Can't get my mare to accept a contact?!?

J

jes_nibley

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30 September 2006
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Wiltshire / Dorset borders
www.languedocgundogs.co.uk
My mare will be 25 this year and although getting on now she is acting younger than ever!

She was on loan to a riding school for a few years so since I've had her back I've just hacked her (for nearly a year now) and kept her ticking along.

Now she is coming back into proper work and still really loves jumping I would like to get her out to a few comps this year.

She will happily hack along sticking her nose out but is very relaxed, but as soon as I ask for a contact her head comes up and she fights with me. I don't have access to a school very easily or transport so all my 'schooling' has always been out hacking.

Any ideas please?

I know she is getting on a bit but I wouldn't ask anything of her that she couldn't do.

Thanks!
 
I would work with her from the ground, try longreining her, you will be able to see her reactions better this way. We had a nightmare horse that was similar, a week of long reining and geting her to relax into a contact and she is now 100% better under saddle
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thanks madhector, will try longreinig when we have grazed the filed down a bit. I wondered about draw reins? I've used them on youngsters, just not sure about using it with her as she is 25.

daisychain, I hear what you are saying and like i said i wouldn't ask if i didn't think she could do it. But she gets bored just hacking and she loves jumping soo much, and she gets so excited about the shows when we hack past them up the road.

As i say, will try the long reining and see how we go.

Thanks guys!
 
I agree with ISZ I think draw reins would be unfair. I loathe the things anyway.
I have had trouble with a couple of horses I ride in getting them to take a contact. Neither of them are usually ridden with a contact. The 8yo is owned by a novice and was getting strong in a snaffle bit (French link loose ring) so she put her in a Cambridge mouth kimblewick which the poor horse despises. I could not take any sort of contact as her head would be in the air avoiding the action of the bit. She was still uncontrollable in the snaffle so I borrowed a Myler with a triple barrel mouthpiece, nice and bendy, which she loves and would do anything for. I haven't had any sort of argument with her in the Myler, it's a combi one too so it spreads the pressure and doesn't concentrate it on her mouth. I'm not saying you should up the bitting stakes, I'm just saying is the horse comfortable in its mouth?
The other horse I have trouble with is 12yo and knows better
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The only way I can get him to co-operate and not stick his head in the air/chomp on the bit/yawn onto the bit is to use lots and lots and lots of leg. If I even slightly over-do it with my hands he turns himself inside out. There's no reason for it, he's been checked over, he's just being a sensitive Anglo Arab! I know I can be a bit "handy" with my riding on a bad day so he is teaching me to use more leg. Frequent transitions work wonders with him.
 
Will avoid the draw reins then, just as well really, I didn't wan to have to buy some.

I'll have a hink about the bit. We've done loads and loads of transitions, the only time I've had beautiful work from her was when a potential 'boyfriend' was cantering along the other side of the field.

Perhaps that's the answer, get someone to canter along somewhere near us when I'm schooling....

(NB I have no intention of breeding from her, I was just using it as her 'way of thinking').

Thanks.
 
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