Balance & bend

[Lancelot]

I've been doing quite a lot of schooling recently - mostly walk/trot transitions - and Mack is now really quite light off my leg and is slowing & halting much more easily.
I don't think he has done any schooling prior to this for quite some time, and the problem I have now is how to get him more balanced? He doesn't seem to bend his neck at all - just tilts his whole body

- I'm not taking the corners at 100 mph or anything.
He is definitately better on the left rein than on the right but even the left rein isn't that great! Any advice or excercises I can try would be much appreciated!

Thanks in advance

 

[china]

i have the same problem so will be interested to see the replys

 

[Lobelia_Overhill]

half halt coming into a corner, then hold the outside rein steady, wile flexing your fingers on the inside rein - sometimes it helps if you move your inside hand away from the horse's neck - move your inside leg back behind the girth to push his ribcage out so that he flexes his body.

I'm doing this with Don, he's fine in canter, but walk and trot can be hit or miss! I also do lots of 20m circles ...

 

[Devon_chick]

hey, what i do is very simple, its worked with my 2 youngsters so it might work with yours. so when you get in to the corner halt and wait a second then walk on out of the corner do this for each corners and one your horse gets the idea start trotting to the corners and halt then once uv done that a few times trot up to them and walk round after a few of them then you hopfuly can trot round with your horse bending! hope this works! let me no if it does!! hope this makes sence!! lol

 

[Lancelot]

Thanks for the replies

Would being on the forehand cause balance problems - I've been told he works on the forehand a lot of the time? BTW, how can you tell (feel

) when a hors is on the forehand?

Maybe I just need to do hell of a lot more circle work

 

[bu_apple]

I use half halts with my seat to balance a horse... they are used as a 'come here' aid and help the horse sit back and lift through the back in a more balanced way... i prefer not to use my reins to do this-i should be able to drop my reins and the horse should still remain balanced and floaty without the need to rely on my hands.
as for the bending, try turning your body, from your pelvis, particuarly your shoulders and head. Just ask for a little bend to begin with on a 20m circle. Many people are fooled into thinkingbending the neck is correct bend... being able to pull a horse's head to the left/right is not correctly bending it. Their whole body should follow in a very slight curve as such and they should just be bending slightly around the inside leg.
many horses i treat can't bend because they are phyiscally very stiff through their backs-maybe have this checked first? I hope this message doesn't sound patronising-it really isn't suppose to! (and sorry for any bad spelling!)X

 

[Lancelot]

Thanks bu_apple, thats not patronising in the least

I've been working on getting him softer in the mouth by using my back & seat and it does seem to be working. He used to be very heavy in your hands but is now almost at the point where i don't need to use the rein at all to slow or halt. I'll try developing this to help with bend.