Bearing down on the bit... how can i stop this?

[JadeyB]

Hi there,

I am after some schooling advice on how to stop the horse I share 'bearing down' on the bit. He's come on really well since I started schooling him but he still has a habit of either sticking his head in the air or bearing down on the bit.

I'm hoping to do a dressage comp soon and would really like to be as good as we can be for it, especially as i've not competed for about 3 years and he's never done any real dressage as his owner says it's not his strong point and she's not interested in it (despite occasionally doing eventing).

 

[Shay]

I think you would probably be better asking an instructor for support - there are quite a range of possible options from what you describe and an even wider range of possible answers.

To give you a rough idea the following possibilities occur (And they are not mutually exclusive the issue could be a combination...)

Tack - does the bridle and saddle fit correctly? Is the bit in the correct place? What bit?
Rider - body position, weight. Are the hands still? Are they soft? Is the horse reacting to an imbalance?
Horse - not in self carriage? Not muscled enough for self carriage? Muscled "upside down"? Back and teeth? Low grade lameness? Age and experience?
Training - where are they on the scales of training? Do they know what they are being asked for? Can they give it?
Workload - are they fit enough for what is asked? Too fit?

For me there is too much to rule out to give intelligent advice - best to get a good instructor and see what they say.

 

[webble]

Agree with the above ^^

 

[JadeyB]

Thank you... I do need to start having lessons so I'll get my backside in gear and get some organised.

As for tack/back... I do wonder often if he might need checking so i'll sound his owner out about it again.

He's never really done much flat work from what i understand so maybe it's a balance/muscle thing... plus I'm not as fit as i was and I probably fiddle a little too much with my hands... Lots to check/work on!

Here's a little clip of us recently schooling... he doesn't 'bear down' in this but pokes his nose a little

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKf2ytr3o_o

 

[Pinkvboots]

He looks like his very much on the forehand and leaning on your hands, you need to get him using his hind end more actively so he can lift up a bit in front, I would also push the canter on a bit more so his using himself and covering the ground a bit more, he may find it difficult to start with but you will get a more active canter and he will be less likely to lean on the fore hand, lots of trot to canter transitions like 5 steps of trot then 5 steps of canter and repeat on both reins, using a bit of leg yield for a few strides before asking for canter can also help, I would definitely book a few lessons you will get so much more from them than people commenting on a video as it was such a short clip it's very hard to give proper advice, it's by no means awful though but improvements could be made and quite easily with a bit of help.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

The video clip did not download well but it looks as if not only is he on the forehand but also over bent, which suggests rider error, as much as the horse's conformation/musculature/level of fitness. The simply answer could be that you are too strong in the contact but I bet the answer isn't simple and there some unpicking to do. A good instructor, not the "fiddle with your fingers" type, is your best say forward.

 

[Luci07]

Also remember if he isn't used to this work, he will need breaks from this different training ..same way as if you started going to the gym, your muscles need a break. Check his bit as well as the tack to make sure it's comfortable

 

[JadeyB]

Thanks all,

I only ride him twice a week and the rest of the time he hacks out with his owner so he's pretty fit but maybe we both need to work on our muscle tone. I keep our sessions fairly short because he's never done much flatwork but i know i need to get braver and push him on a bit, i'm not used to riding a TB and he can be a bit speedy and spooky! We'll give the prelim a go and get some lessons sorted out asap.