Maui+Bec
Well-Known Member
Ive had my horse now for 6months, you may have seen piccies of him on the pictures board. Sonic is an amazing allrounder and a few months ago I decided to go to a show, i was trying to work on my confidence when jumping so was going to do one small class but decided id enter "riding club type" aswell for a bit more experience. He came 2nd and not out of two!! haha! I was thrilled because I thought we didnt have a chance because I just couldnt get him to round up!... the judge said to me she loved him and next time I just need to get him to tuck his head in. I have a video of the class and it was giraffe central from me and sonic! So that was my aim... I carried on trying doing circles, light rein aids riding him forwards and when you literally forced him which a supposedly educated friend tried he brought his head down but just leant on the hands and had an ugly straight outline and almost dragging his back legs with lack of impulsion. When he came to me he was in a market harborough (sp?) which I took off after the first 2 weeks and found little difference, I didnt jump in it by the way
. I kind of then gave it up as a bad job and concentrated on my jumping again. I then one day was trawling the internet and found some pics of him with previous previous owner jumping in a tom thumb bit. Looking it up i found mixed reviews and the general opinion was it was quite harsh? I then found that when I started jumping bigger fences he was getting strong and difficult to turn so my friend let me try her gag on the lightest ring and he went fine in it, he then got stronger still so we notched it up a strength and all of a sudden those left right squeezes gave me a nicely rounded up horse! He was active and it took literally no pressure to achieve. Even previously when he'd gone into that awful outline he hadnt maintained it in trot and canter where as with the stronger bit he rounds up in all paces and even is starting some self carriage. Im no expert but is it to do with the poll pressure, which would have prev been applied with the tom thumb? I also know that I cant do ridden classes in a gag but I can in a pelum :S So should I try the pelum or do you think I should be doing something different in the snaffle, he just doesnt have any respect for it. Any degree of pressure in the snaffle was ineffective where as any light pressure in the gag gets results. Any ideas?
. I kind of then gave it up as a bad job and concentrated on my jumping again. I then one day was trawling the internet and found some pics of him with previous previous owner jumping in a tom thumb bit. Looking it up i found mixed reviews and the general opinion was it was quite harsh? I then found that when I started jumping bigger fences he was getting strong and difficult to turn so my friend let me try her gag on the lightest ring and he went fine in it, he then got stronger still so we notched it up a strength and all of a sudden those left right squeezes gave me a nicely rounded up horse! He was active and it took literally no pressure to achieve. Even previously when he'd gone into that awful outline he hadnt maintained it in trot and canter where as with the stronger bit he rounds up in all paces and even is starting some self carriage. Im no expert but is it to do with the poll pressure, which would have prev been applied with the tom thumb? I also know that I cant do ridden classes in a gag but I can in a pelum :S So should I try the pelum or do you think I should be doing something different in the snaffle, he just doesnt have any respect for it. Any degree of pressure in the snaffle was ineffective where as any light pressure in the gag gets results. Any ideas?