Have you ever walked down to the herd without a plan?

Maybe you entered the body of the herd without a thought about how you will impact the cattle?

In this week’s video, I discuss three different places to enter the herd for a cutting or herd work run, the impact that entry has on the movement of cattle, which routes I prefer, and why.

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This week, this question came up: “What does deepen your seat mean?”

Now, that’s a GREAT question.

That’s what this podcast is all about.

Our seat is the most fundamental part of our riding, and it is multi-dimensional. It is our most direct line of cueing and communication with a horse. It is the center of our balance. And when our body is aligned, our limbs are loose, and we are focused; it’s as if we are one with a horse.

When we understand all that’s involved with our seat, we can continue to develop this means of communication with our horse for a lifetime.

1. Experiencing your seat in unison with your horse…

• • Expand the concept of “seat” to mean the lower trunk of the body.

  • The hip bones are aligned with the shoulders and down to the ankles for much of the time in the saddle.

  • When a horse is moving, our seat moves in a variety of ways and rhythms with a horse (depending on the gait, speed, situation, etc.).

2. Use your seat proactively with your eyes and breath for…

• • Slowing down

  • Stopping

  • Speeding up

  • Turning

  • Smoothness in all maneuvers

3. How-to reminders:

• • Keep your body loose

  • Give your horse time to feel your seat

  • Go to your seat/eyes/breath first for communications and transitions

  • Legs/feet come next as cues

  • Hands are used as support last

Before I go, I want to remind you that learning a new skill or deepening a skill has many layers.

First, you learn what you want to do and why it’s important. In this case, we’re talking about riding with an active consciousness of your seat because it is the most direct line of communication with your horse; it is how you develop feel, and it can help you stay calm and focused on the inside as you stay softly anchored in the saddle.

But here’s another critical point. It’s not just understanding what we’re doing and why it’s important that allows you to grow a skill. It’s the practice of the new behavior day-in and day-out and refining your technique indefinitely.

You come to any riding session with your own positive behaviors as well as things you need to improve – and so does your horse.

This is the spot where many people neglect cultivating a skill to higher levels. If they only understand that a behavior is important but don’t really practice it strategically over time, they return to their default skill levels – for better or worse. No true progress is made.

In the case of developing more feel through our seat, it’s easy to want to move on to more complex maneuvers and just assume that we know about our seats and what to do.

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Not too long ago I did an in-depth 5 hours and 20 minutes total time, webinar series on cutting. I thought it would be fun this week to share 8 minutes of one of the sessions. It’s all about breaking making the cut down into individual pieces.

I identify seven in all. There’s nothing ‘official’ about this number. However, I’m a big believer in ‘chunking’ – that is knowing the different skills and behaviors that comprise a beautiful flowing whole when it’s put together.

Please leave a comment for us!

LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS 

LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS 

In this video, I discuss five essentials of good herd work and show examples of:

• Driving forward for the cut

• Pausing and then moving across the pen with the flow of cattle

• Using the cow-side leg during the cut

• Keeping your horse on his haunches as you make the cut

• Transitioning down to a deeper seat after the cut and when you start working the cow

• Lowering your heart rate and planning between cattle and before re-entering the herd

I love hearing your thoughts. Let me know what you think by leaving a comment.

LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS 

I just returned from the NCHA Futurity. 

When I saw these two cuts. I thought they would be great examples of how you can make the best decisions possible on the cut if cattle threaten to stay together and ‘get tangled up.’

Watch for three things: 

1. How the cutters both steer and move their horse amid the threatening situations
2. How the cutter moves (or not) with the cow to be cut
3. How the cutter is aware of the cattle or cow that need to be cleared.

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Have you ever wondered what someone means when they say, “Get a hold of that cow!” You might think, “What in the world?????”

When a trainer or a helper says this, he or she means to become more aware of your mental and physical connection to the cow in that moment. It’s like saying, “Above all else, zone in on the cow.” That’s because beyond all of the technical things we do with our legs and seat, we always need to relate them to the cow first and foremost.

Sometimes as cutting horse riders, we become so wound up on getting the cow cut, putting our hand down, keeping it down, sitting deep in the saddle, using a herdside or cowside leg … the list goes on … that the cow becomes secondary as it moves around in front of us. We’re too busy multi-tasking on all the other stuff to be intently focused on the cow.

But actually, the connection to the cow should come first.

It’s analogous to playing tennis. You have to keep your eye on the ball to play tennis or else you won’t be in the game very long. Your connection to the tennis ball is key.

In cutting it’s keeping your eye on the cow. It’s the same in regards to your effectiveness as a rider as you work a cow. The more connected to a cow you are, the more accurate and purposeful you will be as you ride. The difference between tennis and cutting is that we don’t always have to be that focused. Our horse will cover for us most of the time if we don’t laser beam in on the cow.

Here are three ways to get more connected to a cow:

1. Make getting and staying focused to the cow your first priority. Have a phrase you say to yourself repeatedly that connects you to the cow.

The thought “Watch the cow” is a good one, and of course essential. But by nature, the word “Watch” is a little passive. There’s nothing technically wrong with that idea. But if you tell yourself to “Take a hold!” … now you’ve got some energy going on! Boom! “Take a hold of that cow!”

2. Be purposeful regarding the angle you take to stop the cow. Go for more than just position on the cow (although that’s a good starting point). Go for moving up into the “energy” of the cow at a slight angle to the cow.

3. “Read the cow” in all you do, especially with your seat. Go beyond the mechanics of how to sit. Use the mechanics of your seat for the purpose of connecting with your horse and stopping the cow. Let the purpose of stopping the cow tell your body when to sit. Take “a hold of the cow” in the stop with a dramatic seat drop.

LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS 

“Seat” as used here refers to stability in physical balance as well as a close connection to your horse.

Physically, I’m referring to your backside, particularly from your lower back to the top of your legs.

I’m talking about the ease and stability of that portion of your body as it acts like a flexible, heavy anchor aboard your horse. With this soft and heavy comfort, the rest of your body parts can function freely and independently.

It is finding and flowing with the movement of your horse in this sweet spot that allows all other parts of your body to their jobs.

When this part of your body feels soft and heavy, your arms, legs and feet will feel like they are on hinges as they work independent of your lower center of your body.

You will feel grounded physically AND mentally because this is the part of your body where your emotions are housed as well.

There are some simple things you can do to find and keep your seat.

1. Try this simple action. It is more internal than external in developing this anchor of stability.

Press your abdomen/tummy within towards your back bone. Feel the compression on the inside.

It will feel heavy, yet you will feel connected to your horse. With this awareness, soften your shoulders and your arms. Feel the independent use capability of your arms and legs.

2. As you ride your horse in different gaits, become aware of your seat bones and how your horse moves your hips and specifically those two seat bones.

3. Keep reminding yourself to be stable and conscious of your core by saying a word or words to yourself over and over to develop this awareness.

For example, say to yourself, almost like a chant, “Core. Cow. Core. Cow. Core. Cow.” These two words will keep you focused on the cow and focused on your core/seat at the same time.

4. Remind yourself to stay loose and watch the cow as you work the cow. Add “Loose” to your previous mantra. Or, you might want to add the word, “Heavy’. Say to yourself whatever works for you.

Keep telling yourself this. I know it sounds a little unusual, but when you say these words to yourself over and over, to “Cow… Core… Loose… Cow… Core… Loose,” now you are the one in control of feeding yourself the reminders that you need to be connected to your horse, loose and connected to the cow.

Enjoy developing more balance and more connection with your horse, as well as the ability to use your hands and your feet independently as you work a cow.

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I receive some form of this question a lot:

“What advice can you give an amateur cutter who becomes very anxious and feels out of control when the cow takes off running when practicing in a large round pen … and your biggest fear is the unexpected STOP. Any advice or practice tips you can share to help get control of this?”

This can be a really scary situation, not to mention a little dangerous sometimes.

My first thought is a rather obvious one, but I have to mention it.

Stay safe. I don’t really know how your horse stops when he goes fast. If he stops on his front end every time, that is difficult for anyone to ride.

For the purpose of this article, let’s assume that your horse stops on his hindquarters… at least most of the time!

These three things are necessary for stops to be comfortable at high speeds:

1. Both the horse and the rider must rate the cow.

By this, I mean that if as a rider you are dreading the stop and you’re not focused on reading the cow, there is no doubt you will most likely keep your feet in your horse and cause him to stop on his front end.

Riding cow horses has a tremendous amount to do with reading a cow no matter the speed… slow or fast.

It takes time to trust your horse and yourself as you read a faster cow.

However, that being said, you can talk to yourself constantly while working a cow and tell yourself, “Read the cow. Read the cow. Read the cow.”

This mantra helps you focus your eyes and your mind on the cow instead of thinking about the fear of the speed and what could happen. By saying this to yourself repeatedly, over time you WILL learn to read a cow if you focus on it.

As you learn to read a cow better, you will begin to round your lower back and drop your seat down as you see the cow begin to stop, which gives your horse time to stop on his hindquarters in position with and in time with the cow.

2. A horse must be collected and have some propulsion to stop well.

The rider aids collection and propulsion (or hinders it) with what he or she does with their feet while traveling with a cow.

Regarding a stop, make sure your seat is down and stays down as your horse stops AND all the way through the turn.

Your feet need to be OUT OF HIM as he’s stopping.

When you begin to travel with a cow at the end of the turn, your feet re-enter the scene to guide or propel a horse.

My suggestion is to really understand (with the help of a trainer or mentor) this entire sequence of how to use your feet for the stop and turn.

Different trainers have different philosophies about this. Really seek to understand first. Then, practice it on a flag if you can, as well as on cattle.

It takes time to master timing with your feet, but it has everything to do with if your horse stops well on a fast cow.

3. Your upper body needs to stay soft and pliable, especially your hips and your lower back.

Your center of balance is in your lower abdomen. Your hips should feel soft and heavy and your back should feel soft and rounded for stops.

I agree with the concept of “push on the horn” if you are just beginning to work a cow, especially if you are pulling on the horn.

Beyond that time however, I believe it is much better to tell yourself to “Get heavy, soft and deep in your hips,” as you stop.

I WAY prefer this to “push on the horn” which makes your arm stiff… which stiffens your entire upper body… and ultimately actually takes your balance out of your seat.

I do think it’s a good idea to gently use the horn as a balancing lever by pressing against it with the heel of your hand if necessary from time to time, but not as an end in itself.

When someone tells you to push on the horn, press gently on it and get heavy in the saddle. Consciously tune into softening your hips and lower back.

While these three suggestions are not all-inclusive, they are vital to help you develop great stops with speed.

In time you will come to love feeling the rhythm in controlling a fast cow. In the meantime, practice the above and be patient with yourself in this learning curve.

Although it takes time, the end result is well worth the time and effort.

LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS 

Most cutting pictures are similar to the one above because they capture a beautiful deep stop at the beginning or middle of the turn.
 

A lot of herdwork and cutting instruction has to do with how to sit and use your feet before stops and during the middle of the turn.

For example, there’s a lot of discussion about sitting and waiting, etc.
 

There is another phase of the stop-turn sequence that is also critical to understand and ride correctly. It’s at the end of the turn where the horse completes the turn and then accelerates on the line.
 

The reason why the end of the turn is important is because this is where the horse: 

• Continues to read the cow undistracted (very important!) 

• Accelerates in a collected manner as he begins to move out of the turn and on ‘the line’

• ‘Stays on the line’ and does not go either towards the cow or does not move away from the cow as he travels across the arena (unless forced to do so)

To get a feel for this end part of the turn, I’m going to go out there into fantasy land for a moment, so bear with me here.
 

Imagine you are sitting in a swivel chair, like the chair at your desk. 

Let’s pretend like you don’t have to do anything to make your swivel chair turn, but sit quietly. The chair turns on its own. You just have to look at something that will move your chair on its own.

As you sit in the chair, your feet are quiet and do not impede the movement of the chair.
 

Again, your job is to focus on whatever is moving the chair and allow it to turn on its own.

But then at the 180-degree mark, your feet need to do some coordinated and correct actions to accelerate the chair on a line and keep it from rotating more than 180 degrees.

With your fantasy chair, when you use your feet correctly, you could accelerate the chair on a straight line at the 180 mark and keep it parallel to the object that pulled you through the turn.
 

Okay… let’s come back now to working a cow.

The cow ‘pulls’ a horse through the turn, i.e., the horse waits for the cow to move and then turns with it (much on his own) in a rhythmic, synchronized and correct form manner.

The sequence is: the cow goes; the horse comes next; the horse brings the rider on the horse’s back. 

At the end of the turn, the rider helps the horse move well, stay in position and travel correctly with the cow across the arena. 

So, while the cow initiates the turn and dictates the speed of the turn, at the end of the turn, the rider’s feet make a huge difference for what happens next.  

Just as in the chair analogy, for example, if you were rotating to the right, your right foot could keep the chair from over-rotating to the right and moving off of a 180-degree turn (if needed).
 

The difference between a chair and a horse (there are a lot of differences (-:) is that the cow-side leg is critical, too. 

When used appropriately the cow-side leg ensures that the horse’s body complete’s the the turn and comes out of the turn in a collected way. It is used in coordination with the herd-side leg, which keeps the horse on the line.

Therefore, at the end of the turn, the rider not only accelerates the horse, but he or she can also help him move in a collected way and in a straight line.
 

As you become more aware of this end-of-the-turn moment, and you begin to feel that critical acceleration place, it will help you use your feet more effectively and more accurately.

In the meantime, you can ride your office chair! (-:

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