I am teaching my mare how to do a pull turn for showmanship. She is starting to understand, but sometimes she gets her front end "stuck" and only moves her hindquarters. This is the complete opposite of what I want her to do but how can I teach her to move her shoulders and plant her pivot foot? I try to go slow and keep the flow going. It's not like I can push on her shoulder, like when I am doing the regular pivot--she's pivoting to me, not away from me. Any suggestions?
Posted 2005-04-06 10:29 AM (#23498 - in reply to #23483) Subject: RE: showmanship pull turn
Expert
Posts: 1989 Location: South Central OK
I believe this new "fad" will pass...but in the mean time here are some pointers:
Slowly cue your mare to move one front foot at a time then increase. If back feet are moved quickly move her off the forehand pivot and "correct" her.
(I've had mixed results with this.) Have another person move to the opposite side and you cue her for the turn. SOmetimes having the other person act as a wall helps the mind "click."
I think the next move for showmanship will be towards trail, you know the pole class?!? That man in California was on drugs when he designed those courses and AQHA smoked some too and bought the whole darned thing lock, stock and barrel! I mean honestly, when on a trail will you find a geometric pole pattern? I am hoping this too will pass...
Posted 2005-04-06 1:52 PM (#23507 - in reply to #23483) Subject: RE: showmanship pull turn
Expert
Posts: 1989 Location: South Central OK
It's the dumbest thing since "new trail"...a pull turn is making the horse pivot while turning into the handler. The turn must be no more than 90 degrees and is the opposite of everything we've ever been told as horse people. You are asking the horse to turn into you...my idea of a pull turn is making the horse turn around you as you turn, then in a show a trainer friend pulled this pivot while the kid walked backwards and it won...I still blame him for this dumb crap. I've seen kids trip and nearly fall over backwards while their horse almost pivoted onto them. It violates all "rules" of respecting the handlers personal space in my opinion. My horse should move around me, not me walk funny around my horse...it's just backwards!And I love the soundness check in the rail classes, down the center of the arena...I mean should judges have their eyes checked? I can see lame horses on the rail from a mile away! I can also see sideways lopers and tropers, no need to "parade" them down the middle.
Posted 2005-04-06 4:23 PM (#23509 - in reply to #23483) Subject: RE: showmanship pull turn
Member
Posts: 10
Location: new castle, pa
Thanks for the advice. I do look at her foot, not her eye, but that was a really good point to make. She will be intimidated if I'm looking at her eyes and will be reluctant to move to me.
I am not a big fan of this, but it's better to be prepared if it's part of the pattern. I hope this is a fad because I think it's dangerous, also. We turn our horses away from us so we don't get stepped on or run over. So far, I've only seen it at the breed shows. It hasn't hit the smaller, local shows-yet. But, when it does, I'll be ready. Thanks
Posted 2005-04-06 6:12 PM (#23513 - in reply to #23483) Subject: RE: showmanship pull turn
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 565 Location: Michigan
I had to do that pull-turn thingy twice last year in an open show and saw it a bigger show that I was watching as well. Yes it is lame. I didn't see that pattern done in the youth showmanship classes though which I thought was good. Fortuneately my horse does it pretty good. Now, if we could just get our pivots moving cleaner and faster!
Posted 2005-04-07 11:33 AM (#23531 - in reply to #23483) Subject: RE: showmanship pull turn
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 350 Location: Newton, NJ
I was a Horse Show mom for many years and only saw that Pull maneuver asked for one time. This was about 15 years ago and almost all the kids in the class (who had been taught the safe way to turn a horse is away from you) where dumbfounded. I agree that this is a potentially dangerous move. Why don't you point this out to your show committee and have them request that the judges do not request this maneuver. I would petition my breed organization and ask them to remove this maneuver from the list of acceptable patterns. When some kid gets a leg broken or a head crushed, who's going to take responsibility??? I wouldn't want my local club to be sued along with everyone associated!!! Safety should always come first.
showmanship pull turn
