Safe and Sound

Safe ‘n’ Sound around your horse

Guiding principles, ideas and exercises for you and your horse

Safe ‘n’ Sound in, Catching

  • Enter your horse’s yard, approach behind the shoulder and scratch on the withers
  • Hug your horse with your right arm
  • Tip the nose with your right thumb
  • Tie your halter with a horseman’s knot

 

Safe ‘n’ Sound in, Leading

  • Show that your comes off pressure with your lead rope
  • Lead your horse forward 3 steps and backup without looking
  • Lead your horse through a figure 8 pattern
  • Lead your horse at your shoulder to the mounting area

 

Safe ‘n’ Sound in, Tying up & Grooming

  • Tying to a solid rail
  • Tying with Machete reins
  • Tying to bailing twine
  • Tie to a tree
  • Take a rug off and on
  • Pickup all feet from NS and clean out the hooves

 

Safe ‘n’ Sound in, Bridling & Saddling

  • Ask for your horse’s head down with the lead rope
  • Ask for your horse’s head down with 2 fingers and a hand on your lead
  • Ask for your horse’s head down with 2 fingers on the poll
  • Run your hand over your horse’s head, ears & muzzle without any defensive reactions
  • Use the 7 steps to bridling process including remove your rope halter
  • 7 steps to saddling

 

Safe ‘n’ Sound in, Mounting & dis-mounting from either side of your horse

  • Stand parallel to your horse and rock your saddle from side to side to square up your horse’s feet
  • Turn towards your horse’s head and tip your horse’s nose to the left with your left rein
  • Take a mane and rein hold with your left hand, hold the back or cantle of the saddle
  • Swing up half way, turn your belly button to the front of the horse
  • Rub on your horse and swing your leg over gently into the saddle
  • Sit and do nothing
  • Emergency dismount
  • Mounting from the fence
  • Mounting from a step

 

Safe ‘n’ Sound in, your Posture & Seat position

  • Positioning yourself in the saddle so no loss of energy can take place for the horse
  • 4 seat positions. Front of pelvis, seat bones, pockets with no arch in your back and scissoring your hips
  • 3 rein positions for green horses
  • Rub your horse’s dock
  • Windmills at the walk
  • Rise to the walk
  • Stand in your stirrups

 

Safe ‘n’ Sound in, Bending & Moving off

  • Tip your horse’s nose only with a timed release (TR)
  • Bend your horses head laterally both directions with a timed release
  • Create a dependable connection between the riders inside leg and the horses inside hind legs by

Tipping the nose and roll the hindquarters

  • Pickup an inside rein, lift vertically and hold. Wait until the connection of the rein is made to the hindquarters and use a timed release
  • Picture your departure in your mind, focus on where you’re going, lift and make contact, use a TR when you have unification with the feet
  • Tip your horse’s nose only with a timed release (TR) to a stop

 

Challenge yourself on obstacles

TEST FOR YOUR ABILITY 

  • Can you approach your horse from behind the shoulder and rub the wither
  • Hug your horse and tie up your halter
  • Hug your horse and tie up your halter
  • Find your horse’s itchy spot by rubbing your horse all over with your whip, halter & lead rope
  • Throw your lead over your horses back
  • Back your horse 3 steps straight towards 6 o’clock
  • Send your horse out to the RIGHT for 1 circle at the walk
  • Get our horse to face up to you so that the horse’s head is on 12 o’clock & hind legs are on 6 o’clock
  • Then bring your horse into you from the end of your lead and re-enforce the trust me, trust my equipment

Please contact:
Jo Sheval for more details
0478 7111 80
45 Connors Lane, Seville VIC 3139, Australia