encouraging horse to soften

[Kylie Chamberlain]

Having just moved up a competition grade in pony club I'm feeling the need question whether my horse and i are ready (not so much for the jumping, but the dressage really)
Cheque is a really nice calm horse, with a lovely expressive trot and nature that implies he's always ready to listen and go about nicely, he only has one fault that i can see......
Being so quiet, he is also prone to lacking forward and impulsion in the arena, and because of this it is often quite a struggle to encourage him to go forward into a contact and therefore soften and round through his body. Admittedly at competitions ect, he does liven a great deal and bring his hind hocks beneath him, however this sometimes tips to the other end of the scale and he becomes a little too forward and i struggle to catch this energy with my hands and this can result in his frame becoming quite long and strung out.
I've tried several bits (my instructor tells me he is a dry mouthed horse and until he salivates more during work he will not become a lot softer) so armed with this information i borrowed a friend's sweet iron today and was amazed at the immediate improvement. Not for one stride did cheque lean on my hands (as he has a tendancy to do, esspecially when he's getting tired) and his mouth at least had a little froth (our ice-cream:D as we call it) and was nice.
I can't wait till my next lesson, so i can show my instructor the difference the bit has made, but before then is my first grade 3 comp-ooooh scary:eek:

[indienf]

Perhaps try to vary his work a bit more - take him hacking, jumping, loose school him if possible, lunge him etc.
Concentrate on getting his hindlegs underneath him at home, and the rest will come from there like you said. You might want to try and get him working through on the lunge first, and then with a rider.
Try some long and low work at the beginning and end of every session to get him working over his back, so he can stretch down and take the contact forwards. Then you will be able to gather the contact up slightly once you have him going forward off your leg and ask him to work rounder rather than long and low.
As as example, this is what I did with my mare, who was very lazy so we started with the long and low work before gathering her up into a slightly more elastic and prelim outline
(photo: http://groups.msn.com/petsingeneral/bethy.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=10) and finally bringing her into a novice level outline like this: http://groups.msn.com/petsingeneral/bethy.msnw?action=ShowPhoto&PhotoID=44
I hope this helps, and good luck!

[galadriel]

Originally posted by Kylie Chamberlain
i borrowed a friend's sweet iron today and was amazed at the immediate improvement.

Oooh, great! Sounds like you've had a bit of a breakthrough :)

Had you always used steel before, or had you ever tried any of the other mouthpieces...like copper, aurigaen metal, or happy plastic? (just curious) I've used all of those three, but never a sweet iron, myself. Sounds like it was interesting for you.

[Kylie Chamberlain]

Thanks for your advice.

indienf:
One of the hardest things with Cheque is that he is a very relaxed horse and he LOVES working long and low (esspecially long), but it is pretty difficult to pick him up again. (he'll happily trot around with his nose bumping along the ground)
Thankyou for the photos, i will try perhaps working him in the long and low outline for a little each school, to see if that helps
I'll let u know.

galadriel
No, i've never tried anything other than steel before, but i intend to experiement with a copper-roller bit one day, because my instructor says she uses one on her also dry-mouthed horse and it has made a, unbelievable difference. You wouldnt happen to know anything bout that bit would you?
A lot of people i know are trying the sweet iron these past couple of months, many with really positive results, but i have the feeling that perhaps i could get cheque a little more light on the contact, so i guess i'll have a play with any different bits i can get my hands on.

copper, aurigaen metal, or happy plastic, might just have to have a play and see if he likes any of those
Thanks!

[indienf]

Good luck, hope it works :)

[indienf]

Just a thought, have you considered using side reins on him? They don't need to be tight, just enough to bring him into that rounder outline, and as he gets used to that at home you can take them off.

[Lucys]

I wouldn't suggest sidereins. I expect your horse might come into an "outline" but as you find it hard at home to create the impulsion you need, this outline would be false and your horse wouldn't create the correst muscles to sustain this.

indienf - I have to say your horse looks to be working much better in the first picture than in the second. In the second she is on the forward and seems to be leaning on your hands.

[Kylie Chamberlain]

A while ago i questioned my instructor as to whether lunging cheque with sidereins would be benificial, but she felt that because he already likes his head low, sidereins wouldnt help me.

Thankyou for your suggestions though, very much appricaited!