help!! (in hand problems )

[Cremola Foam]

I have recently discovered that Peds has an issue with his right side. It came to light during a lesson when I was doing lateral work with him and he really did not want to move off my right leg. Not even a bit. He was going backwards, forwards, even upwards! Every way but across. (I wasn't wanting much, just one attempt at sideways, and I was asking quietly) My instructor said it was like he had a mental block. (He moves away from pressure on the left happily)

It was my intention to try to teach him a bit from the ground but I struggle to even get on his right side. In the stable when grooming it's all fine, I can do both sides and have been asking him to move over in the stable by placing my hand where my leg would be on his right side and asking him to move over. It's a work in progress! But when he gets a bridle or headcollar on and I start to work him it's like a switch goes on and he won't let me stand level with his girth. (He spins his quarters out)

And I get frustrated, which is bad!!! I think I just need to do a very short in hand session every day. But I'm never sure when to end it. As soon as he gets it right? And what is getting it right at the moment? Any sideways movement, including quarters only over, or moving the front legs/shoulders over? What is the correct way to ask?

(This is all leading to learning lateral work such a leg yielding, turn on the forehand, shoulder in, quarters in. All things he can do moving from the left!)

TIA.

 

[orbvalley]

And I get frustrated, which is bad!!! I think I just need to do a very short in hand session every day. But I'm never sure when to end it. As soon as he gets it right? And what is getting it right at the moment? Any sideways movement, including quarters only over, or moving the front legs/shoulders over? What is the correct way to ask?
(This is all leading to learning lateral work such a leg yielding, turn on the forehand, shoulder in, quarters in. All things he can do moving from the left!)
TIA.

Hi Cremola Foam
Congratulate him as soon as he makes any movement away from your pressure, even the most minuscule twitch is "his try" & your congratulating him is the first step towards bigger responses by you letting him know he's got it right. End the session there.
Do the same again & again & again, slowly increasing his response and your congratulating by waiting for a tad more movement.
Don't get frustrated, or try not to, see it more as him not understanding what you're asking for. He'll soon figure out what you want by the fuss you make of him, or the carrot he gets, or basically whatever he see's as "thats good, you've done well".

 

[OwnedbyChanter]

How is he with carrot stretches as to do lateral he needs to be able to bend through his rib cage.

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

Ziggy finds it very difficult to yield and flex on the right, too. Everything is harder for him on that side. Because I'm still not riding while my wrist recuperates, we're doing a little groundwork every day. He's easily become quite supple on the left, but on the right he is still stiff. He will try, he's just really bad at it.

I notice with him that if I am asking him to do a lot of yielding (quarters or shoulders) he starts anticipating and moves when I don't want him to, for example if we are going to do a carrot stretch. I find it's helpful to remind him to stand quite still when he is told and I'm reinforcing that in each session now. Today I tried holding my NH stick (you know, a long stick with a string, really quite like a lunging whip ) and using it to prevent him from going somewhere. So when he was trying to rush across walking poles I put it in front of his chest, and when I asked him to stand still I used the stick to keep him still as I approached his withers to do a carrot stretch. It worked quite well - he respects it but isn't scared of it. In fact I desensitised him to it ages ago by asking him to touch it and giving him treats, and now he sometimes puts his nose on it and rolls his eyes at me hopefully!

 

[Mary Poppins]

If my horse was very one sided, I would first eliminate any physical reason for it. Have you had a physio out to him recently? Perhaps there is a physical reason why he is finding this so hard.

 

[Cremola Foam]

Thanks all.

@Mary Poppins. He gets the physio out once or twice a year, he is due now (will be getting seen in the Easter Hols) but the yielding from pressure on the right has always been a bit of a problem, it's just now as I am asking more of him that it's becoming an issue for him.

@orbvalley he does always move from the pressure, just every way appart from stepping over. How do I encourage him to do that, surely if I am telling him well done for any movement he will assume that any movement will do? At the moment I have been putting pressure just behind the girth with the flat of my hand and keeping it there until I get a step to the side. As soon as I get that the pressure is relased and he is told good boy and made a big fuss of.

@OwnedbyChanter, he is rediculously bendy and used that to his advantage when evading! Lol!

@Jane&Ziggy working on Peds left side, or in front of him (for backing, getting him to step forward) he is great, responds really well, tries hard and stays nice and calm and supple. Go to the right side and it's like your working with a different horse! Nothing has ever happened to him on that side in the 4 years I've owned him, but he really gets scared. He will run backwards, roll his eyes and has broken three lead ropes by pulling back violently when I'm on that side. I've never been able to lunge him as he doesn't understand what to do, but he's much better on the left rein than right.

I feel like I need to strip it right back to basics with him on the ground. I'm having a few biting issues with him too at the moment. He has become really snatchy of the reins ever since he had his teeth done. I had a look in his mouth, as best I could, when he had his bridle on yesterday and it looks like the bit might be a bit low. It's just weird that he was fine with it for nearly 4 years, and now suddenly he doesn't like it. Planning on getting the vet back out to check teeth again, possibly under sedation if needs be.

 

[Jane&Ziggy]

If you are going back to basics with groundwork then I really recommend this book http://www.amazon.co.uk/101-Horsema...23&sr=1-1&keywords=101+horsemanship+exercises. You could start at the beginning and work your way through it!

If you are looking for accuracy of response - so that he understands that what you are looking for is his right hind foot stepping under, for example - then I would use clicker training, which allows you to isolate the specific movement you want. Say if you're interested and I can suggest where to start!

 

[orbvalley]

@orbvalley he does always move from the pressure, just every way appart from stepping over. How do I encourage him to do that, surely if I am telling him well done for any movement he will assume that any movement will do? At the moment I have been putting pressure just behind the girth with the flat of my hand and keeping it there until I get a step to the side. As soon as I get that the pressure is relased and he is told good boy and made a big fuss of.

I can't help with any advice on medical problems - but say everything in that area of expertise is exhausted and eliminated as the cause of the problem and its just a case of training and understanding here's what I would do - being that he already knows that he's doing well if he moves away from pressure already you then need to start increasing the "ask". Wait for that bit more before congratulating him. There is IMO nothing wrong in using your body weight instead of your hand (once he's comfortable with it of course) to ask him to step over.
Alternatively to make it easier for him ride him with someone on the ground to assist in "the pressure" on his hind quarters so that he gets the idea of what you're asking.

 

[domane]

Just a thought but could it be a visual problem with his right eye? Maybe he can't see you which is why he panics. ...

 

[Cremola Foam]

@Jane&Ziggy the right hind stepping under and across is exactly what I've been rewarding (verbal rewards and a good rub on the neck when he does a really good step)

@orbvalley I am in the process of getting all the physicals checked out. Saddle fitter coming next Friday, vet to re do teeth in the hols, and I've yet to hear back from physio.

@domane thabks for that. might get the vet to check his sight when they come to do teeth. I've never had his eyes looked at. B has had his checked as he is going blind in his older years.

Typically yesterday he was a chilled cucumber, stepped over without a problem when I asked when I was grooming, and when ridden leg yielded into the kerb when a car was coming!!! I tried to focus really hard on exactly how I was asking him and I think I've been asking in different ways!! Poor boy! I seem to give a pulsing pressure when I'm not really thinking about it, but when we are working on it consciously it's more of a constant pressure until I get the step. Going to try the pulsing, on off pressure next time we are 'working' on it and see if that makes a difference.

There is a broken down crop sprayer in our schooling area at the moment though so not sure when my next focused session will be! (I'll keep practicing when hacking and when handling him on the ground)

I'm more and more thinking this is my mental block, rather than his!