DailyNhtly
19th Apr 2005, 03:27 AM
I posted this in the Dressage forum, but since this done concern a Western horse (and I am *not* an educated Western person), perhaps you can help ;)
Ack..! Here's the story (short version):
9YO gelding who needs some retraining. Always been a hack horse, decent manners but don't think anyone has ever really worked on the basics with him. We've been working on the ground and under saddle. Decent progress, but hit a bump this weekend...
I think I may have moved up a bit ahead of him, but we were working on actually bending and getting into our corners. He already has some issues with turning on the haunches (some idiot taught him to back into it) and turning on the fore needs some work; the issue is this: when asking for the turn he bends fine through the neck into the shoulders, down into the ribcage and bam! we stop right there, just before the hips. At this point, the back end swings to the outside of the turn and it's a mess.
I have a feeling that I need to go back a bit and work some more on collection (thinking it would help to have some impulsion in our turns first), and going on the straight. But when we get back to the corners, I'm not quite sure about the positioning of my legs...
I feel as though I need to be helping him with my outside leg at the girth, through the turn, as well as giving him some inside leg to bend around. But then again, his back end needs my assistance as well to keep the hind end tracking with the front. Trying to keep the backend tracking with just the reins/neck doesn't work, and I don't think a dressage whip would either.
Anyway, any assistance would be apprecaited :)
Laura
Ack..! Here's the story (short version):
9YO gelding who needs some retraining. Always been a hack horse, decent manners but don't think anyone has ever really worked on the basics with him. We've been working on the ground and under saddle. Decent progress, but hit a bump this weekend...
I think I may have moved up a bit ahead of him, but we were working on actually bending and getting into our corners. He already has some issues with turning on the haunches (some idiot taught him to back into it) and turning on the fore needs some work; the issue is this: when asking for the turn he bends fine through the neck into the shoulders, down into the ribcage and bam! we stop right there, just before the hips. At this point, the back end swings to the outside of the turn and it's a mess.
I have a feeling that I need to go back a bit and work some more on collection (thinking it would help to have some impulsion in our turns first), and going on the straight. But when we get back to the corners, I'm not quite sure about the positioning of my legs...
I feel as though I need to be helping him with my outside leg at the girth, through the turn, as well as giving him some inside leg to bend around. But then again, his back end needs my assistance as well to keep the hind end tracking with the front. Trying to keep the backend tracking with just the reins/neck doesn't work, and I don't think a dressage whip would either.
Anyway, any assistance would be apprecaited :)
Laura