[FoxRidgeRanch]

I've been working with Nova most of the on Showmanship but Haven't tried much work with the pivots. I couldn't figure out how to show her how to do it. Well today I tried out what a friend told me (pretend your teach to back from an angle and just move the front end). Well at first she tried to turn into herself and not just turn with a straight body. After a alot of trial and error she does it awesome with a few reminders but I'm slightly facing her. This was in a 45 min session. She's pivoting on her back left foot and can do a 360 turn withouth moving it most of the time but if I try to stay facing forward without touching her she seems to move her butt more. Frustrating! lol

Also in showmanship do you only pivot turning away from you or towards you as well. If you are to turn towards the inside how to you train them to do that?

What do you guys think about her. She's only a yearling right now and I've never shown her yet. Do you think she'll work over for Halter classes and showmanship?

She knows how to bring herself to a low headset but sometimes when we back or pivot she looks uneasy (prolly cause we're still learning together). I'm assuming that she'll get alot more relaxed as we go along with this. She's a pretty laid back little filly as fillies go.

 

[FoxRidgeRanch]

My computer auto completed the Please part lol Pleasure!

 

[Ohhkierst]

You pivot away from you. but if you plan on doing a freestyle showmanship pattern you can do a pull pivot. It takes a lot of work but it is actually really neat. With my gelding he will get lazy sometimes so I will back him up into a large circle until he "gives me his hip" and pivots. I also smack the side of his shoulder to get that nice crossover from him, (no i dont hit my horse) just a little pat/smack to encourage it. She is obviously very downhill but since she is a yearling she has time to grow out of that and level out. She has a cute doll face and I do like her shoulders. Should be interesting to see her grow !

 

[paintedpastures]

For showmanship pivot they should be pivoting on their inside leg{right}.They will be going in a clockwise direction.You should be standing out more in front of horse with your body facing more the side of their face to push them around not back at the shoulders or facing the chest or shoulder area. Doing a pivot toward you is called a pull turn.Again you are out front by head only you pull them toward you in the arch of the circle again they will pivot on the inside leg,but in this case the inside leg is the left.Usually with pull turns they will not ask for more than a 180 turn,I have done very few patterns that will ask for this.

 

[Ohhkierst]

I was going to add this but it wouldn't let me..

Make sure that where you stand means different things. For example my horse knows that if I face him, that means to back up as well as short little kisses. If I am facing forward with him that either means lets depart if i cluck once or a whoa to stop. If I face the side of his head and cluck, he knows to start pivoting. Eventually you wont even need to make any noises. And sometimes I don't have to , just the lazy days. Again that is from my finished show horse...Just start simple with her, don't overload her with trying to get a pivot after day one. That is a good way for her to hate showmanship. Make it fun. I Love that class! Before you start asking for the pivot, does she stay in line with you, does she depart cleanly, does she stop and go without hesitation? will she pick up a trot in hand with you without tugging her? these are the more simple things to start off with first.

 

[ButtInTheDirt]

How I, and many other people I know, get the horse to pivot is first of all to face them. Horses that learn it good enough generally will pivot away just by you walking into them. But to start training them, you turn and face their neck. Take your left hand and put it on the jaw (the flubby part of it), then right hand on the shoulder. You apply light pressure, then increase it untill the horse moves off of it. You keep doing this untill the horse moves off of simply a touch, or even walking towards them. But it isn't something a horse will learn in a day. If you go out by them a few minutes every day for a month, by the end of that month the horse will have it down pretty good. But make sure to put light pressure on first, then push harder and harder, if the horse still doesn't move use your nails to dig into them. Some people use a hoof pick to put pressure, then they are more sensitive to it that is mainly for pretty tough skinned horses. You might want to give a command for it, like kissing noises or clucking. But if you use those noises for moving forward, don't use them for this. Nothing worse than having one command that means 10 different things.
Good luck. ^-^

 

[FoxRidgeRanch]

Before you start asking for the pivot, does she stay in line with you, does she depart cleanly, does she stop and go without hesitation? will she pick up a trot in hand with you without tugging her? these are the more simple things to start off with first.

Nova knows to keep her jaw and head in line with my shoulder. She stops pretty good and back very good. She walks on cue with when I walk or start to move. She trots if I speed up or kiss. I very rarely have to pull on the rope except for coming to a stop at a trot some times. The pivot is the only reason I didn't try showing this year.

 

[FoxRidgeRanch]

Another thing I'm always curious about is the lead chain I see that alot of people have it wound around or looped through the halter. whats that all about. Is there a certain way the chain has to be?

 

[Ohhkierst]

there is no good way to describe that... but ill try.

Through the side.
Under the chin.
Up through the other side.
And hooked to the top hole? lol Im not sure how to describe it... Im sure there is a youtube video somewhere!

 

[Ohhkierst]

Showmanship chain

The first one go through that hole and then up and around... if you can see it on the other side.

hope this helps somewhat