Monet's Blog
August 9, 2020
June 14, 2015
Posting and Throughness
Our mare Sekretia gave birth to a beautiful colt. We named
him Kolaiah, which means "voice of God" in Hebrew. We think he is
adorable (what baby isn't?!) and his personality is that of a complete
trouble-maker. We started a therapeutic riding program
named Green Pastures. This program is managed by Linda Cupp and already has a
couple students. If you, or someone you know, are interested in this program
and what it has to offer, you can get more information here. We took on a new
sales prospect named Galaxy. He is gorgeous and his training is coming along
well. You can read about him here. We started planning our summer clinic
(scheduled for June 26th and 27th). There are still a few spots
available if you would like to join us! See the page here for details. The clinic
will show you in person what I write about in these posts, and more
importantly, help you feel it! Lastly, we revised our website to showcase our expanding services and riding programs. So we have been busy!
Before
all the craziness started, I wrote about how the two most important things are
straightness and throughness. I also started to show you how our bodies can actually
hinder a horse from being able to do that. We can unwillingly prevent them from
being straight and being through, just like a stick in bicycle wheel can stop
it from rolling.
In
this blog we are going to focus on throughness – how and where it starts.
More
than likely you have heard the phrase before: "throughness starts from
the hind end." And you have probably heard that you need to "ride
from back to front." And this is definitely true. But have you ever
thought that we, as riders, help create this throughness with our posting?
Let's review what happens in posting. It has two phases. It has an "up"
phase and a "down" phase. Most of us do the down phase great. It's
easy to sit down, isn't it? But most of us do NOT do the up phase. Or, we don’t
do it very well. You might be saying to yourself "But of course I do! I am
up! I have to go up in order to go down!" And you are right. The key is
the timing and how far you go up.
The
up phase and the timing of the up phase is critical because this is happening
at the same time that the hind leg is in the lifting and reaching phase. This
lift and reach allows the hind leg to then come further under the horse's belly.
The further under the belly, the more prepared the leg is to then be able to
sit, and then push off over the horses back and start the whole process over
again. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
THIS
is where throughness begins.
For
the most part, riders go into the sitting phase far too soon. This prevents the
hind leg from being able to come under enough to push over the back. We put the
stick in the wheel. We get in the way.
It's
not our fault. Most of us were taught to post off the shoulder. "Look
down and fix your diagonal" is something almost every rider can remember
hearing. We are not taught to post off the hind end. Again, we hear those
phrases of "ride the hind end" and "back to front," but have
we ever learned what that really meant?
In
my school of biomechanics, I teach that riding back to front can start with
posting to the timing of the hind leg. So next time you are riding try this: when
the hind leg is in the sitting phase, start your upward phase of posting.
Continue to rise and stay up until you are standing over the top of your
knee. Pause. Then start the downward motion back to the sitting phase.
Think "slow
and steady."
If your horse is going too fast try slowing him down with
your posting first, not your hands.
One way to check yourself is to note whether or not you are
having trouble getting to the fully, vertical UP phase. This is a big clue that
you are not posting truly off the hind end, and your horse is on its forehand.
It can be helpful to look back and see that hind end moving (be careful doing
this!). It's also helpful to have someone videotape you.
This
posting exercise is a key to teaching throughness to your horse. It's also key
to helping him get stronger and truly reach under, lifting up and over the
back.
If you really want to learn more, I would like to remind you of the clinic on the 27th. Register, bring your horse, and ride with me for a full feeling of what it is get throughness.
Keep
up the good work, good luck, have fun, and most of all have a conversation with
your horse!
February 4, 2013
Equine Affaire Columbus 2013
We are so excited!
Monet Phelps, owner, instructor, trainer and coach of Exalt & Salute, has been invited as a featured clinician for Equine Affaire 2013. Monet will be teaching three clinics over the course of April 13th and 14th. Applications are being accepted now at Equine Affaire's Ride with the Best page for participation in the clinics.
Topics presented will be:
Saturday 4/13/13
5:30pm–7:00pm The Art of Biomechanics: Understanding the
Four Phases of Movement of the Hind Leg, Belly Swing, & Straightness of the
Shoulders
Horses may be of any age, breed or discipline. Ideal
candidates are larger horses with big movement.
Sunday 4/14/13 11:30am–1:00pm Is Your Horse a Leg Mover or A Back Mover?:
How the Rider Can Influence the Horse’s Movement
Horses may be of any age or breed. Experience in dressage preferred,
but not required. Ideal candidates are those with horses who have issues coming
through or taking the bit.
Sunday 4/14/13
3:30pm–5:00pm Determining the
Difference between Weakness, Periodic Lameness, or Naughtiness
Ideal candidates are those with horses who 1) exhibit
periodic lameness or difficulty with certain gaits, movements; or who have had
chiropractic treatment or veterinary treatment for perceived soreness in the
back, shoulders, or legs; or 2) horses that refuse to demonstrate thoroughness,
taking the bit, or have issues with specific gaits such as correct leads; or 3)
horses who tend to exhibit back behavior when asked to perform specific gaits
or leads.
Equine Affaire is held at the Ohio Expo Center and runs April 11th through the 14th.
We look forward to seeing all of you this April!
If you are on twitter - start using #EAMonet and stay tuned for some exciting news!
If you are on twitter - start using #EAMonet and stay tuned for some exciting news!
If you cannot wait until then and want to start learning more about the art of horse and rider biomechanics, contact Monet to schedule a lesson.
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