bending right

Rosie'smum

Rosie'smum

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Hi I was wanting a bit of advice really. I have started riding my friend's youngster who hasn't been backed long. She is extremely stiff or reluctant to bend to the right. If I want to turn right she still bends left then walks. She seems reluctant to even straighten up. I got her to stand and flex right which she does. Is there any exercises or things I can do I which to help her?
 
Are you keeping the contact on the outside rein?
It is easy to let it go and think that will help, but what you want to do is keep a contact and open the inside rein. Don't pull the inside reinback, or let the outside one get longer. Legs on almost leg yield the corner.
Really ride your corners, make them "square" to start with.

Does she bend correctly on the lunge on that rein? I would be tempted to lunge her with side reins to even her up on that rein as well. Hacking in straight lines will stop then relying on the fence, and get them stronger aswell especially if she's not nature yet
 
* mature.

Also the usual teeth back and saddle checks may be useful, as is something as simple as checking you are sat level and your stirrups are equal lengths
 
Presuming all health checks done .... Make sure you aim to keep a contact on the outside rein, lift the inside rein to suggest inside bend, once horse obliges, level hands again. You can suggest inside bend again when necessary by lifting the inside hand. Thank Yogi Breisner for this tip - it really does work and makes the horse understand where you would like his head and neck to be
 
Thank you. I did try to keep the outside rein and open the Inside but she is so difficult. She just point blank refuses. Would it be worth changing her to a full cheek? Havnt lunged her yet will ask owner and possibly long rein. I thought about doing carrot stretches to help supple her up aswell
 
Took my pony 2 years to get it in his head he can bend right!!! Now we have left bending problems :( although I think thats me not him.

We (RI and me) would just suprise him, like sholder in right not just simple bending right. He's a strange pony as in if he does something new like sholder in he will really try the first time, then after that goes "oh no that was hard work, I'm not doing that" so we would then go back to simple bending to the right. Which he would find easier so would then try a bit more than before.

If you get me, once he got it in his head he could bend right we then found it hard to stop him :) As I've said he is strange and special all at the same time.

Also as others have said outside rein, I never thought I would need so much rein and thought it was harsh on him but thats what he wanted untill he could "hold" himself.

Good luck and keep trying but don't over try as that can make them less likely to want to bend.

PS carrot streatches are ok, but if your horse is like mine they will bend lovely for a carrot but then act a little ****** when you ask for bend in ridden work :)
 
Rosie'smum said:
Hi I was wanting a bit of advice really. I have started riding my friend's youngster who hasn't been backed long. She is extremely stiff or reluctant to bend to the right. If I want to turn right she still bends left then walks. She seems reluctant to even straighten up. I got her to stand and flex right which she does. Is there any exercises or things I can do I which to help her?
Click to expand...

When was she backed? :)
 
I think she was backed at some point last year but only really coming into some work now. She is hacked on wkends ridden on a tuesday and lunged a bit aswell. She is extremely fat so that wont be helping her so were just trying to get that of her aswell. Have yet to see her lunged so not sure what she does but anything she doesnt want to do she rounds her self of quite nicely and kicks out with her left leg. shes a right character!
 
Is she ever led from the off side? Some youngsters never are and so develop into a banana shape, always bending to the left. Make a point of doing stuff from the off side - but be careful, she may get spooked if she has never had anyone do things on that side before!
 
So when you say just starting work, what has her programme been to prepare her, both muscles and mentally. To be honest, for an overweight horse the last thing I'd be bothered about would be any proper schooling (ie creating bend, a contact etc) when it's a young horse as well, it wouldn't even cross my mind. Why is it you are wanting to create bend? Or do you mean literally to turn right?

First off, basic fact, which you're probably aware of - the horses spine has very little sideways bend, apart from in its neck. In order to create any sideways bend through its thoracic part ( the bit under the saddle) the horse firstly has to lift its spine upwards. In order to maintain this, with the weight of the rider, saddle etc, the horse has to have sufficient strength through its core muscles - you're probably familiar with the string and bow analogy - how the core muscles and back muscles work together? This is best link I can find at the moment, not great but gives an idea if anyone is wondering what I'm on about!
http://equinevetchiropractor.bksites.net/horse-biomechanics/bow-and-string-theory

Personally, i think from what you've said it sounds as if she's finding work too difficult to accept it happily. There's probably about a million reasons - I agree she may not be familiar with being handled enough from the right, so I'd introduce that as standard. I'd get the weight off her by walking out in hand. In my experience its pretty common that horses are weaker in their left hind that in their right - i think that often leads to problems on the right rein, where the left hind has to do more. she is also probably lacking any tone in her muscles? so shes not going to feel stable with someone on board.
Personally, I'd get a decent equine physio ( an ACPAT registered one, not a "back person" who tells you it's all magically sorted in twenty minutes) to give you exercises - there's loads of stretches, but It is completely individual to each horse, depending on which muscles its using to create what movement.

If that's not an option, go back a stage until she is fitter. Look at her movement for yourself - does she do the same thing with each leg, does she have tone through her abdominal muscles, or does it just wobble on and off when she takes a step? Be aware of your position when you ride out - I find a lot of people
Have more contact / hold through their right leg (hip-thigh- knee) which rally blocks a young horse. Des her saddle allow her right shoulder to move back, or is it sitting tighter?
Sorry for the essay- hope its helpful :)
 
Norfolk Pie said:
So when you say just starting work, what has her programme been to prepare her, both muscles and mentally. To be honest, for an overweight horse the last thing I'd be bothered about would be any proper schooling (ie creating bend, a contact etc) when it's a young horse as well, it wouldn't even cross my mind. Why is it you are wanting to create bend? Or do you mean literally to turn right?

First off, basic fact, which you're probably aware of - the horses spine has very little sideways bend, apart from in its neck. In order to create any sideways bend through its thoracic part ( the bit under the saddle) the horse firstly has to lift its spine upwards. In order to maintain this, with the weight of the rider, saddle etc, the horse has to have sufficient strength through its core muscles - you're probably familiar with the string and bow analogy - how the core muscles and back muscles work together? This is best link I can find at the moment, not great but gives an idea if anyone is wondering what I'm on about!
http://equinevetchiropractor.bksites.net/horse-biomechanics/bow-and-string-theory

Personally, i think from what you've said it sounds as if she's finding work too difficult to accept it happily. There's probably about a million reasons - I agree she may not be familiar with being handled enough from the right, so I'd introduce that as standard. I'd get the weight off her by walking out in hand. In my experience its pretty common that horses are weaker in their left hind that in their right - i think that often leads to problems on the right rein, where the left hind has to do more. she is also probably lacking any tone in her muscles? so shes not going to feel stable with someone on board.
Personally, I'd get a decent equine physio ( an ACPAT registered one, not a "back person" who tells you it's all magically sorted in twenty minutes) to give you exercises - there's loads of stretches, but It is completely individual to each horse, depending on which muscles its using to create what movement.

If that's not an option, go back a stage until she is fitter. Look at her movement for yourself - does she do the same thing with each leg, does she have tone through her abdominal muscles, or does it just wobble on and off when she takes a step? Be aware of your position when you ride out - I find a lot of people
Have more contact / hold through their right leg (hip-thigh- knee) which rally blocks a young horse. Des her saddle allow her right shoulder to move back, or is it sitting tighter?
Sorry for the essay- hope its helpful :)
Click to expand...

Scrolly down about to start typing my potential essay and see that it has already been written for me... I agree with this ^^^

I woukld forget about where the horse is actually bending and concentrate in working the core muscles in the back and back end leg to hand, once you have taught the horse where best to put its back legs and things you will find she beginn to find things a bit easier then you can start asking for some correct flexiona dn bend at the front. Try leg yeilding in and back out of 20m circles and lots of serpintines to get the back legs and front shoulders moving around correctly. I would be happy to be firm with the contact so she knows your leg does not always mean more forward, as long as it is always follwed up with a give when she slows or moves over, but I wouldn't be confusing that yet with asking for bend with the contact as well.
 
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