Profile on Richard Shrake
Why do some horse people succeed, while others fail? There are a number of reasons. Among them...the presence of someone you can model yourself after...a teacher whose professional capabilities and personal qualities are worthy of respect and a teacher who has already achieved and gives people the tools to succeed themselves. Unfortunately, role models are few and far between, that's why Richard Shrake fills all the needs of the goal oriented horse person. It is not hard to understand why Richard Shrake is such a phenomenal success. Shrake is considered by his peers as the "Trainer's Trainer," and shares his extensive knowledge and humane training techniques to all who know him. The Richard Shrake method of teaching allows all who follow his riding and training methods to gain the greatest possible insight into their horse's minds and their riding ability. His gift of being able to break down each problem into a very solvable situation is what makes his teaching far above all other trainer's methods. As you can see, if you want to excel in your riding and training skills, you've got to have a mastery of fundamentals and be aware of your talents and have the teacher who has the credentials to take you to the level you want to go. Richard Shrake has devoted his life to training horses and instruct people to reach their top goals, and he did this by reaching the top in the horse business himself. By using his flawless teaching techniques you can see why he has earned the title "The Master of Horsemanship."
For information on the Richard Shrake products & upcoming programs, write: A Winning Way, Ltd. P.O. Box 4490, Sunriver, OR 97707. Call 1-800-635-8861. Visit us at http://www.empnet.com/rshrake/ & e-mail us at rshrake@empnet.com
The Master of Horsemanship
If your horse anticipates your signals you will have problems putting together a smooth performance. If you not only anticipate your own signals, but the movements of your horse, then you can look forward to a flawless, well balanced ride. Sounds contradictory? Not at all.
I like to compare the rider's relationship with his horse to a football coach and his team, a conductor and his orchestra and a driver and his race car. The good ones all have one thing in common: the leader takes command and produces a balanced performance by anticipating what is coming next. The football coach is always one or two plays ahead so that the team will be prepared for the options they will be confronted with. The orchestra conductor knows the whole score from beginning to end so that he can create the mood and bring out a balance of sound. The race car driver knows every curve and straight away on the track so well that he is able to bring his car to its maximum speed and power for each turn. The leader gives confidence and direction because he is always prepared. However, working with animals is very different. Anticipating the moves of a horse calls for a special ability because, as we all know, horses have a mind of their own. But when horse and rider become a team, working together, timing can be mastered.
The reiner who anticipates the position of his horse's body will have smooth and correct lead changes. Their stops will be balanced, long and fluid because he has studied where he is according to the markers in the ring, letting him rate and draw as much power and athletic ability from his horse for each stop. The trail class rider anticipates what is ahead so that he can position his weight and help his horse move slowly and evenly over each obstacle, not allowing any mistakes. The rider showing in fence classes anticipates how many strides are needed between fences so that he can line up his horse for perfect timing. The barrel racer who anticipates each turn will keep his horse in position by lifting the inside rein, keeping the horse's shoulder up as they go around the barrel. The team roper who anticipates the speed and direction of his steer will always be in position to make a perfect run for the best time. It only takes a tenth of a second to separate the winner from the rest. As we can see, the key words here are: anticipate, balance and position. Staying in position allows both the horse and rider to perform to the best of their ability.
You will need a horse that is obedient and can follow your signals exactly and not anticipate. The reining horse that anticipates his lead changes will usually drop his shoulder, causing him to drop a hind lead, resulting in penalty points. Anticipating his stops, the horse will not create a lack of drive, but he will need to bounce for balance, or "scotch", also resulting in penalty points. The trail horse that anticipates the walk overs will end up speeding up and either double stepping a pole or knocking it down. This anticipation of wanting to finish is the same as the horse that turns back toward the barn and speeds up to get back to his stall. Or like the rail horse that always speeds up after he has reversed the ring, anticipating going back to line and resting. The hunter or jumper that anticipates the signals of the rider will cause several problems in their performance, the most important one being the miscalculation of strides in between fences. Perfect timing of both strides and speed is needed for the horse to jump over the fence flawlessly. The barrel racing horse that anticipates the rider's cues will not only knock the barrel down by turning too soon, but will also end up with a slower time when he anticipates the finish line. The roping horse that anticipates and breaks out of the barrier not only runs by or over his cattle, but puts the roper completely out of position, which results in a missed loop.
If you are a rider who lacks the knowledge or confidence of anticipating your horse's movements, or you have a horse who anticipates your cues, here are several drills that you can do for yourself and your horse.
DRILLS FOR YOUR HORSE
1. Make sure your horse is relaxed and supple before you use your aids. If he stiffens and gets on the muscle, keep him at a walk with your hands and legs staying very slow and quiet. Jerking and hitting him will only make things worse. This is the point that your horse becomes a mirror image of you: if you are frustrated and angry, he will be too. He will not anticipate when he is relaxed. It is a lot like when you wait for someone to pick you up a at certain time. The more you look at your watch the more nervous you get. But when you sit down and occupy your time, the time flies by.
2. Teach your horse to accept your hands and legs. You can do this when riding at a walk. Take a light contact with your horse's mouth and keep walking forward. Hold the light pressure there until he starts to relax and trust it. Do the same with your legs. Keep the light pressure against his sides until he learns to accept the contact.
3. Take the time to ride him on through the part in your pattern that he anticipates. Ride your reining horse through the circle without changing leads on the rail. Stop him and let him stand and relax. Pet him. Ride him on through his stops to the rail. Let him stand. Stop your trail horse before he goes over an obstacle and side pass him away from it. Keep your hunter horse cantering in a circle, not allowing him to jump over a fence. Put him through a series of trot-canter transitions until he relaxes and picks up an easy rhythm that you can control and rate. Pull your barrel racer off the barrel by using your inside rein as you approach the turns. Instead of using a direct pull, use your inside rein across his whithers, lifting his shoulder away from the barrel. Rate your roping horse with the cattle until you get to the other end of the ring. Let him break from a barrier and swing your rope, but make him follow the cow at a pace. A lot of good horses have been ruined by the riders thinking that they can pound a quiet relaxed attitude into them. If they are going to last and become good campaigners making run after run, they need to stay quiet and not anticipate being hurt. At this point you need to know the difference between a lazy horse that does not respond to a cue and one that is on the muscle and anticipating.
DRILLS FOR THE RIDER
1. Know your horse as well as you can. Learn how responsive he is to your hands and legs. How sensitive is he? How much pressure can he handle under training drills? Is he forgiving? Does he have an obedient attitude or one of resistance? Do you need to ride him fairly strong or very light and passive?
2. Know your patterns and courses inside out! This means walking through it on foot, memorizing every little detail: the ground, the ring, the spacing, everything! Go through it mentally, letting yourself have a perfect run. Imagine going through every section of the pattern, slowly.
3. Know your own weaknesses. Work on them. Develop them to be your strengths.
If you follow the above outlines, exercises and drills you will succeed!
May you always ride a good horse........Richard Shrake
