Kyle Davidson
Posts by Kyle Davidson:
MULE TALK! PODCAST: The Risk of Neglecting Good Posture
The Risk of Neglecting Good Posture —
- We don’t usually pay close enough attention to our Good Posture and often take it for granted.
- Important for both two-legged humans and four-legged equines.
- We get used to working in Comfortable Environments and don’t realize the importance of how we are traveling until we are challenged with different situations.
- When we are in Good Posture and pay attention to it throughout all that we do, our daily tasks become Beneficial Postural Exercises.
- Core Elements are strengthened in an Ideal Balance and performance is enhanced.
- Soreness and Compromised Movement are no longer at risk.
And follow along. Read the transcript.
Learn more on Mule Talk podcast.
For more training info: www.LuckyThreeRanch.Com and click on the Training tab.
Mule Talk is an Every Cowgirl’s Dream production – www.EveryCowgirlsDream.Com
Tonight’s the Night: Prices Go Up at Midnight
The following is from All About Equine Animal Rescue:
We know you’ve been meaning to grab your early bird tickets for Boots and Bling and this your last chance because…
Early bird pricing for tickets and Herd Sponsorship ends TONIGHT!
Why pay more tomorrow when you already know you want to be there?
Join us on Saturday, May 16 at the Folsom Community Center for a night that brings to life everything you’ve followed, supported, and cared about all year. The horses you’ve rooted for. The transformations you’ve celebrated. The second chances you made possible, and the ones yet to come.
Boots and Bling is a chance to see the impact up close, connect with others who care deeply about horses, and play a direct role in what comes next.
We’ve extended deadlines in the past, but not this time. When the clock hits midnight, early bird pricing is gone.
Secure your tickets now before prices go up.
Don’t wait. Don’t miss it. We’d love to have you with us on May 16.
Planning to attend with friends?
Buy a Herd Sponsorship table and save a lil’ cash, or purchase your tickets together
so we can seat your group at the same table.
Your ticket includes a delicious BBQ dinner, the chance to see the virtual auction items in person, and the opportunity to join the excitement of our live dessert auction (a fan-favorite part of the evening)!
MULE CROSSING: Dancing with Mules
By Meredith Hodges
Lucky Three Sundowner was foaled at my mother’s Windy Valley Ranch in Healdsburg, California in June of 1980. Two weeks later he and his dam, Candy Etta, an AQHA registered mare, were shipped to the Lucky Three Ranch in Loveland, Colorado, where we continued the superior mule breeding and training program that my mother had started. Sunny was a tall, gangly little bay mule foal with an affectionate and willing attitude.
His show career began at halter and progressed to Western Pleasure and Reining by the time he was three years old. He won the World Championship in Reining at Bishop Mule Days as a four year old in 1984. Although he did very well in these events, he still seemed tense and nervous. For the next two years, I decided to focus on more relaxing events for him in Western Pleasure, Trail and English Pleasure. People were not easily accepting mules in equine events that were reserved for horses and ponies. Mules were universally considered stubborn, uncooperative and only suitable for the activities of farming, packing and pulling heavy loads. I suspected that this was not true and set out to prove it by schooling my mules in every discipline possible. Sunny had won the World Championship in Reining. I believed that schooling in Dressage could only help him in other judged disciplines and I set out to prove it.
During our beginnings in Colorado, there were small mule shows and some schooling horse shows that we could attend to test our skills. However, most people really didn’t believe mules could do all the different events that horses could do and did not want us around. A picture of Colonel Alois Podhajsky hung over my bed since I was small and I have always been in awe of the supreme levels of horsemanship that Dressage horses could attain. My dream was to be able to dance with Sunny in Dressage, but without anyone to help us, how could we ever achieve that level?
In 1986, fellow mule lover Sally McClean and I attended the United States Dressage Federation Convention and asked that mules be accepted into Dressage schooling shows. We were met with resistance, but there were some who were empathetic to our plight and they agreed that we should be allowed to compete at the lower levels to be able to test our skills and be part of the Dressage community. Sunny and I began Dressage lessons with local United States Dressage Federation instructor/trainer, Melinda Weatherford in Fort Collins, Colorado. Since neither Sunny, nor I, were previously schooled in Dressage and because he was a mule, we were faced with a much harder journey than we ever imagined. Lindy certainly had her work cut out for her teaching the two of us!
With acceptance by the U.S.D.F. (United States Dressage Federation), I felt it was important that our World Mule Show in Bishop, California, offered classes in Dressage. There were now a few others who were starting their mules in Dressage and they would need a place to show their progress against their own kind. The Bishop Mule Days Committee agreed and Dressage was included as a part of this truly world-class mule show! With the addition of Dressage, Bishop Mule Days became a 5-day show. Today, Bishop boasts a full week of over 180 different mule and donkey events with over 800 entries each year. Dressage classes grew rapidly with increased interest! People were beginning to realize how much Dressage could influence their Longears’ performance in other classes. Even the donkey classes began to improve and more events were offered for them as well. My own Little Jack Horner was working at Second Level Dressage, which was unheard of for a donkey!
During Sunny’s first Training Level Dressage test in 1988, he got frustrated and ran off with me! Mules will sometimes do that! He scored 5’s and 6’s. The judge’s comment was, “This could be a nice mover if you can get his brain-by teaching him shoulder-in and leg yielding…” Unfortunately, we were eliminated. In 1988, he made his second debut at Training Level Dressage at Bishop Mule Days. He had much improved scores of 6 and 7. The comments, were, “Very pleasing ride, lovely mule, need to work on halts.” The progress Sunny made in just a month was phenomenal!
Sunny really enjoyed the predictable exercise routine and was soon much more relaxed and submissive although, we still had an occasional runaway during practice. It took me awhile to figure out just why Sunny was running off with me. During the Reining training as a three year old, Sunnyhad been forced to continue to gallop after missing his lead changes. From that time on, he would take off every time he thought he made a mistake, even when I didn’t think he had! He thought that was the right thing to do, so I patiently just rode out the runaways on a loose rein and kept asking him verbally to “Whoa.” Each time, the runaways got shorter.
I knew that it was important to make sure his foundation work was stable and consistent, so we spent 1 ½ years schooling at Training Level Dressage. I made sure that he was only schooled every other day, with a day of rest in between. This seemed to help him to relax and settle, but his rhythm and cadence were still irregular at times. Then I thought maybe riding to music might help both of us. So, I sat down in the evenings, watched his training videos and picked music that would fit his natural rhythm at all three gaits. I even wore my Top Hat for our dress rehearsals to help me to set the mood. This staging during practice sessions made a dramatic change in his attitude… and mine!
Suddenly, we both experienced the harmony that we had only heard about that could take place between rider and horse, or in our case, rider and mule! It took a bit longer than expected, but spending that extra time at Training Level really improved his forward motion with strong engagement of his hind quarters. This, in turn, enhanced the lengthening and shortening of his strides within the working and extended gaits. We were ready to ask our coach if we could proceed to the next level. We began work on Leg Yields and attempted a bit of Shoulder-in.
We continued our weekly lessons with Lindy and progressed to First Level Dressage. We learned to sustain good balance, rhythm and cadence at all three working gaits and to lengthen these gaits with alacrity and grace. People at the farm where we took lessons began to stop and watch us in awe! They had never seen such a thing! In May of 1989, he showed at Bishop Mule Days again with scores of 6 and 7. The comments, “Nice moving mule. Good impulsion, but unsteady at times. Good overall.” There were 10 entries that year and Sunny placed first! We were definitely making progress and people were beginning to notice!
Later in the summer of 1989, Sunny and I began to work at Second Level Dressage and entered some local schooling shows against horses to measure our progress. He did very well and was rapidly becoming the “Dressage Spokesperson” for mules! In 1990, he took first in the Bishop Mule Days Second Level Dressage Class. He was honored by Bishop Mule Days when asked to do a special demonstration for their Sunday afternoon performance. Sunny wowed the crowd with his sensitivity, agility and graceful performance!
By May of 1991, Sunny was finally beginning to work at Third Level Dressage. Bishop had no Third Level Dressage class. So, they allowed Sunny to compete at Second Level Dressage again that year against four other mules and Dolly Barton who was rapidly becoming a Dressage champion herself – a mule bred by Bonnie Shields, the Tennessee Mule Artist!
Dolly placed first and Sunny placed second. Again, he scored 6’s and 7’s and the comments read, “Very nice ride! Needs more bending through turns and circles and scores will be higher.” Since both mules would be moving up another level by the next year, I went back to the Bishop Mule Days Committee and requested a Third Level Dressage class for 1992. They were so impressed with Lucky Three Sundowner and Dolly Barton that they agreed.
At Bishop Mule Days 1992, Sunny placed first against Dolly Barton in the Third Level Dressage class with scores of 6 and 7. I don’t think he liked being beat by a girl the year before! By 1993, Sunny was working at Fourth Level Dressage. It was at this time that I attempted to change his bridle, from the Eggbutt Snaffle Flash bridle, to a Weymouth Bridle with the curb action Weymouth and Bradoon. He reacted violently to the additional restriction from the Deluxe Weymouth Bridle. He was always compliant and responsive in his Eggbutt Snaffle Bridle, so I opted to go forward in the same bridle to keep him relaxed and happy with his work. He then competed a second year at Bishop Mule Days at Third Level Dressage, where he easily won being the only mule in the class. He had won respect from the horse community and had clearly surpassed his peers!
Quietly at home, with only a few onlookers, Sunny and I danced together to The Emperor’s Waltz by Johann Strauss with Canter Pirouettes, Half Passes, Passage and Piaffe. OUR DREAM TO DANCE TOGETHER HAD FINALLY COME TRUE! Lucky Three Sundowner passed away in October of 2015 at the age of 35 years, but his legacy remains. Dispelling all the old rumors about mules and donkeys, the memories we made together were priceless and paved the way for many more Longears athletes to “strut their stuff” in the equine industry of today! It took 18 years for mules to finally be accepted in the United States Dressage Federation Dressage Division in 2004, but nothing pleases me more than to see Longears successfully competing in the U.S.D.F. Dressage Finals against horses in Lexington, Kentucky! Long live our beloved Longears!
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE, EQUUS REVISITED and A GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING MULES at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.
© 2013, 2016, 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Chilly Pepper – It’s a Race against the clock. Only 89 minutes left!!!
The following is from Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang:
89 minutes and counting and we ONLY NEED $655 to cover the balance of the hauling etc.
We are so very close. I only need to send the balance of $655 and these horses will be coming to Chilly Pepper.
| Thank you for your love and support and PLEASE let’s finish this so the horses can come home. Y’all Rock! |
| I am beginning to think if we cannot save 4 horses, that maybe the writing is on the wall and it is time to hang it up. It is beyond draining to always need to raise more funds, and if we cannot save these precious kids, I guess this might mean it’s coming to an end???? The economy is horrible, and fuel prices make these rescues even more costly. I guess it comes down to – WHAT ARE THEIR LIVES WORTH? I have been doing this for over 20 years and it literally sucks the life out of you. Maybe it is just time to say “I can’t”. You tell me. |
Just wanted to make sure y’all knew they were safe even though the fund raising wasn’t completed.
THANK YOU from all the critters!!
Please help and share far and wide.
| THANK YOU, MY CHILLY PEPPER FAMILY, FOR ALWAYS BEING THERE! YOU ROCK!!! |
| You can donate to Goldendale Veterinary – 509-773-0369 You can donate to Zimmerman Vet – 775-623-0981 |
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Chilly Pepper – YOU DID IT!! Horses are paid for.
The following is from Chilly Pepper – Miracle Mustang:
| We made it. Payment has been sent and the horses are bailed and should be heading to Chilly Pepper tomorrow. |
Thank you so much. It was down to the wire and y’all came through.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Prayers answered.
THANK YOU from all the critters!! |
Please help and share far and wide.
| THANK YOU, MY CHILLY PEPPER FAMILY, FOR ALWAYS BEING THERE! YOU ROCK!!! |
| You can donate to Goldendale Veterinary – 509-773-0369 You can donate to Zimmerman Vet – 775-623-0981 |
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MULE CROSSING: Train for the Pleasure of It
By Meredith Hodges
We humans tend to complicate our lives – filling them with people, things, goals and tasks until we are too busy to even think about what we are doing. For a mule or donkey (and other equines), it’s different. The equine has no “to-dos,” no “ought-to-haves” and no “ought to-dos.” He takes things as they come, considers his response in the moment and stays open to possibility. This year, why not resolve to be more like your mule or donkey. Consider your priorities and look at your relationship with him from his perspective. Stop to smell the roses, and during those inevitable challenging moments, put yourself in your Longears’ shoes. Try to think like he does and you might be surprised at the response that you will get.
No doubt, this is a tall order. After all, we humans tend to begin with the end in mind and the process is just a means to that 
end. Training, for example, is a process. We attempt to train with a goal in mind. Our goal at the Lucky Three Ranch is to simply improve the equine’s performance as well as our own. Most of us train with the expectation that improvement will occur, and most of us add the self-imposed pressure to improve within a finite amount of time. The notion that training, all by itself, could be a goal is foreign to many of us. But consider it. What if we trained for the pure pleasure of spending time with our equines while using the values we hold dear like respect, kindness, consideration and consistency in our behavior? How different would the experience be for us and for our equines?
Today’s modern horse training techniques do not generally work well with mules and donkeys. Most horse training techniques that are popular will speed up the training process, so that people can ride sooner. It makes the trainer’s techniques look more attractive, but these techniques do not adequately prepare the equine physically, in a good balanced posture, for the added stress of having a rider on board. Longears have a strong sense of self-preservation and need the kind of work that builds their bodies properly, so they will feel good in their new and correct posture. Otherwise, you will not get the kind of results you expect. Forming a good relationship with your equine begins with a consistent maintenance routine and appropriate groundwork. Most equines do not get the well-structured and extended groundwork training on the lead rope that paves the way to good balance, core muscle conditioning and a willing attitude. This is essential if he is truly expected to be physically and mentally prepared for future equine activities. With Longears, this is critically important.
No matter how old or how well-trained the equine, they still need time doing the simplest of things to get to know you before 
they will learn to have trust and confidence in you. The exercises that you do should build the body slowly, sequentially and in good equine posture. No human or equine is born in good posture. It is something that needs to be taught and practiced repetitively if it is to become a natural way of moving the body.
When the body is in good posture, all the internal organs can function properly and the skeletal frame will be supported correctly. Just as our children need routine, ongoing learning and the right kind of exercise to grow up into healthy and happy adults, so do equines. They need clearly set boundaries to their behaviors in order to minimize anxiety and depression in their attitude. The exercises that you do together need to build their strength and coordination in good equine posture. The time spent together during specified leading training in the Hourglass Pattern and in the Round Pen builds a solid relationship with your equine, fosters his confidence and his trust in you because you make him feel better than he ever has! A carefully planned routine and appropriate feeding program is critical to healthy development.
It is my experience that equines, particularly Longears, bond to the person who trains them. When they go away to be trained, they do not get the benefit of this kind of bonding. When they return home, they can become resentful and resistant. Can you honestly expect someone else to go out and make a friend for you? That relationship needs to be uniquely yours. You need to be the one that is responsible for your own relationships, even with your equine!
For this reason, I decided to put my entire management and training program on my website with a lot of free information under TRAINING at www.luckythreeranch.com, my books, videos and documentaries in the STORE at www.luckythreeranchstore.com and I am always available for comments, questions and concerns via Social media (MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page). I always answer my “mail” and phone calls promptly because I know it is important to YOU! I am training people how to train their own equines with a program that is so simple that anyone can do it!
I embraced this philosophy long ago with successful results. Through a painstaking process that involved a fair amount of trial and error, I determined that my ambitions as a competitor made no impression on my equines. Rather, it was the level of respect, compassion and empathy that I brought to the relationships with my Longears that served us best, both in and out of the show ring. My animals will all do anything for me, not because they had the same lofty goals that I had. It’s because we truly enjoy being with each other regardless of what we are working on or what we are doing. Really, it’s because we have become close friends, and that’s what real friends are all about. Mine are very unselfish relationships with my equines and others.
The friendships I have with my Longears are integral to their outstanding performance and versatility during their physical training. In all of my books and videos, I explain how to build that kind of relationship as you develop your equine’s foundational training. Just as he learns to move in a balanced frame day by day, moment to moment, your equine also 
deepens his trust in you so you can take pleasure in your mutual effort. In fact, training for the pure pleasure of it is what your mule or donkey does naturally. He’s not thinking about the next show, the next task, or how much better he should be. He’s not even pondering what happened yesterday, or what might happen tomorrow. He’s just out there with you, in the moment, experiencing with you, good and bad…period. In that respect, he’s not so different from his ancestors that spent their days, roaming, grazing. drinking and resting. Why not assume a degree of responsibility and set realistic goals that are easy to achieve and that do not put your relationship at risk?
We love our animals, but sometimes we forget to enjoy them and respect them. My ultimate goal is to continue to learn from them. This can be a life-long pursuit with never a boring moment! Let them be who they are and give them the care they so richly deserve. That way, we both WIN!
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe and Twitter.
Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE, EQUUS REVISITED and A GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING MULES at www.luckythreeranchstore.com
© 2007, 2016, 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Your Senators need to hear from you before April 13
The following is from the American Wild Horse Conservation:
The U.S. Senate has until April 13 to sign onto a letter supporting humane wild horse reforms in the FY27 Interior Appropriations bill. Your representative needs to hear from you today.
| TAKE ACTION |
We have a new opportunity — and a tight deadline — to push for real change for America’s wild horses and burros.
Right now, a Senate appropriations letter is circulating that calls for more humane, responsible management of wild herds on public lands. Senators only have until April 13 to sign on.
| TAKE ACTION |
For too long, federal management has relied on a costly and outdated approach: removing wild horses from the range and placing them into long-term holding. Today, tens of thousands of animals are confined in government facilities — a system that continues to grow more expensive and harder to sustain every year.
At the same time, proven, humane tools like fertility control — which can manage populations without removing horses from their habitat — remain dramatically underused.
This is exactly the kind of imbalance this Senate letter aims to address. By encouraging investment in humane, science-based solutions, it represents a meaningful step toward breaking the cycle of roundups and long-term confinement.
But it only works if enough Senators sign on before the deadline. And, that’s where you come in.
When advocates like you spoke out during the House effort, lawmakers paid attention — we were able to garner a record-breaking 91 signatures from members of Congress! Now, we need that same energy focused on the Senate.
| TAKE ACTION |
This is one of those moments where a simple action — just a few clicks — can help shape the future of how wild horses are treated on our public lands.
Thank you for standing with America’s wild horses and burros,
American Wild Horse Conservation
LTR Training Tip #14: Teaching Good Manners When Training
Meredith explains the lifelong benefits of teaching your equine to behave with good manners.
MULE TALK! PODCAST: Jasper The Mule
Jasper The Mule –
- How Jasper the mule was created and his purpose.
- Educating children about working with animals.
- Jasper books that are appropriate for children of all ages.
- Learn about Jasper going to Bishop Mule Days.
- Jasper the mule on tour and more!
And follow along. Read the transcript.
Learn more on Mule Talk podcast.
For more training info: www.LuckyThreeRanch.Com and click on the Training tab.
Mule Talk is an Every Cowgirl’s Dream production – www.EveryCowgirlsDream.Com
MULE CROSSING: Achieving Balance and Harmony
By Meredith Hodges
Achieving balance and harmony with your equine requires more than just balancing and conditioning his body. As you begin finishing training on your equine, your awareness must now be shifted more toward your own body. Your equine should already be moving steadily forward in a longer frame and be basically obedient to your “aids” (your seat, legs and hands). The object in finishing training is to build the muscles in your own body so that your aids become more clearly defined and effective. This involves the shedding of old habits and the building of new ones. This takes a lot of time and should not be approached with impatience. There are no shortcuts!
In order to stabilize your hands and upper body, you need to establish a firm base in your seat and legs. Ideally, you should be able to drop an imaginary plumb line from your shoulder through your hips, through your heels and to the ground. To maintain this plumb line, you must work to make the joints and muscles in your body more supple and flexible through correct use, so that this line becomes your automatic posture.
As you ride your equine through walking exercises, try to stay soft, relaxed and following forward in your inner thighs and seat bones. Get the sensation that your legs are cut off at the knees and let your seat bones walk along with your animal—lightly, and in rhythm with him. If he slows down, just bend your knees and nudge him alternately with your legs below your knees, while keeping your seat and upper legs stable and moving forward. While your legs are still, they should rest gently on his sides in a “hug.” Do not push forward in your seat, but allow him to carry you forward. When collecting the walk on the short side, just bend both knees at the same time, nudging your equine simultaneously on both sides, while you squeeze the reins at the same time.
In order to help you stay over the middle of your animal’s back on the large circle, keep your eyes up and ahead, shift your weight slightly to the outside stirrup, and “feel the movement.” Bend your knee and set your inside leg snugly against your equine at his girth. As you do this, be sure that your outside leg (the leg on the outside of the arc) stays in close contact with his body, well behind the girth. He will begin to bend his body through contact with your legs in this position. Your inside leg (the leg on the inside of the arc) will support the bend and help to keep him upright, and the outside leg will drive him forward through the arc of the turn, or circle. On straight lines, keep your legs even, slightly behind the girth and look straight ahead. To keep his shoulders from “dropping” while executing a turn, look up and a little to the outside of the circle. This will bring your inside seat bone slightly forward and your outside seat bone slightly back, allowing your legs to easily be in the correct position for the circle. Your weight should be shifted to the outside leg. This is particularly helpful during canter transitions.
Most of us feel that we do not balance on our reins as much as we actually do. If there is any balancing on the reins at all by the rider, your equine will be unable to achieve proper hindquarter engagement and ultimate self-carriage. Here is a simple exercise you can do to help shift the weight from your hands and upper body to your seat and legs. Begin by putting your equine on the rail at an active working walk. On the long side, drop your reins on his neck and feel your lower-body connection with him as you move along. In order to maintain your shoulder-to-hip plumb line, you will find that you need to tip your pelvis forward and stretch your abdominal muscles with each step. If your lower leg remains in the correct position, this will also stretch the thigh muscles on the front of your leg from hip to knee. There is also a slight side-to-side motion as your animal moves forward that will cause your seat bones to move independently and alternately forward. There is no doubt that you can probably do this fairly easily right from the start, but to maintain this rhythm and body position without thinking about it takes time and repetition.
When you are fairly comfortable at the walk, you can add some variation at the trot. Begin with the posting trot on the rail. Always post down in your seat to meet the equine’s front leg that comes back and underneath your outside leg. Post upwards as the equine’s front leg goes forward. Once your equine’s hindquarters are adequately engaged, you will begin to feel his hind legs coming under your seat. However, when starting out, it is easier to learn to post using a visual of the front legs, and rely on the physical sensation of the hind legs coming under your seat later. When your mule is going along the rail in a fairly steady fashion, drop your reins on his neck and continue to post. As you post down the long side, remember to keep your upper body erect, your pelvis rocking forward from your seat, your knees bent such that your legs are gently hugging the barrel of your equine, and your arms raised and straight out in front of you, parallel to your shoulders.
If your animal drifts away from the rail, you will need to post with a little more weight in your outside stirrup. As you go around the corners, be sure to turn your eyes a little to the outside of the circle to help your positioning. As you approach the short side of the arena, bring your arms backwards and straight out from your shoulders in a “T” formation, while keeping your upper body erect. As you go through the corners, just rotate your arms and upper body slightly toward the outside of your circle. When you come to the next long sides, bring your arms, once again, in front and parallel to your shoulders and repeat the exercise.
Notice the different pressure on your seat bones as you change your arm position. The forward arms will somewhat lighten your seat, while your arms to the side tend to exert a little more pressure. Consequently, you can send your animal more forward by using your seat as you go down the long sides, shortening that stride with a little added pressure from the seat bones on the short sides. When you wish to halt, put your arms behind you at the small of your back to support an erect upper body, and let your weight drop down through your seat bones and legs. Also, remember to use your verbal commands often in the beginning to clarify your aids (effect of the seat, legs and hands) to your equine. If your equine doesn’t stop, just reach down and give a gentle squeeze/release on the reins until he stops, but be sure to remain relaxed and continue to drop your weight into your seat and legs. Keep your inner thighs relaxed and flexible. Do NOT squeeze! Think DOWN through your legs on both sides. Before long, he will begin to make the connection between the weight of your seat and your command to “Whoa,” and your seat will take precedence over your reins.
When you and your equine have become adept at the walk and the trot, you can add the canter. At the canter, however, keep your arms out to the side and rotate them in small circles in rhythm with the canter. Be sure to sit back and allow only your pelvis, seat and thighs to stretch forward with the canter stride. Keep your upper body erect and your lower legs stable in the gentle “hugging” position. Once your equine has learned to differentiate seat and leg aids during each gait and throughout all transitions on the large circle, you can begin to work on directional changes through cones.
As you practice these exercises, you will soon discover how even the slightest shift of balance can affect your animal’s performance. By riding without your reins and making the necessary adjustments in your body, you will begin to condition your own muscles to work in harmony with those of your equine. As your muscles get stronger and more responsive, you will cultivate more harmony and balance with your animal. As you learn to ride more “by the seat of your pants,” you will encounter less resistance in your equine, as most resistance is initiated by tension in the seat and legs and by “bad hands,” an ineffective and uncommunicative dragging on the reins. Your hands should remain quiet and supportive in contact with the bit. Keeping your legs close to the sides of your equine’s body in a sort of hug will clarify the “track” he is to follow (much in the same way a train is confined to its tracks). As you learn to vary the pressure in your seat accordingly, so will you encounter less resistance in your animal through his back, and the stability in your lower legs will give him a clearer path to follow between your aids.
To learn more about Meredith Hodges and her comprehensive all-breed equine training program, visit LuckyThreeRanch.com, MEREDITH HODGES PUBLIC FIGURE Facebook page, or call 1-800-816-7566. Check out her children’s website at JasperTheMule.com. Also, find Meredith on Pinterest, Instagram, MeWe, YouTube and Twitter.
Covered in TRAINING MULES & DONKEY: A LOGICAL APPROACH TO TRAINING, TRAINING WITHOUT RESISTANCE, EQUUS REVISITED and A GUIDE TO RAISING & SHOWING MULES at www.luckythreeranchstore.com.
© 1992, 2016, 2017, 2024 Lucky Three Ranch, Inc. All Rights Reserved.