Hollow

[Appaloosa]

My friend has a very nice skewbald called stanley. He's a great sorta boy and there a good combination, however he is very hollow and will not relax or seek a contact.

He is ridden in a cherry mouth roller, which should surely encourage him to soften. This is used with care and he has not (in the owners experience anyway) been treated with a heavy hand. He has had a rough time with illness but is fit and ready to do out line work. He is over 8yrs old and the only time he will work in an outline is when he has a pelham in (which is not often). His paces are free and forward.

any suggestions to relax his carriage and begin contact work?

X - A - X

[Sarah]

hello!

Why don't you see if your friend can ride him more in a pelham so that Stanley can see what she is asking of him. Once he has got used to rounding and working through (do check he isn't just dropping his head and that he back is raised and that his back legs are coming far under him) he may then go back into another bit.

It sounds like he doesn't understand the action of the cherry roller but does that of the pelham. A lot of horses can try to avoid the cherry roller as they can get bits of their tongue 'skin' caught in the rolly bits so it isn't always a good bit to get a horse to soften with.

I suggest that if your friend uses the pelham that she uses it with 2 sets fo reins rather than 1 set and roundings so that she can use the curb and snaffle independently.

bye!

[Appaloosa]

is this sarah molsely by any chance?

[casey]

I would make sure your friend is using enough leg before you resort to a bit change.:)

[virtuallyhorses]

I'm with Sarah on the cherry mouth roller - it sounds like it doesn't suit him, so try either staying with the pelham or going to a very plain snaffle (either single jointed or my favourite french link). Once he's comfortable in the mouth forget about it entirely and work on getting him going forward, a horse really can't hollow and move forward freely - so lots of leg.