Advice on retraining older horses?

[rosiemoo]

Hello! I bought my 14y/o mare Rosie about 6 months ago now. She had been ridden in a snaffle her whole life, however we quickly noticed that she bites down and holds the bit between her teeth, even in walk when nothing is being asked of her. She has also started to move her whole body when being asked to bend, literally crushing your legs on the arena fence whenever you take the reins into contact. She also has no impulsion at all, when anything is asked of her in trot she will completely slow down and get behind your leg and it becomes super frustrating.

When asked to trot, she will most of the time completely ignore you or will again try to crush you into the arena fence. When she does trot, it's not a nice feeling at all. She holds her head high in the air and becomes so unbalanced and is impossible to get her to not cut off the arena without her leg yielding herself into the arena fence.

We've had a saddle fitter and physio out, she had a slightly sore back so she has a month of rehab with no saddle and we have been given the okay to go by the physio and saddle fitter. We have tried stronger bits with her which do tend to work better however I am not a fan at all and she overbends herself with these stronger bits.

Im really struggling with what to do at the minute, and believe it would benefit both of us to take it back to basics however have no idea how to even go about this. Any advice on what I should do next with Rosie is hugely appreciated. Thanks

 

[sbloom]

You need some help. If the physio didn't think a vet referral was needed then you have a horse that's both super unbalanced, especially with a rider on board, uncomfortable because of it, and probably wary - horses need to feel "safe" to make progress and quite small things, such as being so out of balance, can make them feel vulnerable. Have a look at https://www.facebook.com/louisestobbsequine, she's in the north east so of course may be nowhere near you, but she has an understanding of behaviour and posture, and can coach ridden work as well, someone similar would really be able to help you.

What was the rehab work?

The vast majority of riders do take at least ridden instruction at least every now and again, horses are really complex and we need help with a lot of it, they're a lifetime of study (well, I actually usually argue about 3 lifetimes!). If you don't have a normal ridden trainer at the moment I would potentially hold fire and find someone to help you on the ground a little at first, with basic handling but also postural work. It sounds like you'll potentially need a bit or bridle fitter at some point, but it's best to work through other things first.

 

[splashgirl45]

I would think that you both need some training as long as you have ruled out any pain and have well fitting tack which includes the bridle and bit . A stronger bit is not the answer to your problems

 

[MidChristmasCrisis]

You need a really good instructor to work with the horse..then both of you together ..your horse may not have ever been schooled or know what is being asked but with the right help you ll see a difference.

 

[Glitter's fun]

Hello, welcome to the forum.
What work had she done before you got her?
If she has only hacked on a lose rein you will need to take it very slowly with her, gradually teaching her what to do and building up different muscles. She sounds confused and stiff. A different bit (or any other quick fix) is not going to help.

 

[rosiemoo]

Hello, welcome to the forum.
What work had she done before you got her?
If she has only hacked on a lose rein you will need to take it very slowly with her, gradually teaching her what to do and building up different muscles. She sounds confused and stiff. A different bit (or any other quick fix) is not going to help.

Hi!

She's done everything! She's a very experienced been there done it kind. She's excelled in every area, especially showjumping. We just ran into a problem and I think I was being a bit dramatic writing this post Shes doing ace now, Ive just gone back to the beginning and found where we've gone wrong. It was definitely a me problem, she's looking great now! Thank you