Can I solve this without resorting to a flash?

CarolineJ

CarolineJ

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Merlin's still testing his boundaries a little under saddle - my fault, he's been here 10 months and I've only ridden him a handful of times. However, he's getting his summer podge on, so it's time to get him working regularly before I have to restrict his grazing.

At some point in the past he's learnt that he can open his mouth, set his neck and go in whatever direction he wants (always towards the school gate or his field!) and there's not a lot his rider can do about it. Initially I thought it was a pain reaction, so jumped off immediately, which hasn't helped the issue - back, teeth and saddle have all been checked now and no problems found. He doesn't do it if someone is walking by his head or he's being led (with or without a rider on board).

Can anyone give me some suggestions for working through this? I've only come up with two ways of winning the battle when he does it, 1) open the outside rein (assuming he's napping to the inside) and push him over with inside leg or, if that doesn't work, 2) making him turn on his forehand and then riding a small half circle to get us pointing back in the direction I was originally wanting us to go.

The temptation is to stick him in a flash, but I feel that's avoiding the issue rather than solving it - or would it not be a bad idea to try it just for one or two sessions and then take it off again?
 
This is displacement behavior, you could try and find out where your going wrong, or just strap his mouth shut. If you do that though, something else will happen, and you'll need another piece of kit.
 
CarolineJ said:
Initially I thought it was a pain reaction, so jumped off immediately, which hasn't helped the issue - back, teeth and saddle have all been checked now and no problems found. He doesn't do it if someone is walking by his head or he's being led (with or without a rider on board).
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Has the bit been chcked? Is it appropriate for his mouth conformation?

Also, the lack of riding also wont help. To train a horse to do anything requires regular work.
 
teddyt said:
Has the bit been chcked? Is it appropriate for his mouth conformation?

Also, the lack of riding also wont help. To train a horse to do anything requires regular work.
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He's in a French link snaffle, tongue is a normal size, no wolf teeth - more experienced neighbours had a look as well and reckoned all was OK. He's perfectly happy to accept his bridle being put on, in fact he'll even reach for the bottom of his headcollar noseband with his mouth occasionally when I'm putting that on.

I appreciate that a lot of it is down to riding not being a routine thing for him; I should be fairly quiet with work between now and August, so I'm planning to make sure I do something with him 5 or 6 days a week between now and then, building up to getting him fit enough and well mannered enough to hack out on the beach at the bottom of our fields :)
 
A lot more schooling should get him out of the habit, i believe in schooling then rather than strapping shut, having said that my young TB has a flash, she hasn't resulted to any other behaviour because she can't open her mouth.
She has it on loose now so not really doing anything, but she knows it's there and behaves, without it, she can be fantastic the most of the time, but if she has a spook or a tantram, she is a nightmare.
The flash makes her less dangerous as i never lose that control.
 
I do hate flashes, however, there is a place for them in about 5% of horses. Some horses open their mouths to avoid the bit hurting the roof of their pallet, but as your horse is in a French Link then this should not be the case (though french links do cause pain to the tongues in some horses). My own lovely mare (now retired) was ridden in either a hackamore or an Anky dressage bradoon which is single jointed but shaped so that it never hits the roof of the mouth. I could do everything in this bit without her opening her mouth, such as dressage and show jumping, but not cross country. As soon as she went cross country she opened her mouth and I had little control. This was the only time I used a flash, even though I hated resorting to it, it worked. I had brakes! However, I would never resort to one for normal riding and schooling. I would try to look for a different solution. I would try him in some other bits with as slim mouth pieces as possible. Myler bits are excellent. You could also try a hanging cheek or go bitless.
 
Quick update - firstly thank you to everyone for the suggestions, much appreciated :)

I did end up trying the flash just to see what happened. It made a difference for the better to the steering issues, but I also gained a handbrake and reverse gear, so that's going back in the odds and sods box! Just for a minute though he seemed to remember what it was all about, he stretched down for a contact, went very soft in his mouth and started really stepping through before deciding that the mounting block needed a Hard Stare and put the brakes on again :rolleyes:

Little by little we're getting there, we went for an in hand walk around the village yesterday and he was brilliant, even when an over-protective cow came charging towards the fence we were walking past. He's had a day off today and I'll hop back on tomorrow minus the flash and see if we can get more than 60 seconds of nice walk :D
 
Is he getting bored of schooling, do you think?

I wonder if more variety would help?
 
MrsD123 said:
Try long reining and re schooling from start, lunging and grid work, both you and he need to get a lot fitter
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Agreed about the fitness! I've got to get lunging sorted before we try long-reining and I keep reading that lunging puts too much stress on the joints for an unfit horse so I've been putting it off - doesn't help that he's a silly sod on the lunge.

naturally said:
Is he getting bored of schooling, do you think?

I wonder if more variety would help?
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Given the amount I've ridden him since he arrived (6 times in 9 months :o ) I think it's not so much boredom as he hasn't been ridden regularly for 4 years and has got the idea that he's retired thank you very much! He's only 16 and there's plenty of good years in him yet, so I'm determined to bring him back into work this year. I'm planning to school him or go round the village 5 days out of 7, just for 20 minutes at a time in walk to start with and then build up from that. I don't have anyone to hack out until my neighbour comes back on-shore (and he's a bit of a speed merchant so we may well leave it to start with!) and Merlin has a bit of form for spinning round and setting off home when out on his own, hence the walking in hand round the village. We should be getting an access gate in the path down to the beach soon (there's a kissing gate at the moment, which horses can't get through), so I'll be able to take him down there - it's enclosed so even if he does dump me he can't get onto any roads.
 
Forgot to say (sorry for the double post), I've been battling nerves, not helped by his previous owner telling me what a nightmare he is to ride (he came to me on loan to start with, I've only owned him for 3 months). But he's so much more settled now and I have so much more trust in him that I actually want to ride for the first time in about 7 years :D

I'm also going to ring up the lady who owns the nearest riding school and ask her if she has time to come over and give us a lesson once a month. I don't know if she teaches outwith her own premises, but it can't hurt to ask.
 
i think going back to basics will definitely help... 20min lunge work is doable, he doesn't have to trot the whole time, get him on a nice big circle and start working on the relationship, halt to walk, walk to trot, trot to walk, walk to halt.. i think it's so important to have them responsive to voice and while you're both easing back into regular work it will (IMO) really help strengthen your bond/get him listening to you... try some free schooling as well with him too? long reining etc..

I'm sure that 98% of hiccups in a partnership can be resolved by going back to basics :)
 
Leeds_Girl85 said:
i think going back to basics will definitely help... 20min lunge work is doable, he doesn't have to trot the whole time, get him on a nice big circle and start working on the relationship, halt to walk, walk to trot, trot to walk, walk to halt.. i think it's so important to have them responsive to voice and while you're both easing back into regular work it will (IMO) really help strengthen your bond/get him listening to you... try some free schooling as well with him too? long reining etc..

I'm sure that 98% of hiccups in a partnership can be resolved by going back to basics :)
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We ended up doing some lunging yesterday afternoon, as it happens :) In the past when we've tried this he's refused to move if you're not holding a lunge whip, but if you were he either promptly turned in and walked to the person in the centre or rolled his eyes in mock horror and took off for several wall-of-death laps until he spun you into submission!

So I was delighted last night, after an initial few circuits at high-speed canter, to get him walking in a sensible big circle for more than half a lap for the first time ever :D He's still having trouble on the right rein, he's really quite stiff on that side and preferred to march into the centre, but fortunately OH was around for press-ganging into leading him round for a bit.

I think we'll do the same this evening, weather and OH permitting, just to back up last night's improvements and maybe see if we can get a sensible trot on the left rein and then tomorrow I'll take him for an in-hand walk again - we can still work on the voice commands like that, but it'll give him a change of scenery.
 
Is he a cob by any chance?

If so I find a short tap down the outside shoulder (if that's the one they are using against you) seems to help, also lifiting the outside hand.
 
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