balance

[xox stace xox]

need your help ive had honey about 3-4 weeks now and im having trouble with my balance i fell off yet again today we cantered for 1st time and she just cam to a sudden stop and put her head down and i ccame off head first

its rather strange as the 15.2 tb exracer flighty type i used to ride i had ok balance on her

but honey she puts her head down for grass and i feel like im gonna topple off any ideas

[nutkin]

it sounds like Honey has learnt this as a form of evasion.A good way to stop her getting her head down would be to use a piece of baler twine tied from the headpiece of her bridle to the d rings on her saddle.This should help stop her getting her head down in the first place assuming of course that your saddle is a good fit and will not pull forwards. When she tries to get her head you need to push her forwards strongly with your legs and make sure you are sitting up as tall as possible in the saddle so she doesn't pull you off balance.If you are experienced enough I suggest you also carry a whip to ensure that she is listening to you and that you can keep her going forwards.If she doesn't listen to your legs then back it up with your whip.I am of course assuming that Honey isn't a young or unbalanced horse but just trying it on with you.If she is unbalanced which may also happen if she is unfit then you need to teach her to carry herself.

[Cheeky]

Baler twine .. works wonders. We use it at work for the trail ride Stb's .. stops them munching with beginners. you MUSt make sure that its not too tight .. but then again, not too loose. Should be a slack straight line from saddle to bit.

Also, when you feel her slowing down, or muscles tensing to stop and eat .. nudge nudge nudge! Change her mind! Move into trot, or change rein, or a circle .. do something to distract her :)

[xox stace xox]

is this twine you are talking about just like bale band the string on bale of hay???
how tight am i meant to put it , can i ween her off thisif use it till i get used to her, i just feel so wiered cos i hardly have any balance on her where as bigger ones i have more balance

[mayoguinness]

Well does she do this when you lead her? If so you should sort that out first! So if you take her for a walk and she tries to grab a mouthful of grass, wiggle the rope from side to side and tell her NO! Once she knows not to do it on the ground it will be a lot easier when your riding her!!

[xox stace xox]

ye we was practicing tonight but wiggling doesnt work lol shes so strong and when she has the mind theres no stopping her

[mayoguinness]

You need a big clip on the end of your rope and you need to wriggle and jerk your rope as hard as you can untill she listens! If that doesn't work try bringing a lunging whip out too and hitting the ground hard near her head when she goes down to eat!! Should make her jump then stroke her when she lifts her head back up!

[Lot1983]

Ponies are notorious for being trickier customers than horses, the bigger something is the more of it there is for you to balance on!

If this is a major issue you could try riding her out in a muzzle, and she would soon learn that she cannot get to the grass, and it should hopefully stop you having your arms ripped off.

What are you stirrups like for length? If they are too short you may be a bit wobbly, I personally prefer to ride with a longer length on smaller ponies but i'm perfectly happy to ride short on a 16hh hunter!

[xox stace xox]

thanks for that you have really summed it up thats exactlyu how i feel , very off balanced and it only happens because she alot smaller i used to but im not at all confident anymore cos shes looking every where and snorting im just worried something is going to happen

[NoviceNic]

Becareful if she is the round bellied flat withered type. We put baling twine on our daughters Shetland pony and she still managed to pull her head down and the saddle just went over her withers with my daughter sliding over her neck. :eek: :rolleyes: A crupper will stop the saddle from moving forward over their withers.

[xox stace xox]

think i going to try adjusting stirrups first

[xox stace xox]

to prove how unbalance i am on her i fell off again

[Fizz]

could it be your saddle is not the right size for you & is making you unbalanced?

[kirstie]

To improve your balance try some of these exercises (need sane horse for this as well) :p


Shorten your stirrups jockey length, tie your reins in a knot so as not to dangle, and stand up with your arms out, dont worry if you cant stand for long, the longer you practice to longer you can stand up, just becareful when you come down that you land sofly on your horses back

Just like rising trot, up, down, up, down, up, down, try up, up, down, down, up, up, down, down, up, up, down, down then three ups and three downs, you get the point , once you get to seven try folding your arms as well (btw this is at normal stirrups length) Again just becareful when you come down that you land sofly on your horses back.

Also work without stirrups helps a great deal with improving your balance just start of slowing, in walk and build up into trot.

Another, which is to help with the muscles in, which help you to stay balanced on the horse is you lift your thighs away from the saddle (like a dog lifting its leg :D ) to help you find the center of the saddle without gripping with your thighs.

Frog position. Riders draw their knees up to help them find the middle of the saddle and to stay there without gripping with their calves.

Hope some of the exercises have helped in some way or another :)

ETA - would say the same when you feel her about to stop erge her forwards and then on your command bring her back the gait you wanted, this way you wont get any abrupt stops and the possibilty of you falling off again.

[xox stace xox]

ok nothing to do with balance but i tryd lunging honey for 1st time out on common cos we have no enclosed spaces and she bombed off i couldnt stop her she galloped off full pelt tail in air down road and up on to main road proper busy she was gallopin on pposite side by the time i got to her some one had tied her to a lamppost

wjhat should i do next