Balance, one sidedness and training at home

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HelenRod

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OK, so some weeks ago I posted about my horse being very heavy on the forehand, thinking I had reached my maximum capabilities in terms of abilities etc and was wondering where to go next, since then I have attended a 1-2-1 session with a professional dressage instructor who proceeded to tell me the the following: -

1. My horse is horrendously unbalanced and 1-sided.
2. If I don't do anything about, eventually he will suffer from lameness as a result of being so unbalanced.
3. I ask him too many questions at once
4. I am continually nagging him with my legs

By the end of the session, I felt so positive and he really improved his way of going.

As result we have been given a number of exercises to works on;

1. Circles, circles and more circles - spiralling in and out in walk and then in trot, at every letter - this is going well in walk but trot is not so good.
2. Keep hands close to the neck - stop opening your hands outwards, especially the outside hand - this I believe is giving conflicting messages.
3. STOP nagging with my leg - once my horse is going forward relax the heels downwards and do nothing, keep them next to him but don't continually nudge to keep going, I need to make him realise when I ask him to do something like walk on, he does it, i will not continue to nudge him with my leg and he should break or slow down unless requested. Whilst teaching him this it is OK for him to break or slow down as this will be where I then put leg on or tickle him with the whip until he continues at the required pace.
4. Allow him to long stretch several times during a schooling session.

So my problems are;

1. At home his concentration levels are atrocious! He really lacks focus as he's looking around being nosey, trying to find things to spook at etc - what can I do about this?
2. As result of the above, I am finding it hard to implement point 3 above, in walk he his fine keeps a good walk pace when asked without constant nagging but trot is appalling.
3. He is trying but obviously finding it difficult, I hacked him out Friday - Sunday this weekend, and tried these techniques whilst hacking especially the leg nagging with success but when I tried to school him on Tuesday he was just not interested, tired and sluggish and objectionable.

What can i do to improve concentration? Consistence is the key but if I over do it he gets grumpy.

I have a another session booked with the instructor at the end of October when the next clinic is.

I am also going to look at getting his saddle and back checked.

Any advice for practicing at home would be great.

TIA
 
I think although its hard to hear sometimes it does sound like you got your moneys worth and lots to work on to improve things! I have both a sharp horse and a more backward one, the backwards one will literally stand still all day rather than use any energy that she doesn't have to which is lovely in terms of safety but you do have to be careful not to nag! I do find riding a sharper one helps me with the steadier one as I have to keep my legs still or I am off into the distance before I know what's happened! so maybe a few schoolmaster lessons to help you get the feel?
Also the timing of the aids are so important, if you touch him and want a forward reaction and don't get one you need to do a MUCH bigger one that shocks him a bit and lets him now means now, then leave him alone and let him carry you forward , as soon as he stops taking you forward another big shock until he knows you mean what you ask, I don't mean tickle with the stick i mean properly flick him even if you get a launch forward or buck that's great don't pull back let him travel and reward him so next time you can use a smaller one, this requires a lot of discipline from you not to mix up the aids, even if you go in for 10 minutes at a time until you are sure you don't slip back to nagging again. Only a few sessions of this should help loads.
With regard to looking around and spooking, you need to give him more to focus on rather than letting him do this, even if you spend time flexing him, lots of lateral work, small circles added in and transitions so even when you are in walk in your warm up there are hundreds of things to do rather than just walk around the edge to supple him, sharpen him from the leg and get him to concentrate!
Anyway, ask for homework next time you go and perhaps write down a training plan for the week to help keep you on track, good luck :) x
 
Oh thanks, I absolutely loved the whole session and really appreciated the instructors honesty.

I previously had a sharp pony who if you even rested your legs to heavy against her side she would be off, so using my legs has been a shock to the system.

The techniques worked really well when I was introduced to them at the clinic (which was away from my yard) and out hacking but in our own environment he is not the same.

I think I will take your advice and try to keep sessions small, lots of serpentines, circles and transitions and more definite signals when he does start fall back.

many thanks :-)
 
I'm not a trainer and there are many people who are much more qualified to help you but can I share something that I have found really helpful. Everything your trainer has said is no doubt correct but it's an awful lot to take on board in one go so initially I'd focus on one thing and that would be to get him consistently in front of the leg so you don't have to nag with your leg and I'd do that with transitions, loads of them up and down the paces and within the paces. You might find that stops a lot of his spooky behaviour as he should have his focus on you. He should maintain the same speed and rhythm until he is asked to change it. Put in circles, loops, change direction et but make sure he doesn't drop behind the leg. Once he's doing that consistently i think it will be easier to address the other issues you have. My horse is forward going and sensitive but when I first had him I couldn't put my leg on him because he ran away from it. It's as important to be able to put your leg on a hot horse as it is to be able to take your leg off a lazy horse, our legs do much more than keep the horse going, that's why I've realise how important it is to have my horse, even if he's quite hot, in front of the leg and on my aids. Once you have that, it becomes so much easier to deal with other stuff like one sidedness, balance etc. I hope this helps.
 
I agree with oldie, it's really good advice to just focus on one thing first, and it does sound like the biggest thing holding you back is him not staying forwards.

So with that in mind, yes definitely lots of transitions, within the pace too if you can. As for nagging with your leg....don't. Just don't. Not at all. Keep your legs still, and make that your main ambition of any session. Have someone on the ground stand and shout at you everytime you use them. Carry a whip in each hand to flick him with if you have to to keep him going. It is his job to keep his body in forward motion, not yours - you should only be moving your legs to give a new direction.

I would bet that the reason he seems distracted is because you are still being a bit fuzzy in your directions to him (unintentionally), and so he's not really focussing on what you are asking.

Don't be too down on yourself - being strict with yourself is, imo, the hardest thing about riding, and it is oh so easy to get pulled into trying to help your horse out too much when riding and creating a whole load of grey areas for a lazy one to take advantage of.

Good luck :)
 
oldie48 said:
I'm not a trainer and there are many people who are much more qualified to help you but can I share something that I have found really helpful. Everything your trainer has said is no doubt correct but it's an awful lot to take on board in one go so initially I'd focus on one thing and that would be to get him consistently in front of the leg so you don't have to nag with your leg and I'd do that with transitions, loads of them up and down the paces and within the paces. You might find that stops a lot of his spooky behaviour as he should have his focus on you. He should maintain the same speed and rhythm until he is asked to change it. Put in circles, loops, change direction et but make sure he doesn't drop behind the leg. Once he's doing that consistently i think it will be easier to address the other issues you have. My horse is forward going and sensitive but when I first had him I couldn't put my leg on him because he ran away from it. It's as important to be able to put your leg on a hot horse as it is to be able to take your leg off a lazy horse, our legs do much more than keep the horse going, that's why I've realise how important it is to have my horse, even if he's quite hot, in front of the leg and on my aids. Once you have that, it becomes so much easier to deal with other stuff like one sidedness, balance etc. I hope this helps.
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