speedy pony

[EventPony]

I lease a 17 y.o. POA, but she is VERY Spunky. In the indoor, she is usually pretty good ( until i canter), but anywhere else she is very fast, and on cross country, she just jigs the whole time, adn when i give her her head, all she does is want to run. Sometimes ill put her kimberwick in, but only if im doing x-coutnry or stadium courses. Otherwise, i really dont like to use it. She doesnt listen at all wehn u ask her to slow down! Today, when i was in the indoor, after a while, she would get really fast going toward her feild. (i know, its normal, but she doesnt usually do it) and whenever i ask her to canter, she takes off...wehn i ask her to slow down, she gets upset, and it takes forever to slow her down. I tried this exercise i saw in a magazine, where you ride in a square..u walk along the sides and halt b4 each corner, then keep going. After a while she was realy listening, til the point where i didnt have to use my reins, just a little squeeze of my butt (VERY unusual w/ Maya) so i decided to canter and she went right back to takin off, so id ask her to stop and shed swish her tail and toss her head. And whenever i ask her to stop/slow down she just ignores me and fights the bit. I get into tug of war fights all the time, and im over it. Any ideas on exercises, etc. to help maya accept the bit and listen when i ask her to slow down? sorry so long!

[LindaAd]

It sounds as if you're doing it right, EventPony; if you were practising in walk, maybe you should try in trot before you canter? Slow the trot down by slowing your rising, not by pulling on the reins. What sort of bit are you riding her in? Sometimes horses listen more to a milder bit. Wally had a good story about this a little while ago, but I can't remember the name of the thread. Maybe someone else can...?

[LindaAd]

Wally
Member

Registered: Apr 2000
Location: Shetland
Posts: 1506 Sobering Little Story
This is a tale I heard recently.

OK, h ere you are: it was on Nov 4th in the General forum, called A Sobering Little Story


A chap seeking the advice of a well known trainer:

Chap. "I cannot stop my horse running off with me, even in this curb bit"

Trainer. "No wonder, your horse is far too green for a curb bit, ride him in a snaffle"

Chap. "Don't talk such rot, I don't stand a chance in hell of stopping him in a curb, how can I be expected to stop him in a snaffle?"

Trainer. "Okay, you'd be better off riding him in a headcollar then"
By which time the Chap is looking at the trainer as if he is from the planet Mars.

Chap," If I cannot stop him in a snaffle how on Earth can you think I'd be able to control him in a head collar?"

Trainer. " Oh, in that case ride him with a cord around his neck!"
By this time the chap has wondered off shaking his head, cross that he did not get the advice that he wanted!

The morale is, don't think of your bit as brakes, think of it as a method of communication by means of release of pressure, rather than inflicting pressure. Less is so often more.
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[olympicprincess]

You and the horse need to learn to work off the seat.
The square was a fine excercise but like mentioned before, go from walk to halt to walk to trot to walk to trot to canter to trot to walk and so on....reverse somewhere and repeat.
TEMPO TEMPO TEMPO!!! Your rides will become so much easier once you get this down. You were on the right track, keep it up. Good Luck.:)

[EventPony]

thanks, guys...i ride maya in a eggbutt snaffle. She's gotten a lot better, adn i cna finally get her collected (not at the canter, tho, but were workin on it)

[Dizzy]

You are doing some excellant work with your mare. One thing to bear in mind is what your halts are actually doing. They are asking her to listen and focus on you.

The next exercise to do is ask her to lengthen her stride, still in walk. Encourage her to understand that your legs don't mean faster. Concentrate on her back legs, really relax your bum, and walk your relaxed legs and seat in time with her stride. Have a very soft contact on the rien, so she has freedom to relax and balance herself and encourage her to step through with her back legs. I wouldn't even contemplate collection until I could go through the paces, relaxed, with rythym and balance.

Keep her busy, circle, serpentine, figure of eight, lots of halt, half halt, turn her down the quarter line and leg yield to the wall. Get her used to moving off your leg without rushing. When you've mastered walk, ask for trot and do the same exercises.

Results won't happen overnight, its loads of repitition and patience. But well worth the effort.

Lesley

[Nicola Doyle]

I have a pony who can be speedy. as whenever i take him around the Cross-couhntry track with another horse /pony he sometimes bolts( he has done this once or twice)He has always been known for being speedy!!!I have now got used to this now. So when i go round with another horse, im just prepared and hold on when we canter.
If you know a good way off helping this ,without chaging my bit then please reply.:
:eek:

[fizz21]

is because of the feed you give them

[charlie]

fizz21, how can you make any link to their feed when you do not even know what they are fed on. Many ponies can "live on fresh air" so to speak and still be strong.

[fizz21]

for Posting here :(