breaking

[elle]

i have started to break my horse and i have backed her about 10 times however she resists the bit and pulls away from where i want her to go. i know the basics of what i have to do eg. lunging, side reining, long reining etc. i was wondering if you have any tips which may help me along the way. i also know there is nothing wrong because once when i rode her she did everything i asked her too including a tiny trot. If i ride her on a lunge rope she is fine and will canter and even jump about a foot which is brilliant considering her age which is three.
i will be very gratefull for any suggestions.

ps- i use a loose ring snaffle because this a riding instrutor said would be best for her.

[Mossy]

May I ask a very blunt question? Do you know the basics from theory or practise. If theory only please get an person experienced with youngsters to help you as you can unwittingly do all sorts of damage.

You say you have jumped her on the lunge. Is that ridden? I am sorry but I am confused by your post. Am I right in thinking you are happy with her ridden on the lunge but she is not happy free? Does she have a cavesson when lunging, and longreining so she gets her commands from the cavesson not the bit? If so she is possibly not used to the commands from her mouth.

Does she accept the bit if you are long reining from it, and where do you have your long reins. I have been known to have the stirrups run up and tied together across the pommel ans well as the leathers tied underneath, and then longrein through the run up stirrups. Sounds mad but it puts the reins at a closer angle to your hands than the usual. Don't forget she is still getting used to you and the feel of your weight and her bit. Her balance and muscles will feel strange.

Do you steer by bit or weight. I recommend Heather's book. I rebacked our baby without reins. Hubby was leading from the head so she had reassurance from that end and I had to weight steer. They do seem to appreciate it. One leading race trainer apparently lets his newly backed youngsters out onto a race course with jockeys on top and they wander exactly where they want to for a while to get used to the feel of that thing called a rider.

Please do not ride a youngster,even in the field or school, if you are on your own. I once risked it and nearly killed myself. Sorry this post is a little garbled. I hope you can get some useful sense out of it.

[Wally]

Get some professional help. Knowing the basics is good. Knowing how to apply them correctly and read the minute messages the horse is constantly giving is even better, this you learn with experience. She may be resisting you for loads of reasons, pain, insecurity even your unconcious body language.

Just because she did it right for you once is no guarantee there os nothing wrong with her. Remember at 3 she will be loosing baby teeth and her mouth will be tender. The slightest rattle on her teeth may be very painful.

Jumping free on the lunge is not a bad exercise, so long as you don't ride her over jumps, Let her get used to carrying weight and how to balance under you before anyone rides her over a jump, the muscles of her back will not be sufficiently well developed to carry the shock weight on landig yet.

Is she pulling away being led, lunged or longlined?

Your post is not that clear exactly what the problem is! Sorry me being stupid!

[elle]

sorry my post wasn't clear, she does sometimes pull away from me when i'm leading her, she just seems to want to go her own way; this may sound stupid but she is too clever and very stubborn and doesn't like to do as shes asked. On the lunge with and without a rider she is brilliant, when shes withoout a rider you only have to say 'turn around' and she will go the opposite way. I do lunge her in lunging caveson with a bit attatched to it, however i long rein her in her bridle.

I do have practical experience as well as theory as my aunty has eight horses which i help to school every weekend, its not as though my aunty doesn't know what to do because her daughter who is nine has broke her pony herself which she learnt how to do from her mom.

My aunty rode her once for me and she thinks that because she has one wall eye(blue eye)she may be slightly blind in this eye, Could this be true.

[Wally]

Just because the pigment in the eye is pale is not an indication to blindness. Most wall eyed horses see perfectly well.

[Busterbum22]

Breaking Horses can be a long process, and some go backwards after going forwards, this happen to a friend of mine, I took her about 12 months to break her horse and getting him going forward, although when it came to breaking my own, it was a totally different story, We decided to break him in july this year, although he had been lunged in previous years, (he is only 3yrs 6 mths) we lunged him on the monday once in the morning and once in the evening, Long reined him on the Tuesday, at the end of tuesday, we did the jumping on either side and resting over his back. Wednesday was long reined again and at the end of that day we sat on his back. Thursday, was rode on the lung, This was done for the rest of the week, the following week he went onto schooling lessons, and once he has been shown something once he does it correct the second time around, His instructor is very pleased with him he is a born star. We now hack out in company or alone, and he is brill. My friend comes along with her horse who was a problem to break, he still spooks at his own shadow, and my buster just looks at him, as if to say what's up now.
The rule he is to treat every horse as an individual. Don't lose faith, I sure your horse will come round when she fully understands what it is you want.

[da_nude]

If i read right your horse is not backing up properly and/or resisting the bit when you ride her. My horse had the same problem. She would throw her head and resist the bit, but then i put a curb bit in her. She originlally had a tomb thumb in. She is 100 percent better now. If your horse is not backing up properly then you need to go and do some ground work. Line driving is a good way to get your horse to back up better.