Advise for youngster leaning on the bit

[leo_04]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and wondered if I could ask your advise. I have a 4 year old belgium warmblood, I broke him in last year and he's back in work after being turned away for 5 months.

He's working really well on the bit but tends to lean on my inside rein on the right rein particularly in trot. I've had his teeth checked and they are fine but he does still have his wulf teeth, I wonder whether these are causing him to do it or whether just being 17hh he struggles to balance himself and is trying to use me to balance him on this rein. I loosen the contact and try to get him to balance himself but when turning a corner he is leaning on my hand.

Any advise gladly taken on board!

 

[alicedove]

Perseverance - especially if you've only just got him into work. If you have only ridden him a handful of times after his turn away, you sound as though you're doing the right thing giving the rein and in noticing him doing it, you will probably almost forget he did it in a few week's time!

I would say, in an older horse, when he starts to lean make a downward transition, then go again, but in such a baby, you have to train the forwardness first, before the contact, so just keep giving.

By the way, usually this stems from the reluctance to take a proper contact in the other rein, if you think about making him "sit" nicely into the outside rein, and work on the bend, maybe that'll help.

welcome to the forum!

 

[leo_04]

Thanks for your reply. I've been riding him again on and off for about two months, I'm starting to up his work load slightly now. It is funny because sometimes he hardly ever does it and other days feels it's a lot of the time. When hacking he never leans!

When I first started riding him he was very much on his forehand but now he's definitely softer but I just don't want him to be one of these horses that hangs on your hand.

I think perseverance must be the key!!

 

[Daisychain]

I used to have a youngster which would lean heavily on the left rein, i know its hard but i literally let go of it until she took a contact on the other! was just a question of not giving her something to lean on.

 

[Eccles]

Some of mine have done this and really all you can do is not hold on to to the rein yourself and then they can't lean on it. It may be a balance issue, but in my experience its more useful to think of having an even contact in both reins with the horse taking the contact forward, rather than trying to lighten them in one particular rein. Oh and lots and lots of half halts to help with the balance.