It's About The Horse

bit · Member Joined: 02 Feb 2009 Posts: 4356 Location: Kansas

Soft feel is not as complex as we sometimes make it out to be. You do want the horse to get soft in the neck, and you want that softness (of relaxation) to go all the way through the body. Too often, we see folks talk about "soft feel" but really all they have is the horse's head in a frame... there is no softness, and lots of brace from the shoulders back.

The best way I know to get soft feel at the walk:

Let the horse walk out at her pace.
Take the slack out of the reins until you have a light contact. Hopefully she'll give a little. If she doesn't, you can vibrate one hand, then the other a LITTLE until you see her searching, then she'll give.
When she does give push your hands forward about a half inch, and at the same time ask with your legs for her to walk faster. It's very likely that she'll roll into the soft feel as she walks out.
If not, ask with the reins again. And again push your hands forward just a half inch or so and ask her to walk out again. She'll figure it out pretty quick, and it will feel good to her.
The feel you offer to her should be a good, inviting, contact that shows her the feel of your hand is a good place to be.

Ask her to hold the soft feel for five or six steps at the faster speed. Then give her a relaxed rein again.
Pretty quick, you can ask her to hold it for ten, fifteen, or more steps.
And by pretty quick, I mean this first session. If you introduce it nicely to her, she'll start looking for it and will be willing to hold it longer.

Remember, the other exercises we did during the clinic helped prepare her for the soft feel as well. We did a lot of exercises to improve her balance and lateral suppleness. We did a lot of exercises where she actually was giving a nice soft feel with one rein at a time. For example, reaching the hind end on a circle, reaching the front feet one at a time, hindquarters over/forehand through, serpentines, etc...

For the horse,
Brent
_________________
"It was once said I should clear my head for one cannot ride a Thoroughbred. Hot they are. And too fast they be. Forever on the fly. But I stayed the course and have no remorse. I love my off the track racehorse!"

ElaineW · Member Joined: 03 Feb 2009 Posts: 1465

This is a great post bit! thanks for sharing it...
I would like to get out to see Brent as well!
Well I wanna see everyone that uses feel!

Clarissa · Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 4:48 pm Post subject: Re: soft feel - Brent Graef