Posted, February 1. 2007

Young Horse Training Symposium with Scott Hassler
by Gigha Steinman, River Oaks Farm

Keep Them Thinking

Some of the young horses were excited by the atmosphere, and Hassler cautioned that you can’t just try to tire out a horse, you’ve got to give them figures and transitions to get their focus. He also used this opportunity to talk about how young horses should only be ridden by experienced professionals. If an amateur owner does want to play an active role in riding the horse, they especially should not ride the horse every day, according to Hassler. Young horses can present the rider with challenges or unpredictable behavior, and how these challenges and behaviors are handled shape the future for that horse, and it is important that the young horse has positive, correct experiences.

Hassler wanted all of the horses very supple and swinging in their backs. For some of the horses, when they would become stiff in the neck, he encouraged flexion to the inside. He was clear, too, that the bend/flexion must be maintained for several strides until the horse is able to maintain the flexion while also being through. The rider can’t just “visit” the flexion, but must maintain it until the horse is through, in order for it to be beneficial to the horse.

PhelpsPhoto: Baylea by Batido out of EM Ladylike by Loredo, owned by Elizabeth Olmstead ridden by Susanne Benne