RIDING THE "NEW" LOPE (Advice from Cleve Wells)
By
Marilyn Morris Mayer
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NOTE: ARTICLES OF THIS TYPE ARE USUALLY
RESERVED FOR THE
"MEMBERS ONLY" SECTION OF OUR WEBSITE...BUT WE DECIDED TO
SHARE THIS ONE WITH NONMEMBERS AS WELL, BECAUSE OF THE SIGNIFICANT EFFECT THESE
NEW JUDGING STANDARDS ARE HAVING IN THE SHOW PEN TODAY:
Riders in AQHA shows aren't being asked to "lope" any more. As many of you
know, in July 2003, judges were instructed that the lope, as we knew it, no
longer belonged in AQHA classes. Now, instead of just asking for a lope, the
call is "lope, with a slight increase in forward motion."
And that's
perfectly okay with Cleve Wells. "When they say 'slight increase in forward
motion' all they're saying is turn the horse loose, and let the horse do what
he's supposed to do," explains Cleve, who adds that horses are moving much
better since the July ruling was put in place. It's not about speeding up the
horse, it's just about not hindering him. "If you'll leave that horse alone,
and quit making him "chop" around the pen--and get his legs going forward--he's
going to speed up a half mile an hour but it's irrelevant as long as everybody
plays the same game."
The best horses may still be moving slower than
other horses--just because they are talented enough to move slow and free--but
now you'll see that your best horses are the "softest" horses. And that's a
good thing!
And while this ruling applies to AQHA shows, it seems only
a matter of time before much of it will filter down to open shows and many
other breed shows, since AQHA judges are often carded in several different
associations.
"I think the lope is great," says Cleve. "Our
association (AQHA) has never put a horse trainer out of business. They've never
done anything that is detrimental to our business." Cleve's ready sense of
humor emerges as he looks back on other AQHA edicts and recalls, "Although,
when they said 'pick their heads up', we all threw a fit (like babies)...and
then we picked 'em up. And it worked out great. When they said 'quit blocking
their tails' we threw a fit (like babies)...and then we've done it--and it
works!" After a pause, Cleve adds, "You know, when they speak, people need to
listen."
SEEING IS BELIEVING...
A video tape went out
to all AQHA judges July 1st showing "before and after" examples of what the
association wanted to see in the "lope with slight increase in forward motion";
and evaluating various horses as to movement (and lack thereof) in the walk,
trot and lope. (You can get a copy of that video yourself by calling AQHA
customer service department at 806/376-4811. The cost of $10 for the video and
$4 for shipping). The judges gave high marks to the horses that showed what
they termed self-carriage; even cadence; good expression; good topline; and
were "very balanced." Horses that did not favor well were described as: on the
forehand; lack of discipline; hips too far in; no cadence; and movement
sacrificed for slowness and position on the rail.
The AQHA sanctioned
video also showed a hit list of undesirable traits which should NOT be rewarded
in the pen. Specifically, they were:
SPUR STOP
HEAVY ON THE FOREHAND
HEAD BOBBERS
SHUFFLERS
NO FLOW
THE SPUR STOP: "RIDING THE
BRAKE"
The "spur stop" or "spur training" as it is sometimes
called is a training technique where the horse is taught to respond to certain
spur pressure by stopping, rather than going forward. By squeezing the horse
with the spurs to say stop, and using other cues to keep him moving forward, it
amounts to what some call "riding the brake." On the AQHA video several horses
are shown ridden with--and then without--the spur stop, and their movement
appears to be decidedly smoother without it. (The same seems to be true for the
position of the rider, so this technique may not be as "invisible" as some had
believed).
Cleve views the spur stop as a "Plan B" -- something that
is not a part of his basic training program. To him, it"s something he might
teach to a certain horse, strictly as an emergency plan. The problem, he says,
is when your use the spur stop as your "Plan A." If you're holding your spur in
that horse to keep him from running off, that's not a trained horse, Cleve
adds. "That's not a horse that is "willfully" in the show pen--he's
mechanically in the show pen."
"Every horse should mentally accept his
job; to walk, trot and lope with rhythm and consistency because you ask," Cleve
notes, adding that the rider's job is to "help" the horse around the pen. "But
don't get 'help' and 'carry the horse around the pen' confused."
DON"T BLOCK THE FLOW...
Another area that AQHA took exception to
was in how far the horse's hips are off the rail..noting that canting a horse's
hip too far to the center creates a choppy movement, and the horse has no real
flow.
"All they want," Cleve says, "is when a horse is loping (let's
say he's in a right lead) that his left rear should be in line with his right
front. And that is the natural place for a horse to be when he's loping, which
would put him about three or four inches with his hip to the inside."
Bringing a horse's hip off the rail may be another example of too much of a
good thing, Cleve notes. "The 'American way' is "If four inches is good, what
do you think six will do? Then if six will do it--what will eight do?" Cleve
explains with a laugh. "Somebody's gotta come back in and put the correction
back into the plan." And he feels that just what AQHA has done.
EXTENDING THE JOG...
Under AQHA rules, judges have been calling
for extended gaits for some time, but the July 2003 update makes it clear that
any gait can be extended...and that (except in some youth or novice classes) it
is now mandatory that the jog be extended in at least one direction.
A
"gray area" Cleve says, that raises concerns for some. His take on it is
simple: "When they say slightly extend the jog, I think a long trot is out of
control. I think a long trot should be 'gated' (not placed)."
CLEVE'S FINAL THOUGHTS...
"A good-minded horse will always
accept changes--just like we have to accept them," notes Cleve. "That's why we
have basics and fundamentals on our horse so that we can make adjustments to
certain people, or certain judges or certain styles. We can make some minor
changes, and not disrupt the whole horse."
"It's not about winning
every weekend, or about it being done 'right' every weekend. If you show 25
shows, maybe you placed in 12 of them...or 13 of them. And maybe you won three.
You know, if that doesn't make you happy--go do something else," he adds with a
laugh. "That's about as good as it's going to get."
Cleve"s final
thoughts on the AQHA rule revisions: "Just relax about it--it's a good deal.
Our association is on our side...and everything they've told us to do, in
hindsight, it's worked out to be the best for all of us." |
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