Classical foundation training

Well, I haven’t really told much about the training style we adopted last year with our teddybear of a Finnhorse.

We discovered the classical foundation training by Will Faerber at Art2Ride in January last year and after watching all of the then available blog videos from Will, decided to go for it with our big pony. Started with lunging in February and boy, didn’t it take a while for our chap to calm down and get to business. But he did eventually and started to stretch and lower his head. First day we worked in total somewhat over an hour, next day the same, but then slowly things started to click with him and he gave us work sooner and sooner. He also became a lot calmer.

During the first couple weeks one has to be really patient and wait for things to start happening. One has to remain calm, consistent, but firm at the same time. And leave the arena only after the horse is calm and observant to you.

In May I thought that we had somehow stalled with our progress. The horse was calm, put his head low… but somehow nothing happened. I had no idea what was wrong. Riding was also calm, but maybe too calm… He started to avoid my leg when he didn’t feel like listening to it.

We were seriously in the jam-jar so to say.

Well, by chance a new trainer arrived to do a demo at the yard. We came to watch and listen if he would be anything for us. And he did seem to be it. So, we started to take lessons. And suddenly things started working again. We were put to work.

Lesson in early June. Notice dipped back, short neck,
thick underneck, hanging belly and short stride.

The progress was notable in June, but then we started to get into difficulties with our Teddybear. He became reluctant to move, resisted contact as much as possible and was just very unhappy chap indeed. He was also a little bit unlevel, and we self-diagnosed a grade one groin injury. Rest for a week and then we started to gradually bring him back to training. At that time in July the trainer was away as well, so we did not have any lessons for the remainder of the month.

Then I noticed the offer Will had put up in his blog page. Free video evaluations during July, provided he could use them in his blog. Deadline was 1^st of August. I just and just made it.

Oh my, after I sent my submission, I kept on watching the video over and over again. And it dawned on me there and then how horrible it all looked! Oh hellsbells, how embarrassing! By the next day (and god knows how many times I watched that video) I had realised what had happened in the spring and why we seemed to have dropped into the jam-pot and why the new trainer’s methods worked for some weeks and then not…

It was simple. We had fallen into the Finnhorse-trap. They are smart. Our boy had pretty quickly learned that lowering of the head will mean that we take off the pressure and praise him. In other words, we let him slouch. Ridden work was the same, we did not really push him at all. This is why the other training method worked at first, because we were put to work. He responded positively, because he had enough muscle for the work for the first couple weeks, but then it became too much for him too soon, and he couldn’t do it anymore. Finnhorses don’t respond well to being pushed and crunched and put into a package with hard riding. They have good work morale and they do try to please you, but you don’t get too far by bullying them.

From the first video submission I suddenly saw how horribly short he had become. How unhappy he looked and how much I had to do to just keep him going! Appalling. Totally humiliating.

Change came swiftly: next training session was on the lunge and forward and forward, Properly. Husband rode and I told him to forget the reins, just make him go Forward. And then he did finally start moving properly, and what a relief for him and us.

Will’s critique a couple days later was then no surprise to me. I have to say that I have not watched the video since… I was listening to Will’s comments and making notes, but not watching… I was and am that embarrassed. Well, we filmed the next training session, and that became our second submission. Now that one I can watch and listen again. I couldn’t stop smiling for a long while. :) 

A still from our second submission (1st Aug). Notice how stride is longer already,
lower neck still not totally relaxed, but upper neck muscles are already being used
and he is starting to stretch, and back is starting to work.