6 month old Knapp’s Total Eclipse Of The Heart
performs the Correct Veering before the obstacle.
By instilling this level of hindquarter control, it will
benefit your horse’s straightness over obstacles
and their basic leading obedience.
Vertical Head Collection is
a vital part of your horse’s
training for not only head
collection purposes, but
also the ‘acknowledgement’
of an obstacle, teaching
the horse to look at what’s
ahead of them. If the horse
doesn’t want to look down
and wants to automatically
push forward and off to the
outside, immediately back
them up using the training
stick on the right outside
shoulder of the horse to
guide them into a clockwise,
curved backup. You may
need to spend a few days
teaching the horse to stop
when you stop and teach
Vertical Head Collection
prior to obstacle work. This
will show near instantaneous
results in improving your
handler guiding ability.
ONE STEP AT A TIME
If the horse lowers their head
and looks at what’s in front
of them without excessive
pushing, you can point your
hand forward in the direction
you want the horse to walk
and attempt to proceed. If
the horse takes a confident
step onto the obstacle,
immediately stop and back
your horse off. Repeat a
few times before you allow
the horse to stand on the
obstacle for a few seconds,
then back off again. By doing
the obstacle in sections, the
horse is learning that he
isn’t trapped in a situation,
resulting in spurring natural
curiosity. It is also teaching
the horse to not push
forward and get ahead of you
as they approach an obstacle.
TROUBLESHOOTING
If your horse walks up
onto the ramp, leans to the
outside and falls off of the
obstacle, immediately back
your horse up and correct
them by performing some
curved backing. Backing
and working around the
obstacle itself is also a great
way to instill confidence.
The number one rule is to
NEVER walk your horse
forward or try to pull your
horse back onto the obstacle.
This teaches the horse that
they can be incorrect and
pushy in your hand, and
ultimately, the horse always
wins. Backing your horse and
diverting their energy away
from the obstacle without
letting them complete it
incorrectly teaches the horse
to attentively listen and be
respectful toward your guide
over obstacles.
If your horse has a bad and
repeating habit of leaning to
the outside, incorporate the
Correct Veering Exercise.
By lifting your leading hand
upward and bumping slightly
back, you can use your
training stick on the right,
outside rib cage of the horse
and tap their hindquarters
around clockwise while you
remain in the 45 degree
angle position to the leading
side of the shoulder.
WATER BOX
Once your horse
steps down into
the water box,
bump backward
slightly to stop
them in place,
ideally with only
their two front
legs in the box.
Give them a
reward by petting
their neck/
rubbing them
with the stick.
If the obstacle
allows to do
safely, instead of
walking them
through the
obstacle, attempt
to back them
up and down
the ramp, or
lead them to
your lefthand
side outside of
the water box.
Backing your
horse over the