Lesson 13: Helen House Horse

by Alexandra Kurland

The original two hour DVD lesson is now available as on on-line mini course

$45

There are no horses on this DVD - unless you count "Helen House Horse", our saddle stand. (I explain the origin of the name in the lesson.) By taking the horses out of the equation for this lesson, the rider is freed up to concentrate on her own riding skills. We look in detail at subtle changes that can make a huge difference to the rider's core stability and the horse's overall comfort.

 

In this lesson you will learn how to:

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Ride from your core.

 

• Develop a Secure Seat.

• Establish a Soft Feel.

• Connect to the Hips.

• Become an Effective Rider.

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Little Details Make a Huge Difference!

Learn how to ride from your core by first practicing your rein handling without your horse. Little details can make a huge difference to the security of your seat, and the feel down your reins. In this lesson you'll put the "t'ai chi wall" rope handling to work for you under saddle. You'll learn how to ride on a triangle of the reins to create soft, effective communication between you and your horse.

 

In my book, "The Click That Teaches: Riding with the Clicker", I describe in detail the process of riding on a triangle - why you want to, what it does for your horse, how you introduce and develop it. The book gives you the framework around which the original DVD lessons were created. What I know from working with people is reading is an important part of understanding this work, but it needs to be accompanied by seeing what it looks like and getting the feel of it in your own body. The original DVD lessons are an important part of this process.

 

If you've been working your way through the rest of the lessons in this series, you're probably itching to get on and ride. You may have even given single-rein riding a try. I suspect you have some questions about the rein handling. How do you slide down the rein? What are you supposed to be doing with your top hand? What is this soggy triangle that you've been reading about? And what is the triangle anyway that the reins are supposed to form? Most important, how does this help you to connect to your horse and to ride better?

 

These questions and many others are answered in this lesson. It begins with a demo of the single-rein riding. I show you many of the little details I've discovered that make a huge difference to the feel down the rein, the security of your seat, and the clarity of the communication.

 

The second half of the DVD shares with you some individual sessions participants at one of the 2008 summer clinics had on Helen House Horse. Watching them discover what a huge difference little details can make in their connection down the reins will help you with your own rein handling. You'll understand how to use bone rotations to create a soft feel down the rein. You'll be relaxed, but stable in your seat. You'll learn how to have a deep, secure seat, one that relies on good structure not tension to keep you in the saddle.

 

Handling skills matter. That's what we've seen over and over in this lesson series. Both on the ground and under saddle, good handling skills make a huge difference to your horse. In this lesson you'll see how the t'ai chi rope handling skills evolve easily into riding on a triangle. Everything is everything else - as you'll see in this lesson.

 

This DVD was first produced in September of 2008.

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Registration in the mini course gives you access to the course material for a year.  If you want to extend your membership in the course, it is $15/year to maintain your access to the course material.  If you are registered in the on-line clinics, the annual renewal fee is $35 and that covers all of the on-line clinics you are registered in.