Instantly Improve Your Horse's Lope

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In this clip we have a segment from a coaching session from 25 Time AQHA Western Pleasure World Champion Trainer, Cleve Wells that will show you have you can instantly improve (or hurt!) your horse's lope with your seat.
Video Transcript...
"Sometimes I ride everyday, 7 days a week. Not always for my horses, but for me.
I will show you a little bit of something on him right quick...
I am going to change my seats a little bit, I want you to just watch this horse,
I am going to sit up, watch his legs, head and neck...I am going to be a nervous rider and sit forward...
Alright, now I am going to come around and I am going to change my posture again. Look at the space behind my butt and the saddle...feel the timing how it is getting sloppy and rocky? Look at his head and neck...
Alright now I am going to roll my hip back down into the horse...I am going to sit back but I am going to keep my backbone real stiff.
That's a real up and down move, even thought I've got my butt down in the saddle sitting back, I am riding up and down.
Now, I am going to come around, you all have watched it no camera cut, nothing.
Now, I am going to sit down on him the way I like to ride...I am going to change his timing a little bit...I am going to roll my hips with his lope, and watch everything steady up and shape...see he is following me, this horse knows how to take my lead.
He's like "yes"
So, I take my body and I create the timing...
Now, I am going to sit back too far...Immediately (the horse's movement deteriorates)
So you are like, "how can I get a better hock?", well get your butt up and ride better!
Whoa. That is what I am saying, I can show you 3 different horses, by 3 different feels of riding like this (up and down), riding stiff back and riding down into the horse and then sitting back and riding behind the horse.
So I got in front of him, I got behind him, I got stiff, and I sit down in him and I rode the lope, the way it was supposed to be and I brought the lope to me, but when I am sitting up here, I can't bring the lope to me because all I am going to do is bring it up here... I don't want it all up here. I want it on the ground. I want him rolling his loin.
And when I am sitting back here, it is too hard, when I am behind, it's too hard for him to bring his hock up.
When I am up here, I am pushing his shoulders down and it is creating all kinds of bad timing, because I have too much weight right here.
So make yourself better. Make yourself better. Be hard on yourself.
Reach up there and jerk your own jaw. Slap your own self upside the head every now and then and say "Cleve, pay attention. Cleve, sit your ass back, Cleve, square your shoulders. Cleve, get the saddle square, it's gotta be pinching the horse's withers. Cleve. Cleve. Cleve. I just chew my butt out all day. And when I chew my butt out all day, you know what, those horses are like YES! Yes! Yes! They are loving it, because one the love to see me get my butt chewed out. Number 2 it makes it easier for them. Because I am getting better on top of them and it makes it easier for them to do their job and then we don't have the problems we thought we had, because I am getting the heck out of their way.
Or I am asking them to do something and I am not being weight detrimental to the process by leaning or pushing in the stirrups myself.
So, really, really, be hard on yourself. That is the only way to be better is to be hard on yourself. I know it is a difficult task. But that is in every event and everything you do.
Even off of a horse. Be hard on yourself. All the time. Everyday. Not for a week. Not for a month. For a year. For a lifetime. These things take a long time to put together, it's a lifetime to put together and as you just saw, it can go backwards in less than 30 seconds.
So, always go to yourself first, when you look at your videos. Look at yourself, look at the horse. Look at yourself, look at the horse. Is there anything I can do to help this? And if there is...fix yourself.
I hope you enjoyed the lesson, think about it. Get in touch with Jen or I, if there is anything we can ever do to be an asset to your success or progress."
end of transcript
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