Roger Sipe, Special Projects Editor
Lindsay Hanks, Associate Editor
Matt Hennings, Art Director
Jessica Jaensch, Production Coordinator
Tracy Burns, Production Coordinator
June Kikuchi, Andrew DePrisco, Editorial Directors
The horses in this book are referred to as she and he in alternating chapters unless their sexes are apparent from the activities discussed.
Cover image by © Sharon P. Fibelkorn.
The interior images are by © Sharon P. Fibelkorn, pp. 27, 42, 73, 76; Lesley Ward, p. 57. All other interior images are by Charles Hilton.
Copyright © 2007, 2010 by I-5 Press™. Previously published in different-sized formats in The Horse Illustrated® Guide to Advanced Western Riding.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of I-5 Press™, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in an acknowledged review.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Stewart, Kara L.
Advanced Western riding / by Kara L. Stewart.
p. cm.
Horse illustrated training guide.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-935484-54-7 (alk. paper)
eISBN 978-1-937049-41-6
1. Western riding. I. Stewart, Kara L. Horse illustrated guide to advanced Western riding. II. Horse illustrated. III. Title.
SF309.3.S784 2010
798.2’3--dc22
2010021094
I-5 Press™
A Division of I-5 Publishing, LLC™
3 Burroughs
Irvine, CA 92618
Printed and bound in the United States
14 13 12 11 10 1 2 3 4 5
dedication
This book is for every rider who seeks a deeper partnership with his or her horse. Stay on the path and follow your heart.The discoveries you make together may astound you.
acknowledgments
Thanks Mom and Dad. Your love and support have made everything possible. On our journey through life, the right teachers appear when the student is ready. Each experience leads concretely to the next steps one needs to take.
Thank you, Mark Rashid, Wendy Murdoch, and Andrew Blevins, for being my teachers. Your ideas, integrity, lifelong learning, and gifts for teaching have greatly influenced this book, my horsemanship, and my life.
Mark, thanks for sharing your way of working with horses that transcends horses and applies to all of life. You’ve helped me see that the knowledge in my head isn’t much good until it’s part of my soul and that so many wonderful things happen when I bring all of me to my life. I’m a better person because of you. And eternal thanks for introducing me to Aikido.
Wendy, thanks for sharing your brilliant and passionate understanding of human and equine biomechanics. You’re helping me and other riders see how everything is possible with the right connections, physical and mental. Thanks for helping me open the door to find presence.
Blevins Sensei, thank you for sharing your talent, time, and passion in your teaching of Aikido and for being a role model in so many ways. Practicing Aikido under your guidance has blessed me and changed my life in more ways than I ever could have imagined.
Deep thanks to Crissi McDonald for your friendship and support and for showing me that stature doesn’t matter in working with horses when everything comes from softness; Kathleen Lindley, for your friendship and your insights into so many things; Shannon Brown, for being there in some critical times and sharing your beautiful connection with horses; Wendy Rashid, for all your help over the years; Cherry Hill and Richard Klimesh, for giving me a start and sharing your wisdom; Carole Williams, for being the best mentor ever; Dr. David Siemens, for your perceptive approach to equine anatomy and chiropractic; David Genadek for your ground-breaking ideas in saddle design; the amazing current and past teams at Horse Illustrated—Liz Moyer, Holly Werner, Kimberly Abbott, Moira C. Reeve, Karen Keb, and Toni McAllister—for the opportunities and your valuable suggestions over the years; and everyone at I-5 Press who made this a better book.
And thanks to Richard Bangs, Essie Becker, Frances Carbonnel, Peggy Cummings, the Douglas County Writer’s Group, Eddie, Joanne Hartmeister, Patricia Hendricks Sensei, Kei and Mariquita Izawa Sensei, John, Sue Littlefield, Mary Mueller, Eva Murphy, Katie Reid, Marion Schneider, James Shaw, Surino, Tasy, Linda Tellington-Jones, Sheila Varian, Suzi Zielinski, and Les-san and John-san and the wonderful students at Kiryu Aikido.
You’ve all been teachers, role models, guides, and companions on this journey called life. Thanks for sharing this path. I can’t wait to see what lies ahead.
Contents
Keep Riding; Stay in the Moment • Leave Out the Emotions; Assume the Best • Be Consistent • Feel Free to Make Mistakes • Be Confident and Decisive • Practice Being the Person You Want to Be • Have Fun
Developing Better Balance and Seat • Refining Effective Aids and Cues • Timing Cues for Greatest Effectiveness • Moving Beyond Cues and Aids: The Inner Aspects of Riding
Striving for Self-Carriage • Building on the Self-Carriage Foundation • Smooth Transitions • Lateral and Other Work • Keep Things Interesting
Basic Saddle Fit Guidelines for Performance • Event-Specific Saddles • Western Bridles and Bits • Transition from Snaffle to Curb
General Conditioning Tips • Show Classes • Gaming, Gymkhana, and Speed Events • Cow Events • Other Ways to Have Fun