Can you remind me please - heavy in hand/rushing when schooling

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Acolyte

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Sorry, can't afford a lesson at the moment (
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) but I schooled last night and found that Josh was really heavy in the hand but was so full of beans that he rushed everywhere too! His outline was too long (I am bad at keeping my rein contact short enough) but when I tried shortening the contact, even when using loads of leg (I thought) he would become unsteady in the contact at trot. It got better as time went on!

I did loads of transitions, changes of rein, leg yield, shoulder in, changes within the pace (e.g. v slow trot to 'normal' trot) - any other suggestions for getting him off the hand, lighter in front and less rushing? Thanks!
 
Oh, never tried that! Have done canter - halt - rein back - canter but not with the counter bit - will give it a go, thanks
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Lots of halts and half halts? Really loads, as in 10 or more down a long side.

Unexpected transitions which you wouldn't normally do, because no matter what we think, we all get a bit into our habits don't we? I know I do, I usually ask for halt in one place, canter in another, etc.

Shoulder ins, renvers, travers, anything in all the wrong places, such as on circles, etc. Make him listen to YOU and not be so darned rude!! The sweetheart!
 
Oh, you caught me out
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- yes, I do seem to ask for transitions in the same places, despite my best intentions! Will try for more...
 
Perhaps my rein contact/hands aren't good enough? I do try that, but he still won't listen - I know he has had quite a lot of time off recently so he isnt usually so ignorant, he needs consistency of riding to achieve consistency in his performance so it is my fault really!
 
That sounds like a plan then. You know what your hands are doing, (you could always put babyish white plaiting bands on the reins, for markers! I need them for sure, I'm always letting them slip!)

But still, whatever the reins are doing, you're dead right, the consistency is key isn't it? And surprise him into listening all over the arena, hard work I know - constant badgering and niggling -
 
My horse is the same, he is very heavy in my hand for the first 25 mins until his neck goes all loose and he can hold him self, rather then me having to hold him up all the time.

When I have lessons with my trainer, he gets me to Leg Yelding in canter, get some poles out and do cirlces through the poles (Tight Circles) this way you are getting them to really bend and for you to use your legs and really get them to bend with you.
Do the circles in Walk/Trott and Canter almost on a 10/5 meter circle.

Half halt's will help too.

Good luck xx
 
Leg yield in canter
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Might save that until my next lessons (some time after Christmas at this rate
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) as I have never done it!

Thanks for the other tips though
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Can see myself in the school tonight, muttering to myself "walk, halt - 1, walk, halt - 2" etc! Good job I'm not riding until about 8pm so no-one else will be around - thanks for the advice, and I like the line in your sig - makes me feel better about this post
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Every time you feel him getting heavy, throw in a 10m circle to surprise him and get him working off his hocks. Spiral in and out of circles. Lots of half halt and keep up the transitions. Also, try not only collected to working trot, push him into medium so he has to work forwards into your hands, then collect, then working, then collect, then medium etc... Keep him busy.

I watched Carl Hesters demo at your horse and he reminded me that the number of transitions you should do when schooling numbers in the hundreds, not tens, something I've been trying to remember for years!!
 
If you are not sure about the leg yield try a bit of shoulder fore in canter on the long side making sure you are not using the inside rein to get the bend, then turn it into a 10 mtr circle towards the end of the long side with a transition to walk on the circle just before you get back to the fence, then canter again and med canter the short end of the school so that he learns to stay thinking on the short side, and same thing again on the next long side. My trainer has me doing that with a give on the inside rein every 4 or 5 strides so the horse does not lean on it. Horse has to stay round through the whole thing, and it really does get them to carry themselves.
Also as someone else said, poles (or cones) are useful for turns and circles.
 
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