Horse doesnt go left!! Worried

[Thomas_Megan]

:confused::confused:Need sum advice?
I have a 16.1-16.2 hh Cob X TB!
He is more cobby though and when we go out riding we are lovely untill he gets hot headed! i am currently riding in hanging cheek snaffle and we have breaks but we dont turn left atall!! and if i want to i have to grab the bit from his mouth as he bited it! when i put the gag in he is okay! i have tried a pelham and various other bits!
does any one suggest a way or no possibly why i can not turn left! we had the dentsit out a week ago and he is fine for his teeth so is it him??
In the school he is so much more worse he just bites the left side of the bit and goes! have tried in a hackamore but he is to strong for it and i dont fancy reliving that experince:D

Help please as it is becoming dangerous!

Megan x

[horsemadmandy]

Just a thought but has he been driven before ? I have a friend who has a 29 year old ! who because driven can not be ridden on the left hand side as used to compensating for the cart .

[Thomas_Megan]

Hmmm no he is 4 and i broke him in myself. We use to go always and do everythign but now we just do not go left! Im not sure why and becuase im so weary of this i try and do more work on teh left to supple him up! but becuase i cnt turn left i cnt do anything!
its dangerous at shows and other places!
just suggestions would be so usefull lol x

[kturner]

I took over my left handed daughters pony. She always went left when bending him to a stop if he bolted or speeded up too much or got worried.

I am right handed. I want to go right all the time and he always spins to the left which throws me right off.

She always rode with her left hand higher than the other as well. I had to constantly tell her after a jump to go once one direction to circle and then next time to go the other way to keep him even.

Lunging I always do the same amount on both sides.

If this is not a muscular or biting problem, others will advise of that I am sure, then it may just be your preference for one side or the other.:rolleyes:

Also are you sitting square in the saddle? Where are your seat bones and feet. I am bent anyway from a car accident and my right side is more forward than the other. This is not something I can work on, it is breaks that healed wrong. But maybe you can look at that too.

I will probably be shot down now by all the bit, saddle and back experts, but what the hell, just my experience. It is cheaper to start looking at these things first, as long as the horse is not in pain of course.

[Thomas_Megan]

Noooo your fine! just any advice is welcum! he is very strong and very big you see and the little things are maybe the most important. I am right handed and i never thought of the fact that i might go that way more than the other. I am aware i sit more to the left than the right this is due to a horse ridign accident last year.
I shall look out for the llittle things to see if it is anything i do that makes him this way!
im not sure if it is me or him just being ignorant.
thank you so much for your help though.! its nice to know other peoples experinces as well. x

[~*sugarlump*~]

how is he in the school? will he turn left in there?

[Thomas_Megan]

Nooo, in the school he bites the bit on the left side only and goes and goes and goes! and there is nothin i can do to stop him though!
im not sure if i should try something new and i have tried riding in a hackamore but he is to strong for that!

[~*sugarlump*~]

have you tried doing carrot stretches with him?
he sounds like hes uncomfy somewhere, which could be due to back or saddle etc, might be worth getting them checked out as not going left is abit of a serious problem expecially out hacking

[kturner]

My daughter used to go left after going through a gate cause he would rush. She would have to spin him to a stop. Then again after every jump, and every bolt. Always going that way in the school too.

Even hacking, go left to turn him round, walk down the road, go left to open gate, go through, spin if he rushes, get control, back to shut gate, all going left.

In the stable she always took him in to the left and had his hay that side. I put him in to the right and tied the net on the right side of the door.

Small things 24 hours a day all adds up just like the pennies do.

[kturner]

Sugar lump -- the famous carrot test. Bet he can get one from either side.:D:D:D

Thomas, get someone to video you riding and see what you are doing. Check if your right leg is more forward, or right foot sticks out to the side more. Is your right hand softer or harder on the bit. Put tape on the reins so you are holding in the same place.

I am very bent and always concious of what I am doing. I mount on the wrong side, dismount with leg over his head and slide down. Have two knee braces with hinges in to stop dislocations and two back braces, so I am very aware of what effect I am having on him. Just my burden to bare, but I dont want him sharing it with me.

[Thomas_Megan]

hmm! what is the carrot test!?
i have herd of it but never known what it is?
i shall have his saddle checked, maybe i ride with more pressure to my left than right causin more pain in the left?
sounds possible lol!!
i shall certainly have the little things checked out!
do you think i should stick to a hanging cheek snaffle or is there a recommended bit to aid the use of the left side??

[kturner]

only use straight bar and snaffle bits and hackmore or nothing so cant comment on bits, hate them, sorry.

can he reach a carrot behind his shoulder at tummy height, where you would hold it for lateral flexion (sideways bending) on both sides the same. About where the girth would be.

he may have fallen and hurt his neck in the field when you werent there, does he seem in pain?

Sorry about the bits comment, I prefer to stay out of my guys mouth and use a bridle on the road, and then unclip the reins to put on hackamore when off the road (insurance etc).

[~*sugarlump*~]

carrot stretching is basically get a carrot (or something else that horses likes to eat) and bring it back to the shoulder area, so basically they flex their neck round.
well thats my understanding of it.
perhaps try it without saddle, then if thats ok, try with a saddle, then if thats ok try when rider is on board but halted

[Thomas_Megan]

Noo its fine lol! just any advice right now is good lol
Noo he isnt in pain atall! he is as happy as he normally is i gave him a good bath today and was touchin and scrubbing all over and wasnt sore!
yee he may have fallen but then if he did why is he so strongon the one rein? ive tried being nice to him and then tried being nasty but he blanks me soo much! we have a very special bond and he is my big dream but i dont want to hurt anyone!!

[kturner]

sugarlump is right - the other day I found he couldnt reach round so well with the saddle on and wondered if it was effecting his riding. I go bareback as much as I can (except roads), so I had never noticed before. Now he has lost weight (lami) I could feel the space between the end of his shoulder and the beginning of the saddle, only two fingers, dont know it that right.

So I am sticking to the treeless as it is foam and his shoulders go right back underneath it. You can feel his shoulders moving back and forward under the foam. I am sure my other hard saddle was in the way. Hate saddles anyway.

[kturner]

I think I should get off this thread as I dont like any tack, and am probably not being much help.

I am more into natural horsemanship, falling off a lot, and head stuff effecting the horse etc.

You probably need more tack advice. I only use it on roads cause I have to, or for a dressage test.

Surgarlump - keep making suggestions, youve got a head on your shoulders.

[Thomas_Megan]

Naturalhorsemanship is fine!
I learnt to ride bareback and have never fallen of bareback! i dnt ride with a saddle much atall! but if he is a bad mood the briddle does go on! or if i am doing along journey for roadwork!!!
any suggestions natural or not .. im not worried! x

[~*sugarlump*~]

Surgarlump - keep making suggestions, youve got a head on your shoulders.

thankyou ;) the lack of sleep from exams must be having a positive effect on me:p

i think you really need to establish where the problem is, tack, horse or rider (no offence intended, i ride slightly one sided)

as you have tried different bits i wouldnt nessasarily think it would be that (may be wrong). i would check out saddle first and formost.
but also do some groundwork such as the carrot stretches.

also perhaps ask somebody else to pop on board and try him out and see if he is a little better or the same.

[kturner]

Back again. I also thought of trying a different rider, may take a few sessions to get out of old habits though.

How is he without the bridle and saddle, hackamore, or just head collar with reins, I use rubber grip, or webbing bitless bridle, pulls his nose down as reins are attached to rings which slide back towards me.

Does he do the same without a bit. He cant chew the left side then can he. Then try with and without saddle.

Of course any memory of pain will take a few sessions to go away, so it will make your diagnosis even harder. Wouldnt like to be you for the next few weeks trying all this. (This is why I believe no saddle, or treeless foam, and no bit, or even bridleless, gives him no excuses. Then I know it is me or him.)

This is rather like testing for allergies and cutting out foods one by one and waiting a week in between each change. This could go on forever.

Are you sure he is not sore? Lunge without tack and watch him in the field, does he go left in the field????? If he does problem solved. Well half way, at least you know it is not his body. Therefore it is your body or both of your heads.:D:D:D

[Thomas_Megan]

Thank you so much guys! your help has been much appreciated!
okay well this mornin i am of to try the carrot stretches and then i shall look at that and them im of to long rein him and i shall see if he bites the bit or goes mroe left tha way i shall lunge without the saddle!
&& i double checked this morning and he is definnatly not in pain atall on his back!
i shall try a different rider on him and see if he is as strong with them!
yee i do lean to one side but thinkin about it im not sure which side now!!

you 2 have been great help thanks so much! keep the suggestions coming mine you!
haaha i got lots to try now lol!
Megan x

[Trio]

that's so weird, that's exactly what my boy used to be like- he's a TB x criollo and is 4 ish. when i first rode him i could only turn right so if i wanted to go left i had to circle him right round, if i forced the issue he would panic and threaten to rear up- also grabs the bit and rein if he can when riding, walking/leading and lunging.

i can make him go left now but it was a gradual thing, my boy was trained western and for polo but i retrained him english and that made a difference. maybe try your horse western- he may respond!

can you try following another horse and then when they go left he should follow and give the rein and leg aids so he eventually associates it with the turn?

[Thomas_Megan]

Yehh! teh more i force the owrse it gets && the we beome so hot headed adn strong tha both of us are in a strop! im a strong rider but when he has the bit on the left side i have no hope in hell!

i will try followin another horse and rider round with teh saem aids and see what happens ::D

do you think western would help, caz i can give it a go?
i never thought of tryin a complete different way of riding thanks!
XMegan

[Zingy]

I have a similar problem with my pony. He is very right sided and finds going left very difficult. I'm trying now to just work him evenly on both sides and when he does work nicely on the left rein, he gets a reward of going in a straight line or to the right. If he really objects to going left on a big circle, then I give him the alternative of working in very tiny circles to the right, then I ask again at which point he normally cooperates :p

Personally, I'd get off and see how he is lunging or long reining though for a while to completely eliminate any effect of a rider. That way you can assess if it's you or him.

Don't forget that at 4 he's still growing and they do go through wonky growth spurts. So if this is a fairly recent thing, it may just be due to him growing and it's something that would sort itself out. I would be tempted to have a back check just in case though - not seeing any sore spots from grooming doesn't mean there isn't some deeper underlying stiffness in there.

[Thomas_Megan]

Thats a really good idea rewarding by going the way he wants!
i like that! ::D

well his back is due to be check again soon so i shall see if it is me or him!
I think it is partly due to the fact he is quite stubborn and he doesnt do things unless he wants to!!

maybe he is also wonky as he is growin!
xxMegan

[kturner]

Can he go left

in the field on his own?

tight circles? being led from the ground
large circles? being led from the ground

lunged with headcollar
lunged with bridle
lunged with and without saddle

longreined with headcollar
longreined with bridle
longreined with and without saddle

being led with rider bareback
being led with rider and saddle
being led with bridle
being led with headcollar

try everything with and without headcollar/bridle/saddle/rider
getting too complicated now. giving myself a headache. make yourself a grid to take with you and put ticks and crosses in the blocks.

you should have some answers to analyse from that lot.

PS. Give him a carrot everytime he gets one correct, that should motivate him to want to go left and never right again.

[Thomas_Megan]

HaaHa!

right i think the best way to do this is write it all down and then go from there!!?

hwo did you come up with all that!!
thank you so much you are all helpin loads! x
Megan

[Thomas_Megan]

If any one else has any suggestions plz feel free to add on ::D xxMegan

[Kate F.]

Hi Megan!

I get quite a few of these cases - and this is how I go about it.

Have him normally tacked up - and then, on the ground, stand on his left side. Pick up the left rein and lift it gently up and to the left. As soon as his eye turns towards you, release and stroke his forehead. If he leans on the bit and tries to turn away, just hang on there until the left eye turns towards you.

Repeat this until he looks towards you when you pick up the rein. Make sure you release immediately he flicks his eye to you, and reward it generously by stroking his forehead. It's important to stroke the forehead rather than neck or other part, as it's the head, or rather the mind, you're talking to.

Then hold the rein just a little longer until his head turns towards you. Just a little is fine - it might be more a softening than a turn at first - that's fine too. Release as soon as you feel the try and pet him.

Gradually ask him to turn a little further, until you can invite the head right round to you when you're standing at his shoulder.

Repeat the whole process on the right. Then get on, and do the same from the saddle. Reward every little try - but stick at it until he turns his head right round so his forehead is almost by your knee.

As he reaches round with his whole head (rather than just the nose) he has to relax his jaw. This is where this exercise is better than the carrot stretch - for the carrot stretch they just turn with the nose. Here we're really asking for stretch and relaxation through the poll.

Do this on both sides, then move forward a few steps in walk, and pick up on one rein so that he stops with his face turned round to your knee. In NH terms, this is the proper one-rein-stop. It shouldn't be pulling on the rein - rather guiding the head round to you by taking your hand out to the side and inviting the head round.

Now start walking forwards, and try to get in time with his left foreleg. Look for the moment that it leaves the ground and try to get yourself into this rhythm. Then, as that left fore comes off the ground - lift your left rein and take it to the side, as if you were going to do the one rein stop. His left fore will move to the left. Drop everything and pet him generously with stroking and scratching on the left side of his neck. DON'T PAT HIS NECK!! You want make this side move towards you, not move away from slapping!

Repeat until he is really soft and turning left as soon as you lift the rein away to that side. Then do it all again on the right.

You're just trained your horse to follow a feel on the rein. He now turns both ways softly and easily.

At the moment, you're probably pulling back on the rein to turn. You need to retrain yourself to open the hand away from the neck and turn your whole body in the direction you want to go.

Long description - but each little stage is important. In practice, you can probably re-train the response to the bit, and get good left turns, within an hour! :D It will take a few sessions to get it "fixed" - but stick at it, and any time he reverts to grabbing the bit and going - keep calm and set the whole process up again.

This isn't a magic formula - it's just breaking the turn down into very small pieces and then putting it back together again. Before the horse turns left, what does it do? It looks left. So reward that. What's the next stage? Turning the head - reward that. And so on. :cool:

It's important to do both sides, because you're retraining turning. If you just do the left, next thing will be, he won't turn right! :D

Finally, it might be just the way you type - but you sound like a very high energy person. Try to turn that right down and be very calm and quiet through the whole process. Give it time, and enjoy the little responses. If you feel yourself getting impatient, step away, breathe slowly, and feel your feet on the ground. Give it as long as it takes for you feel relaxed, then go back to the horse.

Hope that helps!:)