Heather could you help with my youngster please

[Dizzy]

Breeze is Arab/Welsh x QH and is almost 4. She is not yet backed, though last summer I sat on her. I've done alot of inhand work with her (TTeam work), introduced all tack etc and am now getting ready to back her, once she's responding happily while being longreined.

I have one or two questions I'm sure you'll be able to help me with. I've been lunging her on 2 lines, and she goes very well, so I've started to long rein. She's been very good and walks on and halts, but when I ask her to change direction I find she's having trouble understanding,

I ask with the rein as I would as if I was on top, by opening and closing my hand and keeping a steady, but giving contact on the outside rein. She responds by stopping and bending her kneck towards the inside rien, to the point she's actually looking at me. I haven't pulled her head round, as I've only given gentle squeezes, and though my outside rien has been firm I'm not happy with the idea of anchoring it to stop the over turn.

I take her back onto the lunge circle to stop the over turn and gain some positive ground, but it keeps happening. I know the fault lies with me, as she always tries her best and I can see she's trying but once she's turned too far gets stuck, she is happy with an equal contact on the rein, but confused when I use them indepentantly.

I'm using an eggbut snaffle, and roller, with the long reins through the side rings. I'm not asking for sharp changes of direction, I go from the lunge circle to straight and then try for a figure of eight to change the rein.

Lesley

[Sue Carnell]

Hi Lesley,

Unfortunately, Heather isn't available at the moment, but has asked me to try to help out where I can. So, I'll try.

I long rein my youngster and find that, as in riding, I need to use my outside rein to 'push' her around, rather than so much my inside rein to lead her around, though I did take my inside rein out away from her to begin with, as in an 'open rein' when riding. I also use my whip on the outside to 'push' her around, as I would use my leg. It is much easier if someone will help to begin with. Standing at the head and guiding her, though I admit, I don't have anyone myself. Occasionally, I will flick her with my outside rein to ask her to move away from it too. Body language is very important too. For example, I find it easier to turn to the left, if I put myself in her left eye. She automatically turns a little to the left to see me. I also started with very large turns, so that we were going more forward than turning and started with the lines not threaded through anything, so that I could exaggerate my aids, though I now thread them through tied stirrup irons. It may be that using the roller rings is interfering a little with your cues.

Hope this helps.

Sue Carnell
sue@eclipse.co.uk

[Dizzy]

Sue, thanks for your reply, I think your right about the roller rings interfering a little, I'll try with the riens through the irons.

Could I pick your brains a little, I have found that Breeze is pretty uncoordinated and unsure how to place her feet when I ask for inhand movements. This is a bit tricky to explain, but I know this is where her problem stems from.

I have been asking her to turn on the forehand from the ground, by gently asking her head in my direction and giving genlte pushes where my leg would be, she finds this really difficult, on her good side she will step under with her hind (the one nearest to me), which is what I want, but her front feet don't move and she has her hooves facing forward with her bum away, on her stiffer side she side steps her rear but is the same on the front, ending up with her front legs planted and hooves at a horrendous angle. She just gets completely stuck and can't work out how to use herself, and I'm struggling for ideas on how to make it easy for her, and I think this is what happens when she's longreined, she's happy with straight lines and halt but when I ask for a slight change of direction she just doesn't know how to coordinate herself, she appears to think of herself (when I'm asking for a little precision in her movement) as two halfs, front end and back legs and hasn't discovered how the two can work together.

I'm sorry this is getting long, but when I work her on the lunge, I don't particullarly work on a circle as at first she is unbalanced, but I lateral lunge, using marker cones and poles until she is carryng herself well, then I put her on a large circle with me doing a smaller circle and she can put in a beautiful, relaxed rythimic trot, and I can see her whole body and legs working together.

I hopefully have my instructor coming on Friday to help, I rang her tonight and she's dying to come, but I'll have to see if the farm will allow it (F & M). One other point is, she is downhill at the moment (bum higher than withers) which naturally throws her onto the fore.

Any suggestions will be gratefully recieved,

Lesley

[Sue Carnell]

Hi Lesley,

Try asking just for one step and then lead her forward and away into a circle, instead of asking for a full turn on the forehand. Make sure you aren't standing too close to her and ask your instructor to check that your position is the same on the right as it is on the left. I had problems with in-hand work on the off-side of my older horse and got a friend to watch. She told me that I stood closer and not at the same angle on the off-side which was blocking him. When I corrected it, he was fine.

Try moving her forehand separately from her quarters too. It's good that she separates the two, it's often necessary to spend ages with an older horse teaching them that they actually can go sideways and can move one bit of them without moving the other. It sounds more as though she's doing as asked and when you start to lead her from one step, she'll get the idea. It's more likely that your body language is blocking her somewhere and she's misunderstanding your cues, than she's uncoordinated. You'd need to ask her to take one step with her hindquarters and then cue her to take the step with her fore, rather than expecting her to do it for herself.

She sounds as though she's really trying for you, which is excellent.

Sue Carnell
sue@eclipse.co.uk

[Dizzy]

Hi Sue, I'll give it a go tomorrow.

I've had a great result regarding the long riens, my friend came over this afternoon and she took the long reins and I walked up by her head, we had one or two sticky moments, when changing the rein, so when she stopped I encouraged her forward a little on the right track. It didn't take long until I was standing watching, she did two lovely large figure of eights, then longrein/lunged on both riens, she did stop a couple of times, but went forward eventually with out me intervening.

We then swapped and I longreined her back to the stable out of the top gate of the paddock which we don't normally use as she will quite happily make her own way back on our normal route. She was a star, I did two or three halt/walk on with a great response, she halted with squeeze/release so she stopped under her own steam and was happy to walk on, I had the reins clipped on the head collar as I didn't want risk her mouth getting a jolt, so I'm over the moon with todays progress.

Unfortunately my instructor can't come due to F&M restrictions, all going well she can come next week. I had a long conversation with her tonight and she's given me loads of ideas to keep me going.

Thanks again for your advice its been a big help, hope you don't mind if I keep asking, Breeze has always done her best for me, she really is a lovely young horse, so I know that when she's getting confused or frustrated, its because I'm not asking in a way she'll understand. Hopefully if the restrictions are lifted in the next few weeks I'll get her up to my instructors place and she'll keep me right, I agree with a second pair of eyes as you say.

Thanks once again

Lesley

[fionahogg]

Hi Lesley I'd just like to congratulate you on your work with Breeze. Like Sue said it sounds like she's really trying for you and she's obviously getting a great introduction to life.

Well done.

Fiona