alternatives to a pessoa

jenbleep

jenbleep

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right pretty much everyone who sees Frankie says that he would benefit from work in a pessoa. (Or type thing). My instructor said it, the physio said it, and the saddler last night said it as well.

Frankie's owner is ADAMANT that he would go bad in it - he has a complex about anything around his bum, even though he has been wearing rugs for ever he still tucks his bum in when i take his rugs off - he literally stands there and shakes his bum!
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apprently he doesn't buck or rear, just runs away from anything round his bum. I wonder if he would get used to it once he's learned that it's not going to hurt him? Or do you think he'll probably hurt himself?

is there anything out there that i could use when lunging that is an alternative to a pessoa - chambon for example?

I've decided I'm going to see if I can make him less sensitive to things around his bum, any suggestions?
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My friend told me about something that she calls a bowling line for lunging. Polly hate the pessoa and just argues and fights with it but she likes the bowling lines and goes nicely. Might suit you as it doesn't have anything going round the horse's back legs.

I use a set of draw reins to make one, I run the draw reins from the bit, through the front legs, up over the back, back through the front legs and to the bit again. You can tie a knot in the draw reins to get the tension where you want it.

I was told it works because as the horse hollows and lifts his head, he pulls on his own back. When he relaxs and drops his head, the pressure comes off the back. Dont know if it is true but I used it rather sceptically but found that Polly really liked it and went nicely in it.
 
SouthWestWhippet - any chance you can do a drawing of how this goes on??? Mine hates the pessoa although he will work in it, but where he is so long in the back it just rides up his back legs and defeats the object!
 
i just realised it mentioned 'bum' way too many times!!

SWW - do you know if many people use this method? I would have no idea on how to do it and would need a mini lesson I'm afraid!
 
hello,

Can you not train him without lines, using groundwork & lateral work? Especially if he doesnt like them?

I think you can do a lot of this stuff without gadgets too, firstly by doing lateral work on ground (can do most of it in a handful of short 15 mins sessions) and then light riding afte ryou've got lateral flexion & soft ribs, with your hands to ask using light contact for head to lower, then rewards *immediately* by loosening contact when horses does as you want.

A few consistent lessons and you're horse pick it up very quickly.

I like the lateral groundwork first. Without the horses body already being nice & soft & supple, and already to move weight easily from fore q to hindq with just a light cue (foreq, sidepass or backup), then you'll find it hard to do the 'out/on the bit' stuff, as your horses body is stiff & like a straight plabk of wood.

You've got to soften everying up first as preparation - like warmgin up before you hit the gym, maybe sure all the parts are moving & athletic individually before you make them all work together.

Not sure if I'm explaining this well, there's more info here:

http://irishnhsociety.proboards41.com/in...read=1189155540

I think though educated hands are the best training aids ever.

Also I like being able to do this stuff using light hands when I'm riding, not having to use heavy contact, just light cues and then releasing when horses uinderstands.
 
Why don't you try long reining him with a lunge line round his bum? He probably will have a bit of a reaction but you can see if he gets used to it or not before you go out and buy a pessoa.
 
thank you both for your suggestions!

ekaineh i have been shown how to do lateral groundwork, we have turn on the forehand down and are getting somewhere with leg yield in hand, although he does find that difficult. I haven't done any for a while so after schooling I could get off and do some in hand work for 15/20 minutes. I agree that riding is better than gadgets - I'm booking some lessons with a dressage trainer in the new year. It will probably be expensive but I'd have one once a fortnight until his muscles built up. I can't ride all the time though, so at least if I don't ride his owner can lunge him for half an hour.

KVS i did think about long reining him, at least then if he does rush off in a dangerous way i can let go of one rein until he calms down again. Just hope he doesn't think that's the way out of it!
 
Oh lordy I am rubbish at drawing. OK, I have dowloaded a pic of a horse from the internet and added a bowling line to it in paint. (at work, limited fancy equipment),.

basically the dots are where the bowling line is behind the horse but if you take a set of draw reins and attach them to the bit so they run between the horses legs and over his back that is all you need to do. sorry for terrible art work.
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first time I did it, all I did was just have it quite loose then I gradually adjusted it until I got what I was looking for in terms of her frame. I didn't 'feel' that I needed a lesson as it is quite straightforward (probalby going to be hammered here but I thought it was easy enough). I just kept it resonably lose and gradually shortened it by tieing a knot over the horse's back in the line. I don't think it is a very common method but I personally found it better than the pessoa which I am not very keen on.
 
hi
I use something I have labelled the lazy lunge cos I use it when can't be bothered to put on pessoa. You can make one out of a long piece of elastic or with an elastic surcingle and short draw reins (may have to put in a knot in if they are full size ones). Take draw reins and lay over horse's poll just behind headpiece. Thread each end through bit rings. Lay elastic surcingle over back (also needs to be short) but dont do up. Pass each end of draw rein between front legs and clip onto ends of surcingle. You end up with a sort of pulley. Doesnt need to be tight. Works brilliantly on everything I have used it on, same effect as pessoa fitted on long low setting without the breeching strap
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