Accel Jr. is a horsemanship program designed specifically for Junior riders. Structured to maximize learning and comprehension, Accel Jr. addresses the principles of collection, basic horsemanship, and the fundamentals of effective use of the young rider's hands, legs, and riding aids, in a manner that makes use of every child's natural curiosity and sense of play. Think about it. As a child, when did you learn the fastest? I'll bet it was when you were first learning to play any new game that had captured your attention. Remember how it felt to focus with intensity as you became aware that you almost knew enough to play, and that loads of fun was only minutes away? The state of intense curiosity, coupled with excitement, is the optimum learning state for children (and most grownups as well!) With this principle of learning in mind, Accel Jr. accelerates your child's ability to learn horsemanship by combining demonstrations with group and individual participation in specifically designed games and exercises. Each game reinforces a selected "principle" of horsemanship. The games are sequentially organized to build a child's sense of confidence, as well as "layer" in each concept in an order related to ease of learning and usefulness with respect to control over the horse and the development of collection.

The goals of the seminar for each child are as follows:

1. Better cooperation between horse and rider.
2. Understanding how the softening process relates to collection.
3. Identifying "Horse-like behavior" patterns and using them to the rider's advantage.
4. Organizing the rider's body to "enable, rather than disable" the horse.
5. Planned riding and goal setting.

Concepts covered are:

1. The difference between a hold and a pull.
2. How to find the center of gravity when riding your horse, and the importance of finding it. (Walk, trot, and canter)
3. How use of the legs helps to control your horse.
4. What are the results of using different combinations of legs and hands? What's important about knowing that?
5. Relating the following moves to the appropriate hand/leg combinations: two-racking and a pivot on hind quarter.
6. What you can do with your horse once you have mastered the above moves.

Visit our descritive pages for each
level of the Accel Series.

[ Accel Basics ] [ Level 1 ]
[ Level 2 ] [ Level 3 ] [ Accel Jr. ]

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