a young family to support, however he has
given us a very good deal. This
should be a very good opportunity for you to meet him and see him ride as he
will give a demonstration of a tolt and four-gait class.
I am sure that you wil not be disappointed. He will also be available for individual lessons on Monday
19th June.
Janice Hutchinson
The Biomechanics of Tölt Riding
An article applying the RWYM principles to tölt riding:
Three times world champion in tölt, Johann Skúlasson has proven himself as an extremely talented rider. Other top Icelandic Horse riders have described him as having a ‘very correct seat’. This is undoubtedly true, however it does not fully describe what exactly is correct about how he uses his entire body, for correct riding lies in more than simply ‘the seat’ of the rider.
International
riding coach Mary Wanless has studied the body biomechanics of top riders and
she found that there is a particular way that the whole body is used that makes
some riders stand out as more talented than others. Mary describes this correct
way of riding in her books and teaches these techniques in her ‘Ride with Your
Mind’ rider coaching.
Johann
Skúlasson fits right into this blueprint and the way that he uses his body can
be broken down and described bit by bit. In this article I will apply Mary’s
yardstick to Johann in order to show some of the essential elements that makes
his way of riding so ‘correct’ and so effective.
a)
First of all, Johann’s overall balance on the horse is excellent. The
test to apply here is to ask how he would land on the ground if the horse were
whisked out from under him. The correctly balanced rider should land on his
feet, without falling backwards or forwards or sideways. Here we can see that
Johann would definitely land on his feet.
b)
The rider’s pelvis should be upright with his/her seat-bones pointing
straight down. This pelvic position allows each seat-bone to be moved
independently in time with the horse’s movement and ensures that the rider
stays ‘plugged-in’ and can then dictate and control the speed of the
horse’s legs and the length of its stride.
c)
The rider’s body should be like a box, with the front and the back of
the torso being equal in length. This means that the rider’s back should
neither be hollow nor rounded or slumped, the spine should be held in a natural
way, what is normally described as ‘neutral spine’.
d)
The legs are not too straight, the angle made by the thigh to the ground
is around 60˚. This is the angle which Mary found most often amongst those
riders that are generally considered to be talented. This contradicts the
practice of teaching novice Icelandic Horse riders to ride with a straight leg.
The thigh is well toned and held against the horse’s side in a way that does
not clamp or squeeze but neither does it mean that the thighs could be pulled
away from the horse’s side. This is not a ‘relaxed’ or floppy thigh but
one where the rider is actively holding the thigh in place, a feeling of both
pulling in and pulling out at the same time. Johann Skúlasson maintains an
‘arrow-head’ shape in the angle of his knee with his thigh out in front of
his body and the lower leg slightly back. By holding the thigh in this position
it can be used like a lever to influence the horse’s back. In this photo the
horse is in tölt and Johann is using his seat and thighs in this specific way
to maintain and dictate the beat, speed and length of stride to the horse. This
lever-action means that as one seat-bone goes down, the same knee comes up. This
use of the thighs also helps to raise the horse’s forehand.
e)
Johann is also using the tendons at the tops of his thighs. These are
attached to the quad muscles at the front of the thighs and assist with this
lever-action. To locate these tendons yourself while sitting, place your hand at
the front of the top of your thigh (in the bikini-line area) and then raise your
knee. You will feel two big tendons sticking out. Talented riders use these
front tendons rather like guy-ropes on a tent to anchor their body and maintain
the angle of the thighs. Strong front tendons allow the rider to maintain a
strong yet supple upper body position and in turn then to give stable support to
the arms.
f)
The rider’s arms are bent at the elbow and held in a position that
appears to ‘push’ the reins rather than pull at them. Johann does not use
his body to pull back the reins in the ‘water-skiing’ position that lesser
riders often adopt. Johann’s stable body and strong muscles in the back and
the front of the torso provide the stability from which he can use both his arms
and legs to give subtle but clear signals to the horse. This particular
photograph has caught Johann with
an unusual arm, wrist rein line up and you can see the resistance through the
horses neck. On the front cover of
Eidfaxi international you have a picture of the same rider with the same horse
with the perfect elbow, wrist, hand, rein, and bit alignment.
His arms are toned and held in a very deliberate way as if he is holding
a heavy shopping bag on each wrist without letting it drag his arms down. Limp
or ‘relaxed’ arms do not do the same job so effectively.
Talented
riders use their core muscles to match and stabilise against the forces that a
powerful moving horse exerts on them. This use of the muscles is very similar to
the way in which a dancer, weight-lifter, tennis player or martial artist will
use their core muscles. This does more than simply protect the spine from stress
or injury, these strong muscles allow the rider to put more tone and power into
the horse just as they allow the tennis player to add power to a serve or the
weight-lifter to lift and hold heavy weights.
g)
Johann’s upper and lower back muscles are clearly engaged, providing
him with a powerful ‘push-forward’ that is transmitted to the horse. The
horse mirrors this by engaging its back muscles, lowering its croup and striding
very strongly forward and under itself with its hind legs.
h)
Johann’s stomach muscles and diaphragm are also engaged, preventing him
from lengthening the front of his body and losing the power her has under his
control. The horse again mirrors this and engages its stomach muscles. This in
turn helps the horse to lighten its forehand and step forward with its hind legs
to maximum effect.
These
elements of Johann’s riding that I have picked out and described are common to
talented riders in all disciplines. The techniques that work, work across the
board. A talented Icelandic Horse rider who uses his/her body in these
particular ways could ride other breeds of horse equally well. This is because
the rider uses his body as a tool, or a set of tools, that influence the horse
in very particular ways. Mary Wanless estimates that only around 5% of riders
actually happen on the essence of the essential use of these body-tools by
themselves while the rest of us struggle to emulate them. The reason that we
often fail to get close to riding as well as they do lies in their
‘unconscious competence’. They do not know that it is that they do with
their bodies that other riders do not and so they are unable to describe it. The
language that they use often merely describes the peripheral actions while
ignoring the major (yet subtle, and to them ‘natural’) actions. So they will
describe what they do with their hands and perhaps with their lower-leg, while
failing to mention what they are doing with their pelvis, thighs and core
muscles.
The
good news is that it is possible to learn how the talented rider rides and to
develop the same correct body mechanics. The bad news is that this takes time
and hard work. Riding is not about sitting, relaxing and doing nothing on a
horse. Correct riding is much more about isolating the individual body tools and
developing the correct use of them. This involves toning up in the same way that
a dancer works to build tone, strength and co-ordination. Developing as a rider
is a long journey but progress can be accelerated as the rider develops the
correct body bio-mechanics and begins to practice the right thing. It is only
perfect practice that makes perfect, practicing the wrong thing only perfects
the wrong thing. Therefore it pays to learn the correct body use by paying
attention to the way that truly talented riders actually use their bodies.