Giravolta

At the beginning of this vid I'm working Moo in giravolta in-hand...not the greatest as he needs to be more 'up' through his shoulder but it gives an idea.



OK this is in answer to Horse of Course's question as to what is giravolta. I've mentioned it a few times on my blog but I can't find a link to anything substantial about it on my blog. Maybe I didn't tag it, so apologies for all you that know but giravolta is basically a moving turn on the forehand. It is great for engaging the horses brain, for stretching and mobilising the rear end and is the perfect 'opposite' to collection and is ideally peppered into training alongside shoulder-in and other lateral work. It sits happily in the toolbox, side by side, with aids to stop a runaway horse (think one rein stops and disengaging the quarters). It is one of my most used exercises both ridden and in-hand. I first heard of it when I was studying to be a trainer and was reading Molly Sivewright's 'Thinking Riding' and it was years before I had first hand experience of using it...I've never looked back :-)
The following is a very basic 'how to' I have copied it from a forum where I was asked to explain the aids for giravolta.
Reading it back I am amused by Belasik's 'one way or another the horse must learn to move away from the aid' well, as he doesn't explain how I'd like to add that one must of course put the horse in such a position as for him to feel complelled to react. I'll explain more another time if anyone is still awake at this point.
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This is a quote from Paul Belasik who explains it with the written word much better than I could He talks of having started this exercise with a young unbacked horse after several weeks lunging work but it would work the same for a more established horse and I would use what you are happy lunging in or just a bridle (bitless or otherwise)........**Approach the head and shoulders of the horse. Gathering up the lash of the lunge whip so that it is not flapping about, the trainer strokes the horse's sides, croup and haunches (note from Trudi, this will be good for getting your horse to be less nervous with the whip!!) until the horse stands quietly, comfortable with the touch. Then the trainer will tap, or push with the shaft of the whip (blunt end) , near the horse's barrel where the leg aids will be used (ie near the girth), at the haunches and at the hock to get the horse to take some sideways steps. One should be careful the horse doesn't rush in fear, stand still or (worse) push into the whip in defiance. One way or another the horse must learn to take measured, deliberate and fearless steps away from the pressure of the whip. The movement should circle around the trainer in a kind of turn on the forehand. The inside legs step forward and across the outside legs. The inside rein may have to be tightened to keep the bend to the inside.He goes on to mention the importance of building this up on both reins a little at a time and how psychologically, it calms the horse (demanding submission) and teaches acceptance of the whip. I would also say that to begin with the inside rein is all important and will help you *swing* the quarters in the required direction but as you get better at it introduce the outside rein contact to keep the shoulders lighter and more mobile and THEN you will truly have the best benefit of the giravolta.I hope you enjoy trying this, both Paul Belasik (Dressage for the 21st Century) and Alfons Dietz (Training the horse in Hand) have lovely 'pics and other groundwork exercises in their books and may even be available online secondhand.
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sticky

Too hot to be energetic today. I waited until 6 pm to ride and by then I have a nice few meters of shade. He is really chilled at the moment and I would have tootled down the hill or up the lane, however, the tractors were around baling hay so it seemed sensible to pop in the school instead. Just as well as they came down to bale ours whilst I was working.
We just took off from yesterday and worked the giravolta into leg yield and then into a trot transition. Played with the giravolta into shoulder-in and that made him so much lighter into my hand...nice. The trot work was really *considered* and not rushing and we tried a little giravolta in the trot, perhaps we are on an ascending line on the graph again, hope so.

Another gorgeous day; bright and sunny but a good wind making it seem less than the otherwise *sticky* 28°. I sat feeding the fish, camera in hand, marvelling at nature's ability to make the simple so exotic.



This water lily just doesn't look real it's almost too perfect.




Moralejo was chilled in spite of flies and the wind, I really can't believe how cool actually. He actually stopped twice when annoyed by horse flies and I dismounted, made the kill and remounted with zero fuss on his part. Worked lots in walk due to the heat and got some great leg yield after working first with the giravolta....took that forward to the trot and he was very light in my hand so I now need to add another pinch of that spice in my regular work.

Chapiro is hating the serious flies that have now arrived; dosed him up with Butox spinal pour on (another cattle product) and he was much more comfortable going out tonight.

slowly , slowly

Weather was a bonus today as rain was forecast but didn't arrive until tonight.

A *thank you* to Claire for reminding me of the reverse pirouette last night, basically the same as the giravolta but with outside bend as I'd been meaning to try this with the giravolta, opposites always seeming to work. Thanks due to Vicky too (or maybe Mike) as their work at the weekend inspired me to move on to more lateral work in the walk whilst I patiently wait for the trot to come right.

Anything new always *freaks* Moo but at least I now have some *mantras* in place to relax him again (turning with no reins, halting and rein back from the voice and clicker). We have worked on travers /half pass before but it always got him so tight that all the benefits were outweighed by the tensions in his head/ neck. Today after a couple of leg yields along the fence I asked for a couple of steps with the bend changed to travers and after a couple of attempts he was really getting it. I remember an exercise that I used to ride with an old trainer, Inger, where to start the half pass work we rode along the diagonal with the bend for half pass but not in the travers position. Then after a couple of diagonals ridden this way start to put in some steps of travers to add to the bend...this gives a half pass that always thinks and looks forwards instead of a leg yield with the bend changed (oh yes I've seen it trained that way too, eek)

Trot work we used the lifted hand again if he started to lean on my hand and if I keep the trot tempo slow then he can cope with about two large circles before getting too fizzy....slowly, slowly I MUST not be impatient with this, it will come (I hope).

Went back to finish in walk and tried the reverse pirouette, oooh hard work for him and I will work on this in-hand as well but at least he didn't chuck his toys out.

So good and bad as always...some snatching at the bit which hurts my back so I have to find a way round that but he is so flexible that lateral work with him is a joy. Must do some work with the Midget tomorrow.

Final thanks to Mandeigh for joining us on here and in honour a 'pic of Fidge in a montage that Patrick did for an exam about 6 years ago.