My Missing Link Theory by Shane D. Olver – Master Horseman

My two quarter horses, are my missing link. In training, riding and in creating a bridge for my students between their hopes and dreams and making those dreams a reality.

I like to put all my students onto my two quarter horses, bareback and with only the halter and one rein (lead rope). Nearly every student is nervous to do so, but they all end up enjoying themselves completely.

The reasons why we go through this process:-

• Goals and Dreams:

I think every horse person’s ultimate goal or dream is to have the relationship and skills to ride their horse bareback. I want my students to feel the dream come true. My horses let them experience the success our training method will bring to them and their horse.

With my two quarter horses my students will learn the importance of:

1. Head position for both the horse and the rider.
2. That with the correct head position for the horse, the horse can
   1. go forward
   2. back up
   3. side pass
3. The rider can build seat cues.
4. Find their centeredness and balance.
5. Learn to ride with one rein.
6. Learn to have soft hands.

**With my training method we teach students to steer the horse through the shoulders not through the face, my quarter horses are incredibly responsive to soft hands and seat cues and will show the students how beautiful a horse can move using them.**

7. Learn to overcome fear.
8. Learn that we train a horse’s mind, not their mouth.
9. Learn to believe and have faith in their horse through learning faith and trust with my two quarter horses
10. Learn how the rein connects to the horse’s feet.
11. Learn how to control the horse’s feet with one rein

12. Learn how to do hippies (our safety tool) and that through the hindquarters we can;
    1. Control and steer the front feet.
    2. Control the horse’s speed and gait.
    3. Stop rearing and bucking etc.
    4. Set the horse up to back up.
    5. Straighten the horse up in a side pass.
    6. Deal with over flexing.
    7. Move the hindquarters across etc.

13. With one rein we can
    1. Steer through the shoulders when side passing.
    2. Steer through the shoulders we can move off and around.
    3. We can straighten up in the back up.
    4. We can straighten up with going forward.

The degree of softness that both my quarter horses insist upon teaches the rider how much their body position affects the horse, i.e.: wrong head position/ posture of the rider will block the horse’s action and movement, which sets the horse up for failure and defensive behaviour which can send the horse’s energy backwards, which can then turn into a rear, buck, or running out at the shoulder, running backwards, which also means the wrong muscles on the horse are being trained which will eventually lead to unsoundness, even lameness etc etc.

The most important lesson or realisation is that the softer the rider’s hands, the more relaxed their body, the greater the response from the horse, the more control the rider has on the horse. The result being that the rider and the horse are as one with each other – they can then dance in tune with each other making for great riding.

To learn more about my training method and the dance, please see the video and link below, there you will find my Vimeo ‘videos on demand’, there you can rent or buy them, also, I will offer my series on high definition DVD’s for sale on my new updated website coming soon, I’ll let you know when it’s available, if you wish the purchase the DVD’s earlier, then I have a special offer for you, just reply to this post and I’ll send you the offer .

As always, I wish you all safe and happy riding, Shane