Mane Imports LLC.

Jasmin Becker owner of Mane Imports went over to give a clinic near Helsinki in Finland.  Even with snow and cold weather the clinic was a huge success.  Many thanks to Jennifer Diamond and Pirrio for hosting the clinic.  New sales horses and video will be coming soon!

This clinic will focus on Training Scale and how this simple scale can significantly improve your riding.  Jasmin Becker will start by offering a lecture on the Training Scale and a definition of each of its levels.  We will then discuss how it relates to the rider and the horse under saddle.  After the theory portion of clinic, Jasmin will demonstrate each level of the scale on her FEI horse.   A question and answer session, as well as a lunch break will follow.

The second half of the clinic will be individual lessons that will be offered to riders that have brought their own horses.  Friends and family are welcome to attend.

Please contact Jasmin Becker to register for the clinic.  The fee for auditors is $35.00.  Auditing and riding will be $55.00.  There will be an extra fee to board your horse. We look forward to seeing you at the clinic!

Jasmin Becker

303-809-6997 or info@maneimports.com

USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist

German small and high Bronze Medalist

German Instructor License (Teaching earned with distinction)

German Lunging License

Dressage Foundation Grantee 2011

AHT Foundation Grantee 2011

This is my canter work with De Libris. DL is weak in the canter and as a result must learn to work in a smaller canter, over his back and through his neck. This is very, very hard for him. But the only way he will learn this is by doing it. We are always challenging him and only by challenging him will he learn to carry more behind and get stronger. This is only meant as a training video.  I am so proud of him.  He tries so hard and just is a worker.  I can’t wait to show his progress in a few months!

Just so you know that the warm up the canter work and the trot work were all taken in the same session!

Hi Everyone,

Here is DL’s warm up routine.  This is only meant as a training video.

The warm up doesn’t change very much. Nick is not telling me to do too much because I needed to get the warm up on my own. What we are checking is whether the horse is responsive to the leg, whether he is, connected and through, and what are my transitions are like both direction in the trot and the canter. This warm up should not change no matter what horse you have or what level.  Everything is based on the basics.   The key is to feel the transitions, to make sure the horse is connected an coming over his back, through his neck and if she/he is responsive to the leg. Once you have this warm up it should work on every horse no matter what level! Check us out at www.maneimports.com

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Hi Everyone,

Well it is May 28th and the last training video, that was taken on May 24th, showed some continued problems in teaching De Libris the collected canter.  He looks pretty good on the rail or a 20 meter circle but when you take him on the diagnol he wants to press up in his neck and drop the contact.  That was very apparent in the changes on the diagonal.

Nick and I spoke about it and worked on keeping him more round and through in the canter.   However, I was saying that he was running through my half halt and not staying with me.  So, we decided to put Nick on him to feel him and bring him to the next level of training.  What I love about this training it is very methodical.  Here are the steps since that we worked on.

The first weeks with Nick were just getting De Libris forward – hotter off the leg. Only then could we work on the contact with throughness.  Then the next step, once he was honest and forward into the contact, was to work on the collection.  When we introduced collection he dropped the contact again by spitting out the bit or pressing up with his neck.  With that we worked on finding the bit (I have that video of that lesson and I will need to put that up in the next day or two.)  Just as a side note if a horses mouth is open he has dropped the contact even though he may be round.  The horses mouth must be quite and closed around the bit.  Only then do you have true contact and can work on the throughness from the tail to the poll.  We are now asking him to be even more collected with being nice in the contact and through the neck.  The rider needs to be able to place the neck were ever he wants it without the horse dropping the contact.  In addition, the rider can not carry the horse.  He must start to learn to carry himself after he gets the idea of collection.

This video shows Nick working on that next phase.  That next phase is to get him more collected without pressing up and without dropping the contact.  In this video you will  see that Nick uses his inside rein to bend DL if he tries to press up against the contact.   Nick comes low with his hand to make certain that DL is not allowed to press up.  In addition, DL needs to say forward into the collection but not running.  If DL decides to run away from the collection Nick’s correction is a halt, where he waits for DL to be quiet in the mouth.  If DL wants to come above the bit Nick lowers the rein to keep him coming through the neck.  In some parts of the tape, you will see DL curling behind the vertical.  This is another evasion that horses can come up with.  In those moments, Nick holds on to the contact telling him that even if he is behind the bit the contact on the rein will not go away.  Only with contact can you have throughness and only with throughness can you honestly work a horse from tail to poll.

In addition, to this continued work, Nick upped the game on DL.  He is challenging him in a smaller and smaller trot.  But in this smaller trot, DL most hold onto the contact, come round through his neck, not run, not get behind the leg, and not curl.  No small task!  When DL felt good the next phase is to find places to let go of the rein.  He needs to be able to carry himself.  Only then will he move toward being and FEI horse.  He can not be carried by the rider.  But remember when you give the rein the horse must be round, forward on the leg, collected, not running, and honest in the contact.  You can see that DL is struggling with this phase of the training but a horse doesn’t magically become an FEI horse. It needs to be trained.  What is so great about this training is DL is very weak in the canter and you can see through time he is learning to trust his ability to carry himself on his haunches.  I really believe that we will see a very big difference in him over the next week and a half.  Unfortunately that is all the time I have left here in California.

I am excited as many of you are to see his training for the next week and a half!  I should be able to put up at least 3 more videos in the next week.  Until next time!  Yaz Mane Imports.

Hi Everyone,

Here is new training video.  I was very afraid to post this but after sitting on it over the last couple of days this is what is needed in our sport.  We always seem to see perfection and we never accept that training is not perfect.  Out of not perfect lessons, you learn. I also think that we as dressage riders should not expect perfection all the time. I am posting real training. What Nick is working on here is getting De Libris collected in the canter  and through the neck. You can see that he wants to run through the canter and press up with his neck.  When he does both of those things he is not over his back and then he is not connected.  He must be ridden straight and within the contact.  De Libris’s weakest gait is the canter.  He wants to run or get 4-beat.  De Libris must learn that he can not run and he needs to go through the base of his neck and needs to be on the bit.

One of the other things that he used to do was open his mouth. Nick tackled that because then he is not true the contact.  Many of the times I halt he opens his mouth.  He is behind my leg,  hops up in front and doesn’t want to go in the contact.  Remember this is training.  A horse and rider can not be perfect all the time.  But the rider can stay tried and true.  If a horse has a half inch they are smarter then you.  As the rider you need to think ahead of them.  You have to predict what they will do and catch them before they can do it.  Then you need to stay true to the correction.

I am posting this video because I think by the next one you will be Amazed at the difference. It was only through this video that I figured out that I didn’t need to make 10 different things to get him straight.  I need to become quicker with my aids and I must insist that he stay through and straight.  I need to be insistent on the correctness.

Also, be sure to check the first training video at the canter. It was sometime in April. Remember, this is only meant as a training video.  It is not perfection. This is very hard work for the horse.  When I am finished with him.  He is sweaty from tail to poll. There are no dry parts anywhere on the horse.  That is a sign that he is working through his whole body correctly.  I am proud of him and am so thrilled with this training.  Until next time!  Cheers, Yaz Mane Imports

Hey Everyone,

Here is DL doing the trot work after working on super collection and contact.  I am thrilled how the training is going.  We will have details in terms to an article soon!  Best, Yaz Maneimports.com

Hi Everyone

Here is De Libris in his first four one test (actually it was the third day!) at the Del Mar National Horse show.  I found out afterwards that most of the competitors had been to 5 or 6 shows previously.  We performed well, however we still need to work on the collected gaits.  By the way prior to going in he was bucking!  I am really proud of him!  I am happy I have another month of training with Nick Wagman.  Cheers,  Mane Imports!

Hi Everyone,

Below you will find video of my horse De Libris (DL) and my training with Nick.  This video is not edited and is not meant to be edited. It is solely meant to be a training video.  De Libris is a horse that is blocked on the left side and does not want to go through evenly to the right bit.  We are working on supplying him on both sides and accepting the bit with even contact.  Unless we have even contact he can not come honestly through over his back to the bit.  Therefore, all the movements will not be truly coming from behind to the bit.  We are also working on collection.  He is a horse that does not believe he can sit down and elevate in front.  We are working on collecting him and pushing him each day.  He has a super work ethic but he was truly tired during this video.

Remember this is only 2 1/2 weeks into training.  We are getting him used to the program of going forward into even contact and a bit of collection at the canter.  In another week and a half we will be pushing the collection even more, but it has to go incremental.  We will also be working on putting more cadence into the trot.   I will hopefully have more video up soon! Enjoy!

Well this is my first blog about my training sessions.   This is the first time that I am in full training with my horses.  I have my young horse De Libris (he is 9 years old but was out of training for 3 years and barely under saddle when I bought him) and my consignment horse Levi.  The training has been just wonderful and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to train with such fantastic trainers.  I would like to start this blog by thanking everyone that has made this happen for me.   Thank you to the Dressage Foundation through the Renne Isler Fund, thank you to the AHTF, thank you to the two individual donors that believed in me, and thank you to my Grandmother for making this dream come true!

Well here we go regarding training.  Warm up –  I begin tracking left on the long side of the court at the walk.  De Libris (DL) wants to be heavy on the left bit so I usually have my hand up so he can’t hang on that side of the bit and try to establish contact on the right.  Nick says, “focus on the side that he does not want contact.”  I work with the inside rein to outside leg.  The outside leg asks for haunches in.  DL is blocked on the left side –meaning he does not want to come through with his right hind– crossing the left.  I want to make sure his shoulders on on the track, he is not pulling on the inside rein, he has contact on the right rein, and he is crossing with his outside hind through.  Nick does not want me to have him too bent so he can’t come through.  I get a couple of good steps then I straighten.  Then I do the same thing to the right with establishing contact on the right rein, by placing it close to his neck and hunches in.  This direction I must be very concerned of not having his neck bent to much to the inside.  Remember he wants to evade the bit on the right.  Therefore, I must always pay attention that he is taking right contact ( the bit on the right).

Then I track left again and we start the trot.  One of the things that was an eye opener was the horse needs to be in a higher frame but round.  He must not dive to0 low and he must not be above the bit.  The horse must be soft through the neck.  The process starts again.  Same as in the walk.  Left hand , so he can’t hang on the left bit, the long side in haunches in, in the corner scooping with the left wrist, activating with the right leg.  Making sure we are utilizing our corners.  Then we throw in a 20 meter circle between E and B.  Haunches in on the circle all the while trying to establish contact on the right rein.  Then back on the school.  Then we go to canter and same thing in the canter.  Haunches in, shoulders on the rail, scoop with left wrist in corner, activate outside leg, throw in a 20 meter circle and wait for the horse to come through his neck- so he is soft.  Once we have it to the left we go on the diagonal switch rein and transition to trot and start the process on the right side.

Now remember DL does not want to take contact on the right so I really work going to the right to have him take that contact.  I place the rein on the side of his neck.  Not pulling–just there.  I also try to straighten on the left.  This direction he does not want to take contact to he would rather bend his neck than be straight.  It is so important that he is straight in the shoulders on the rail and really pushing diagonally with the outside hind to the contact on the right.  Then again we throw in a 20 meter circle and then back on the rail.  Scoop with the right wrist in the corners and then activate with the right leg.  Once we get him soft then we get a walk break.

Now the work phase.  I pick him up going to the left and we start in canter.   DL and I are working 4th toward the PSG.  He needs to carry more behind and get free in his shoulder.  We begin the same way however now on the long sides I am really asking him to activate off the outside leg, while collecting him on the inside rein. I can not allow him to run away from my leg.  Scoop with the left wrist in the corner, activate off the outside right leg.  Then we go to the 20 meter circle and I really try to keep his shoulders on the circle line while he is coming through with his haunches to the inside.  Some of these half halts are huge but it is the only way to get him to understand that he must wait for me.  Then we go over the diagonal but he must hold his shoulders on the diagonal line–Straight.   Then the flying change when he is straight.  Scoop with my right wrist in the corner and activate with my left leg.  Haunches in on the long side but straight in the shoulders.  20 meter circle and start to collect again.  Once again, he must take contact on the right rein.  He must come from the hind end through to the bit.  I wait for a step or two then I go out and straighten.  Then we try again.  Once he feels good on the diagonal, straight in the shoulders to the flying change.

Then we will start be going down center line straight left rein outside (right leg) tracking left.  Let me tell you the horse is so sensitive at that point that if you even think of anything he will get off the straight line.  Track  left.  Haunches in on the long side scoop left wrist in the corner, center line, and short canter half pass.  The horse shoulders must be on the diagonal line and the haunches must be working through from behind.  Now new inside rein, scoop with the right hand, activate with the left leg and down center line to the half pass right.  DL is weak, so we must be active and continue to make him active behind.  I tap with the whip in the rhythm and work with my outside leg in the rhythm.    Once that feels good we got to the trot.

We transition trot long side activate outside leg, inside rein and straighten.  We look to see how sensitive is he off the aid.  He must feel like a rocket about to explode!  Sensitive.  Then we go to our diagonals for Medium trots.  I must not throw away the contact or he gets uneven.  He must push into the bit.  I can’t tell you how powerful he is starting to feel.  His shoulder is becoming more free and he is really pushing from behind.  At the end of the diagonal, I go to haunches in to collect and activate with the outside leg.

Then we are done for the day.  It is a short burst of work but it is good work.  I stretch him but not too low and use the haunches in to control the half halts and the shoulders.  Then he get a long walk break, a turn out break, a shower, some carrots or sugars, and he is done for the day.  Within 8 rides my horse is becoming and FEI horse.  I am so excited and will keep you all updated with DL and Levi’s training.