Meet Denali - Strong and Spectacular!

The wall is coming up fast. Denali is not listening to my aids to turn - he’s just following the wall and refusing to actually bend right. What the heck is this? 

I’m a bit shocked! I mean, this horse has been pretty successful at training and first level.  It’s been a while since I’ve had this kind of training problem, and I certainly didn’t expect it from Denali!  

Royally bred by the world-famous Pape Stallion Station, all things dressage should come easy to him, right? 

Nope!   

I mean, he’s a mega talented mover.  He was bred for the job, he has the talent, power and strength to go all the way. There are times that the feeling he gives me makes me dream of the things to come.  

But right now, he doesn’t bend right.  There go my plans for shooting up the levels!  But I’m really not THAT surprised.  Every horse has their issue. 

If you know me, you know it’s not so much about shooting up the levels as it is having a soft easy connection with him. I love self-carriage and elastic contact, but he is a brute in the reins. So he and I have opposite feelings about contact. 

Denali is just gorgeous:  Big, black and leggy.  He’s a strong guy, physically and mentally. 

There was no way I was just going to yank him around to the right.

It’s not who I am anyway.  I really want my horses to be my best friends.  I decided to see this as an opportunity to really build that bond while helping him learn to use his body WITH me, not against me.

Back in my office, I sit down and write about my ride. Journaling helps me think.  Thanks to COVID there is no way I’m getting anyone out here to help. If I am going to teach this horse to use his body properly, I will have to find my own way.

I want Denali to love the work and revel in his body becoming stronger.  I know he wants to do what I ask, he just can’t right now.  

If nothing else, COVID gives me time. Time to really go back to basics, and to try something new for Denali.  

I start thinking about the various trainers I have worked with and come up with a plan:  In-hand work.  Like a combination of Claudio Oliveira, Tristan Tucker, Ali Brock, Patrick King and all of the classical science of training that I already understand. Although I haven’t yet ridden with Buck Brannaman, he is a hero to me, and I incorporated his ideas, too.

I love that this kind of ground work directly translates to under saddle.

Everyday, before I get on, Denali and I patiently work in-hand.  I focus on relaxation and teaching him to step under his body with his hind legs. We work on him giving to pressure, yielding in his whole neck and poll.

His mouth is like iron, and I can’t find that soft feel that I am looking for. So we start over and teach him how to give and let go. 

Some days I feel like he’ll never get it, and some days I just want to hop on and get to the riding, but I know Denali needs this more than anything else, and that he WILL get it, as long as I remain patient and consistent.  

So every day I quietly and calmly ask him the same questions.  And every day, Denali begins to be able to bend by putting his inside hind leg under his body while flexing his pelvis, while at the same time learning to give to slight pressure of the bit.  The daily under saddle work has the same goal.

Eventually, his body and mind relax into the stretching and bending. The lightbulb goes off!  He starts to understand and rewards me with relaxing snorts and breaths!  And just like that (haha) he starts to be able to bend to the right!   

Even though it felt like forever, using this kind of groundwork in Denali’s daily warmup really didn’t take that long before he began to understand how to use his incredibly athletic, talented self.

Because I’m a sharer, and I know you guys can have these same struggles, I wanted to be sure to video the process so I can show the exercises I used and Denali’s progress, so everyone can see for themselves in my Academy. 

I think a lot of people try to isolate the one problem while they carry on with the schooling.  Like, well, he doesn’t bend to the right so great, but I want to work on my simple changes.  You might get some decent simple changes here and there, but unless you fix that gaping hole in the training, you aren’t going to get those flying changes!

I am 100% sure that by taking these few steps back and really focusing on teaching him how to bend and flex his sacrum, Denali gained the strength and understanding to help him quickly go on to learning his changes, all within the course of about a year!  

And yes, there is a happy ending…this past winter in Florida, Denali made his 3rd level debut, where he won with a great score, even with a not-so-perfect change from left to right! ;-)

But the story is not quite finished yet.  

So here in Germany, we are still and always will be working on the correct connection, of a LIGHT elastic contact, where he is swinging over his back with active hind legs. He's still just a bit too heavy in my hands.  Strong Denali!  

Now that I’m here working with Michael, I’m realizing that while Denali easily turns to the right, we’ve fallen into a habit where he still wants to push into my hands, rather than carry himself.

And it turns out, that even though I don’t squeeze him, it seems that my regular leg pressure is just what Denali needs so he can use his strength in a way that drives him into my hand. Where I am happily ‘holding’ him!  OOPS 

I mean, I attempt to not hold him, but this sucker is the strongest horse I’ve ever ridden. He is just not easy. But I am determined to find the way! Because I don’t give up very easily. 

You know when you get a lesson and you get that moment where you’re like, UGH. I know better, and I really didn’t think I was doing that, but obviously I AM.  That’s what’s happening for me here in Germany with Michael.  Denali isn’t like HEAVY.  He’s just too strong in the hand for now.  He needs to carry more behind. And I have to just trust my training and just let go! 

I can’t say this is easy to do when I sit on this powerhouse of a horse. So yeah, it’s always a work in progress! 

I have had to change my seat, and my half-halt a bit, so I don’t amp up his power. I must just stay in the balance I want him to follow, and I must keep giving, and when he runs away when I give, then I need to do like 37 more walk-trot-walk transitions. 

So, if your horse likes to pull on one rein, or get heavy in both, just remember, you are not alone!  Even top professionals with crazy talented horses are dealing with exactly the same thing. Every.Single.Day. 

How do we get better? Just keep chopping the wood! 

Do you want to chop the wood together with me as I am learning to bring my own skills to the next level here in Germany?

If so, come join me in Passport To Germany, my private Facebook group, where I share openly my struggles, breakthroughs, self-doubts and successes. I want you guys to see that what you might be going through with your horses is not much different than what goes on at the highest levels of our beloved sport. 

I’ll be sharing videos of my rides with Michael Klimke, so you can learn from this compassionate, caring German elite rider, too.

I’ll also take you with me as I explore German horse culture and give you a back-stage pass to my journey all the way to the top…with Denali.

Head on over to www.TeamTatePassport.com now and I hope to see you on the inside!

BTW, feel that Denali’s story could uplift someone you know? Feel free to share his story!