teazle
Well-Known Member
Hiya,
Same old, same old I'm afraid, I'm in need of some bitting advice.
She is an 8 year old TBxWB who I event, mainly at unaffliated 1m classes. She's fairly tense and short necked with a very high head carriage who likes to either hollow or shorten her neck and go behind the bit. I've done a LOT of schooling and had hours and hours of lessons with different instructors, working on relaxing her, getting her to stretch, working over poles, asking her for harder work and then allowing her to stretch etc.
She NEVER willingly stretches down to long and low in a snaffle. I have ridden her in a Neue-Schule Verbindend which she leans and then hollows in (I do a lot of schooling and transitions to lighten her forehand but not only does this wind her up but we can't do this in a dressage test!). A hanging cheek which she really didn't like as she curls up and then leans on it.
A reinsman snaffle with sweetiron and copper which I've since discovered isn't dressage legal as it has more than two metals in, but which she goes best in for a snaffle (this one: http://www.horsebitbank.com/sweet-iron-loose-ring-copper-2-444.phtml ) But still difficult to get hold of her front end (she likes to bowl on and get away from me gradually as an evasion), or encourage her to stretch down into. She either holds herself tense and behind the bit, or leans on me and locks against it, becoming fairly unsteerable. She'll also spook to avoid hard work, and then use the spook to lock me out.
I jump her in a tom thumb version of the above bit, ( http://www.horsebitbank.com/sweet-iron-tom-thumb-usa-446.phtml ) which I also schooled her in today during a lesson. My flatwork instructor was astonished at how much better and more rideable she is, and how much she let go, sought the rein out and began to reach down when I asked her to work long and low. Certainly not perfect but about 70% better. My jumping instructor says this bit is slightly too strong during lessons as she doesn't work UP to it, and he'd prefer to see her taking hold a bit more, but I find during competitions she hauls me around more and gets stronger so I like her in this. I can see his point, but we school in a 20x40 arena and he hasn't seen her in a large grass field where I struggle more to stop the bowling along getting extreme.
Dressage instructor has suggested I take her out to some dressage and go HC so I can ride her in the stronger bit and get her used to working longer, lower and more relaxed in a competitive setting, before going back to the snaffle for 'proper' competitions, but has anyone got any other bitting suggestions? It's getting frustrating when she starts her tests on 7s and 8s, then spooks at something insignificant and uses it as an excuse to lock me out, dropping us to 3s and 4s. I know it's about working her from behind, straight etc but her body and legs behave while her neck and head set against me and become unrideable. All my instructors laugh at the legs working perfectly and the front end looking awful. Dressage instructor has ridden her and says she's incredibly frustrating as she knows exactly how to work straight and through but not using her rear end QUITE enough to want to stretch down. She does it during lateral work as well, legs and body work nicely but her neck and mouth are locked in one position and tense.
Any other ideas?!
Same old, same old I'm afraid, I'm in need of some bitting advice.
She is an 8 year old TBxWB who I event, mainly at unaffliated 1m classes. She's fairly tense and short necked with a very high head carriage who likes to either hollow or shorten her neck and go behind the bit. I've done a LOT of schooling and had hours and hours of lessons with different instructors, working on relaxing her, getting her to stretch, working over poles, asking her for harder work and then allowing her to stretch etc.
She NEVER willingly stretches down to long and low in a snaffle. I have ridden her in a Neue-Schule Verbindend which she leans and then hollows in (I do a lot of schooling and transitions to lighten her forehand but not only does this wind her up but we can't do this in a dressage test!). A hanging cheek which she really didn't like as she curls up and then leans on it.
A reinsman snaffle with sweetiron and copper which I've since discovered isn't dressage legal as it has more than two metals in, but which she goes best in for a snaffle (this one: http://www.horsebitbank.com/sweet-iron-loose-ring-copper-2-444.phtml ) But still difficult to get hold of her front end (she likes to bowl on and get away from me gradually as an evasion), or encourage her to stretch down into. She either holds herself tense and behind the bit, or leans on me and locks against it, becoming fairly unsteerable. She'll also spook to avoid hard work, and then use the spook to lock me out.
I jump her in a tom thumb version of the above bit, ( http://www.horsebitbank.com/sweet-iron-tom-thumb-usa-446.phtml ) which I also schooled her in today during a lesson. My flatwork instructor was astonished at how much better and more rideable she is, and how much she let go, sought the rein out and began to reach down when I asked her to work long and low. Certainly not perfect but about 70% better. My jumping instructor says this bit is slightly too strong during lessons as she doesn't work UP to it, and he'd prefer to see her taking hold a bit more, but I find during competitions she hauls me around more and gets stronger so I like her in this. I can see his point, but we school in a 20x40 arena and he hasn't seen her in a large grass field where I struggle more to stop the bowling along getting extreme.
Dressage instructor has suggested I take her out to some dressage and go HC so I can ride her in the stronger bit and get her used to working longer, lower and more relaxed in a competitive setting, before going back to the snaffle for 'proper' competitions, but has anyone got any other bitting suggestions? It's getting frustrating when she starts her tests on 7s and 8s, then spooks at something insignificant and uses it as an excuse to lock me out, dropping us to 3s and 4s. I know it's about working her from behind, straight etc but her body and legs behave while her neck and head set against me and become unrideable. All my instructors laugh at the legs working perfectly and the front end looking awful. Dressage instructor has ridden her and says she's incredibly frustrating as she knows exactly how to work straight and through but not using her rear end QUITE enough to want to stretch down. She does it during lateral work as well, legs and body work nicely but her neck and mouth are locked in one position and tense.
Any other ideas?!