Too Hot to handle

[OneHotTicket]

Hi,

I own a 7 year old National Showhorse. She has several issues and I don't know where to begin. Part of the problem is that I think she is a little "green " or even I'm a little "green".

1. Most of the time she works fine in an arena, but hates going out on trails. I've even taken her out with other horses, but she still becomes hot and dances everywhere. She really hates pressure and throws some terrible fits, but I really don't know when to let her get away with it or to be a little more stern with her. Are certain horses only meant for arena riding?

2. She has a nice trot but I can never get her "on the bit" or keep her trot evenly paced. I've tried several aides to get her to bring her head down, such as bending at the walk. Once we've got that down I engage her into a trot. In the trot she lifts her head and looses all collection including speeding up. I try to throw her into a circle, but she speeds up (obviously because she is unbalanced). I don't seem to be getting to far from where I was.

Does anyone have advice on how to keep a hot horse collected and calm at the trot and canter?

Thanks,

PS. I also ride a school horse that has a similar problem with the trot, however I use my leg aides an light rein aides to which she responds beautifully.

[kelsey]

Do you lunge her with side reins? That should encourage her to step into the contact more, and will also build up the muscles she needs to carry herself.

If you lunge before you ride, you can also let her burn off some excess energy.

[Wally]

What saddle and bit are you using?

[OneHotTicket]

Hi Wally,

I do lunge her prior to riding. Currently, I'm using a simple snaffle bit with a flash and a dressage saddle. I've been tempted to use a martingale but I rather not use too many aides.

Even after lungeing her she get's even more excited and it takes awhile for her to calm down. I spend more time just walking her under the saddle than actually getting her to move onto the trot.

Thanks for all your replys.

Ingrid

[cvb]

Hi Ingrid

I hate to state the obvious, but there is no way she can go on the bit if she is not going straight, forward, with balance (even tempo, stride).

I always thought the Pony Club books over simplified but actually they have it so right - if you focus first on the pre-requisites, then going "on the bit" just happens as a result of all the rest.

i.e. you work on having your horse supple, active, straight, ..... through corners as well as on the straight. Don't worry too much about head set at this stage. Don't be tempted to dropping your hands to get a lower head, or any of that alternate hand useage - it just levers the horses head down and does nothing for the engagement etc that you want to really be on the bit.

Keep your hands and contact soft and 'vibrant' (weird description I know, but imagine it like an electric current running from your hands to their mouth. No movement involved but you still have a connection in place.)

Check the horse is really working leg into hand, make sure you are not fixing your hand at all.

Honest it will come right. If she gets hot, speedy etc, then gentle half halts.

One thing that helped me - imagine you have a speed dial. Do a circle and think what the speed dial would say (e.g. the speed is "7") Now turn the speed down to a "6" and see whether yoou horse is more or less balanced. Try different speeds and see which is best. Now use half halts and good preparation before corners to make sure you have the right speed setting through the corner and are not asking too much of your horse at this stage. You may find that speed 7 is fine on the straight but the horse can not manage more than 5 on a circle.....

Your horse will also not come on the bit if they are having trouble balancing ! So you need to alter the speed to where they can cope. Once they are more established in their way of going, and more balanced overall, they will cope with a bigger variation in speeds.

Finally, if the horse is not used to going on the bit, don't forget that it will take time for new muscles to be built up and it will be quite tiring at first. Expect to just get glimpses at first, then the glimpses will come more often, for longer, until they merge together.