Advantages of Flag Work

Working the flag is a vital coaching instrument if you experience cow horses or slicing horses, however do you know it may possibly additionally assist your horse develop primary expertise he wants for different elements of using? Flag work has all the pieces to do with cow work, and nothing to do with cow work. It teaches your horse higher learn a cow, nevertheless it additionally teaches him management, transfer his physique round, and pay attention on your leg, hand, and seat cues independently. 

I’m going to cowl the other ways flag work can assist your horse, even for those who by no means have plans to work a cow. Then I’ll speak about a number of the most typical issues I see throughout flag work and the totally different drills you need to use at house to right them. 

Advantages of Flag Work

Lots of people suppose that in the event that they by no means have plans to do a cattle occasion that there’s no level in educating their horse work a flag. However I’m right here to let you know that’s not true. Flag work is a good way to bolster primary using fundamentals and guarantee your horse is listening to your cues and physique language. 

Transfer his ft. Having management over your horse’s ft is essential, even for those who by no means work a reside cow. Having the ability to transfer your horse’s ft can preserve you from entering into bother each within the enviornment and outdoors of it. For instance, for those who come throughout a water crossing on a path and your horse balks at it, having management of his ft can preserve you from getting caught in a nasty state of affairs. It could possibly additionally assist with going over totally different obstacles you may discover throughout your experience.

Extra from Brad: Know Your Horse’s Limits

Leg and seat cues. Your horse wants to reply to your leg and seat cues, and dealing the flag is a good way to check that. Once you trot your horse parallel to the flag, you’re utilizing your legs and your seat to push him ahead. When it comes time to cease, you launch your legs away from him, drop your heels, and sit deep in your seat. In case your horse is taking note of the flag, he must be stopping when it stops, however your leg and seat cues will assist reinforce this. 

Rein cues. Your horse additionally must be conscious of your rein cues if you work a flag. When you ask him to cease and he doesn’t reply to your leg and seat cue, the subsequent step is utilizing your hand. It’s essential to know that he’ll be responsive if you do go to your reins. You additionally use your reins to assist information your horse if you make a flip, which is able to assist him discover ways to comply with his nostril and perceive direct and oblique rein cues. 

Maintain him accountable. A flag retains your horse accountable. It causes him to concentrate to what he’s doing and the place he’s going. When the flag stops, he ought to cease. When the flag goes the other way, he ought to flip and keep parallel with the flag. When you ought to have management of his ft, you don’t wish to need to micromanage each step he takes. 

Totally different Drills

Whether or not your horse is a seasoned professional on the flag or nonetheless at first levels, there are a couple of totally different drills you possibly can incorporate into your using program to resolve widespread issues that occur on the flag. 

However earlier than you begin, just remember to safely introduce your horse to the flag so you may get probably the most out of your coaching session.

When you’ve completed that, it’s time to place your expertise to the check.

Get him hooked. Earlier than you start doing something along with your horse on the flag, give him the prospect to get hooked onto it, particularly if he’s inexperienced. This warmup can also be the time to evaluate what he’s doing and determine what drills you’ll want to embrace in your coaching session for that day.

Begin by having the flag go lengthy on each side so your horse has a while to hook onto it. If he’s accustomed to the flag and has expertise monitoring it, you can begin mixing it up on him after he’s hooked on. Go lengthy, go brief, and go the identical course. (That is the place you cease the flag after which begin it once more going the identical course you have been earlier than.) 

Be taught Extra: Flag Work Fundamentals

Fixed assortment. Do you discover your horse popping out of the bridle if you cease or flip to go the opposite course? Meaning he’s most likely not staying collected through the cease and thru the flip. It additionally means he’s most likely not collected if you’re trotting him previous to stopping. 

To repair that, you’ll want to work on framing him up within the trot earlier than you even ask to cease. Choose up your rein hand and use your ft to push your horse by means of the bridle to launch from the strain of the bit, and put his neck and chin down in order that he’s not pulling towards your reins. 

Once you ask for the cease, launch your ft such as you usually would however preserve your hand up. As soon as he’s absolutely stopped, you need to use your ft to bolster him breaking at his ballot. Don’t let him again up or stroll ahead throughout this course of. He wants to remain nonetheless if you’re framing him up. 

If he’s nonetheless pulling in your fingers, or is getting heavy on the bridle, create vitality along with your fingers and bump the reins somewhat than simply holding them. 

Your horse’s neck also needs to have a slight arc to it on his cow aspect when he’s framed up, in order that he’s in a greater place to show.

Observe his nostril. When you’re working with a inexperienced horse, he must discover ways to comply with his nostril, no matter what you propose on doing with him. When first educating this, begin him two-handed in a snaffle bit. 

Experience ahead such as you usually would. When the flag stops and begins to go the other way, use your direct rein, and encourage your horse to comply with his nostril by means of the flip. If he follows that direct-rein cue and will get rotated rapidly, proceed to maneuver with the flag and check the opposite course out.

In case your horse is sluggish or his ft are going in all places, don’t depart the flip, however as an alternative do two or three turns earlier than catching again up with the flag. Take your direct rein and preserve it close to your belt loop or hip pocket to encourage your horse to show. If he will get caught or simply isn’t shifting fast sufficient, go to your ft and encourage extra motion.

His hips ought to keep considerably nonetheless throughout this drill, such as you would in an everyday turnaround. If he’s twirling round or will not be coordinated with the place he’s placing his ft, you need to use your oblique rein to help the hip and preserve it from shifting round as a lot. 

Once you depart the flip, straighten your horse out, after which let him catch as much as the flag. Once you cease once more, you’ll flip the other way and do the identical factor.  

Maintain him accountable. In case your horse isn’t stopping when the flag stops, maintain him accountable. Let him make the error of going lengthy; when you full your flip, you possibly can ask him to rush up, so he’s caught up with the flag.

When the flag stops the subsequent course, you’re going to do the identical factor. Let him go lengthy, cease him along with your ft, make the flip, and then ask him to maneuver rapidly so he will get again to the flag earlier than it stops once more. Finally he’ll determine he doesn’t need to work so laborious if he reads the flag and stops and turns when he’s purported to. 

Get rid of drifting. Generally drifting occurs going a technique, and never the opposite. Different occasions, it occurs each instructions. To repair it, you’ll want to give your horse a cause to stick with the flag­—equally to what you probably did if you have been holding him accountable. 

In case your horse desires to float away from the flag and never take note of it, let him. When you cease and make the flip, then it’s time to determine a way of urgency and have him catch again up with it. When he begins to float going the opposite course, you’ll do the identical factor.

Finally he’ll understand it’s extra work for him if he drifts away from the flag and cease lengthy, and to make it simpler on himself he’ll begin watching the flag a bit extra and making an attempt to cease when it stops.

In case your horse solely drifts going one course, reward your horse by giving him time to relaxation on the aspect that he desires to remain up towards the flag.

Higher With Pals

Don’t have a flag at your house? No downside! Working the flag is a superb exercise to do along with your closest using mates, which is strictly what Esther Peterson did when she came upon she gained the Brad Barkemeyer Win-a-Day contest introduced you by Horse&Rider, Weaver Leather-based, and Equimax. After initially successful the competition in 2020 through the pandemic, Brad and the H&R crew have been lastly cleared to go to Bozeman, Montana, and placed on a cow horse clinic for Esther and 9 of her mates. 

The day of the clinic, the group was able to get to work. We began the day by engaged on Brad’s favourite excellent circle train, earlier than shifting on to stopping drills. For lunch everybody gathered round to get pleasure from some native barbeque whereas Brad went over the prizes our clinic individuals have been receiving from Weaver Leather-based and Equimax.  

Watch: Introducing a Rider to the Flag

Then it was time to go again out to the barn to spend the remainder of the afternoon working the flag and having fun with one another’s firm. Making this clinic undoubtedly well worth the wait.