Leaning on the bit/heavy on the forehand

[horsecrazychick]

I've been training my 5 yr old TB mare for about a year now and lately she's been leaning heavily on the bit. Her frame looks nice- she's not throwing her head or hollowing her back or opening her mouth or any kind of resistance- she just gets heavy in my hands. I had a trainer tell me that I should always be able to see her poll or she's below the bit, but she doesn't drop her head that low anymore and I CAN always see it. She also feels much lighter in the mouth and engaged in the hindquarters when its not super hot outside, so I think it's just her laziness. What are some good exercises that I should do to lighten her forehand and get her weight back on her hindquarters? and what should I do when she starts to get too heavy- drop the contact? That's what one trainer told me to do, but my old trainer had me teach her to drop her nose down to the ground and stretch her topline while seeking contact whenever I drop it- so the new trainer seemed to see that as a bad thing... Should I be driving her into that contact or dropping it and making her carry herself? :confused:

[julia gulia]

I'd press the reset button and forget about any contact for now.
I'd also probably not even move out of a walk until you get some quality.
I seem to be in a new phase of my horsey career :o....I'm looking for a horse to carry themselves consistently, I shouldn't have to carry them. That's why I'd drop the contact for now and get her going with your legs..leave her head free to stretch out long and low...get her looking for that self carriage...and reward her big time when she gets it right.
She's young and it will take time for her to build up her strength to where she can stabilize herself consistently.
Don't be in too much of a hurry, look for quality at the walk and then build from there.
Does she lunge well at a walk?

[coss]

i wouldn't drop the contact when she leans but more encourage the light contact when you have it. engage the back end with a 10m circle (or similar) and give the rein (just inside hand to begin with) for a step or two. you want to encourage self carriage which that should help with.
i would also (if its not too tricky at this stage) do some things like turn about the forehand (so it keeps moving forwards and doesn't "stick") and turn about the haunches (do the turn about the forehand first to engage back end haunches after to sit her on her bum more) I find turn about the haunches really lightens the forehand and helps the horse listen to the seat and leg more without relying on the hand.

[Bangers & Mash]

Basically if you drop the contact and put your leg on she will eventually get the idea. She will understand she cant depend upon your hands to balnce and carry her.

[horsecrazychick]

Yes, she lunges well at all 3 gaits- I've done a lot of parelli and groundwork with her. She also does turn on the hindquarters and forehand nicely and moves off of my leg when I ask. I guess I really need to schedule a lesson with my old trainer- she had me asking her to stretch her topline as far as she could while carrying herself at all 3 gaits and my horse was literally almost dragging her nose in the dirt at all 3 gaits and she started to lift her ribcage for me and carry herself, but now it seems like when I pick up the contact from that long and low frame she will come up into a pretty frame but is still trying to stretch down and she just feels heavy...

[julia gulia]

If she's losing her self carriage when you pick up a contact then don't pick up contact.
Perhaps leave her to discover that it feels good to stabilize and move properly.
Do you have a reliable trainer who could give you a lunge line lesson? That way you can just work on getting her between your legs and allow her the time it takes to stretch out and get balanced.

[inhs]

Forequarter yield - to pick up her front legs and move them she has to put more weight back on hind legs.
Backup - same again
Sidepass - good again

Also this:

http://irishnhsociety.proboards41.com/index.cgi?board=usefulinformation&action=display&thread=406

good luck :)

[Lucyad]

I had this problem and worked on pressure release - basically I made a pact with my horse that I wasnt going to pull, but neither was he! We started off with work in halt - a continous soft, be definetly there pressure on both reins. As soon as he dropped his head or softened at all, he was rewarded with a total release of contact, and allowed to walk on. This didnt take long to get to grips with. Between pressure and release, we worked on forwardness, without contact - I was also encouraged to do varied and fast work, rather than too much confined arena work, to sharpen him up.

next lesson...we did the abve exercise at each quarter of the school, walking on and maintaining the contact between halts.

Next lesson we started doing rein back, and halt trot halt, and walk canter walk transitions.

All of the above has transformed my horse's flatwork in literally 2 recent lessons (the first was ages ago and we stupidly didn't stick to this method, as I was a bit concerned that it was setting the head and not working from behind). It hasnt seemed to have had that result at all though. He is much softer, and in turn I can ride more effectively, and in a much kinder manner that I am more comfortable with, while still in his french link.

Edited to add - or you could just read inhs's excellent description - sorry didnt read - 'what she said!'.

[Sticky's GF]

Agree with what others have said with not rushing etc and not focussing too much on your hands.

I have a tendency to try and 'carry' mine and while he is now working in a nice shape, (long, low and relaxed - he is 7) RI is trying to get him to get his weight back further, so in latest lesson we practiced shoulder in on a 20m circle (with varying degrees of success!) but when he did step through his quarters it forced him to lighten his front end - and it felt fantastic!!

[coss]

Agree with what others have said with not rushing etc and not focussing too much on your hands.

I have a tendency to try and 'carry' mine and while he is now working in a nice shape, (long, low and relaxed - he is 7) RI is trying to get him to get his weight back further, so in latest lesson we practiced shoulder in on a 20m circle (with varying degrees of success!) but when he did step through his quarters it forced him to lighten his front end - and it felt fantastic!!

super exercise as is haunches in on a circle:)... also shoulder out and haunches out (so you work both sides of the horse on one circle :p but much harder;)