_jetset_
Well-Known Member
I took my yearling to a Richard Maxwell learning day (he was a complete star), and while watching a few of the other horses I had a bit of a breakthrough in my own head.
One lady was riding her 4 year old who has been off work and she said she was having some issues with the mare holding on the right rein. Max got on her and said you should not be thinking about getting them off the rein they are holding, but get them onto the one they are not! Now, although I know this in principle, for some reason it lit up a light bulb in my head.
I have been having some real contact issues with Grace in the past week. When my trainer rode her last week she was absolutely brilliant, and I got on afterwards and she felt perfect. However, I changed her bit into a regular snaffle because she was backing off the Myler and backing off the Sprenger This week she has been chucking her head in the air and spinning which has been 'making' me get hold of the left rein (the one she holds on) and then we have been having some really stressful reactions to the point that on Sunday night I felt completely miserable because she was being so unhappy in her work which is not like her.
Last night I got on her with everything Max was saying fresh in my mind. I started off just walking her and would not give her any contact in the left rein initially. I then added some gentle leg yield and shoulder in to ensure she was truly in my outside hand. I did this again in the trot, ensuring my hands were up and she was carrying herself and again used some lateral work to ensure I had control of the shoulder through the outside hand. The problems started when we went into canter, she started trying to snatch at the left rein, almost in an attempt to make me increase the contact, but whereas normally I have been working her 'off' it, I just dropped it completely which provoked a HUGE reaction. She threw her head in the air and spun, trying everything she could to make me get that left rein, but I stuck to my guns and no matter what she did (fly buck, spin, curl around my outside leg in the wrong bend) I just kept riding her forwards and into that outside hand. All of a sudden I felt her whole body relax, from her nose all the way to her tail, and she came up in the shoulder, extremely light and responsive in the contact and produced some of the best work she has given me since coming back into work!!!
The carriage and power equalled that before she went lame, and I now feel very positive about her rather than wondering whether something was still not quite right. I think the problem has been that I am extremely aware of her left side through it being the injured side. Due to that, I have been almost propping her up in the hope it will help, but last night I rode her like I meant it, as I used to ride her before November 2007 and she just felt completely awsome. I now remember why she is such a special mare and why one of my trainers who knew her before November has so much faith in her!
One lady was riding her 4 year old who has been off work and she said she was having some issues with the mare holding on the right rein. Max got on her and said you should not be thinking about getting them off the rein they are holding, but get them onto the one they are not! Now, although I know this in principle, for some reason it lit up a light bulb in my head.
I have been having some real contact issues with Grace in the past week. When my trainer rode her last week she was absolutely brilliant, and I got on afterwards and she felt perfect. However, I changed her bit into a regular snaffle because she was backing off the Myler and backing off the Sprenger This week she has been chucking her head in the air and spinning which has been 'making' me get hold of the left rein (the one she holds on) and then we have been having some really stressful reactions to the point that on Sunday night I felt completely miserable because she was being so unhappy in her work which is not like her.
Last night I got on her with everything Max was saying fresh in my mind. I started off just walking her and would not give her any contact in the left rein initially. I then added some gentle leg yield and shoulder in to ensure she was truly in my outside hand. I did this again in the trot, ensuring my hands were up and she was carrying herself and again used some lateral work to ensure I had control of the shoulder through the outside hand. The problems started when we went into canter, she started trying to snatch at the left rein, almost in an attempt to make me increase the contact, but whereas normally I have been working her 'off' it, I just dropped it completely which provoked a HUGE reaction. She threw her head in the air and spun, trying everything she could to make me get that left rein, but I stuck to my guns and no matter what she did (fly buck, spin, curl around my outside leg in the wrong bend) I just kept riding her forwards and into that outside hand. All of a sudden I felt her whole body relax, from her nose all the way to her tail, and she came up in the shoulder, extremely light and responsive in the contact and produced some of the best work she has given me since coming back into work!!!
The carriage and power equalled that before she went lame, and I now feel very positive about her rather than wondering whether something was still not quite right. I think the problem has been that I am extremely aware of her left side through it being the injured side. Due to that, I have been almost propping her up in the hope it will help, but last night I rode her like I meant it, as I used to ride her before November 2007 and she just felt completely awsome. I now remember why she is such a special mare and why one of my trainers who knew her before November has so much faith in her!
