Showmanship

[PaintsQH]

How do you teach a horse to move where you want him when doing showmanship? I know how to do the halter and in hand trail, but I know in Showmanship you cannot touch the horse to move him. My biggest problem is how do you get him to turn his forequarters (I think that is the proper term). Where his front legs move and the back dont.. Moving him away from you and then toward's you before you trot off. Make sense?? I might have some of my terms incorrect, but hopefully someone knows what im talking about

[joustinggirl]

There are different techniques that folks use. With my horses I start out very small, I first teach them to move their shoulder over with my hand pushing it. I want them to cross their front leg closest to me over their other one. When they are doing that pretty good, I ask for 2 steps and so on. Eventually I stop touching their shoulder and only ask them with the halter and lead. Teaching them to back with halter pressure may be a better place to start, sometimes to teach them to transfer weight to the rear to do a good pivot I ask them to back first, then just when they shift their weight back I ask them to go to the side.

[BarrelGirl]

Yep, I start mine similar to how joustinggirl said. Just make sure you take little steps at a time, and give them lots of praise so they know they're doing what you ask. Oh, and for a pivot on the haunches, it makes your job much easier if you can shift their weight on their hindquarters, as joustinggirl suggested. With their weight to the back, they're less likely to step out of the pivot, as they have to shift their weight back forward to do it!

I haven't trained a full-sized horse to do pivots specifically, but I teach all, minis or full-sized, to move away from me if I move toward them. If I want them to move their shoulders away, I turn, look at the shoulder, take a step closer, then apply the pressure with the hand while clicking to them (verbal cue to move). If they don't respond, I increase my pressure (like maybe start tapping their shoulder) until I get the slightest step. This has worked excellently with my minis... my mare will sidepass, pivot on the forehand and haunches, and actually complete the showmanship pattern relying mainly on my body position (lean forward means walk on, lean back means stop, further forward leaning means trot, etc). It took a while for us to be able to do it, but it makes the classes much easier now!

[Slim Pikkens]

Another trick that helps is to look thro the horse's neck. I know, you can't see thro it but envision something beyond and focus your mind as tho the neck wasn't in the way. Body language? You bet.

[jade65 & Hannah04]

Just remember when you walk towards the shoulder and they move away even one step walk forward and let the horse walk out of it and praise them, then try for two steps and so on, remember this is a forward movement though so in the show ring the judge will look for the horse to step forward and accross not sit back on the haunches and accross.(that is a major no no) I used a riding crop as an extension of my arm to guide my horses shoulder and it helped tremendously. I hope this is not to complicated to understand, if I lived closer I would show you!

[PaintsQH]

He's got the backing up pretty well down. I can back him through the L shape ground poles, line him up pretty good, side pass him over a ground pole, etc. I will try the suggestions mentioned by everyone. They make sense and hopefully I/he should figure it out. Joustingirl, that sounds like a great way to start, but moving him with my hand. I will try tomorrow and let you know how it goes. Im sure I will need more advise. Thanks

[DanielleS]

good luck!

[HighHorse]

Clinton Anderson's techniques, of course. He talked about moving a horse in showmanship at the last clinic.

[dodib]

LOTS AND LOTS OF PRACTICE!!!!
I agree with the other small steps at a time