Children and draw reins

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toffeeyummy

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Now I am asking this in a tentative way but my daughter who is 10, has a lovely little section b who has obviously been terrifically schooled. When someone a bit stronger and more experienced rides him he goes in a beautiful outline. However, my daughter rides him with very very soft hands and as she hasn't an idea or a feeling of riding a pony in an outline I think she can't ride him to an outline iyswim?? He trots about with his head up and I know I find it nicer and easier to ride a horse you can get into an outline etc. oh dear am I explaining this?! Anyway, I'm wondering if she rides him in some draw reins, closely supervised, to guide him then she will get the feeling and eventually be able to do it herself? Is that clear? As mud!!! Thanks
 
I'd say she needs some proper lessons to give her an understanding of how to ride him into an outline. Just hauling his head in won't benefit either of them in the long run.
 
Seeing as she has soft hands and an outline should come from behind, with the use of legs and seat, I would not be putting draw reins on at all. Your daughter will just end up with a wooden pony and hard hands. She needs to learn to push the pony into the bit with her legs and seat, then you will have a happy pony and your daughter will still have her soft hands!
 
Draw reins won't give her the feel of a horse working correctly, it will be false. Get her some lessons , on a schoolmaster and not her own if need be if you want her working him in an outline, but at 10, is your daughter fussed about an outline, or does she just want to muck about, as it will require consistency, but if you and your daughter have serious showing aims, I can understand your concern, but a wooden outline will easily be spotted by any half decent judge!
 
He can't have been schooled that well if he needs strength to get him in an outline, or am I reading that wrong? Anyway are you wanting a visual outline or are are you wanting pony to work correctly from behind? Not the same thing at all. Your daughter is better off having fun with her pony and forgetting about where his head is: pony club games are actually great for teaching a horse to learn to sit and use his back end. Incidentally if you feel he is working hollow, have you had his saddle and teeth checked?
 
Lucky daughter having a well schooled pony! Have to agree with the rest though, I wouldn't put draw reins on either. I think making that transition to riding "in an outline" is really hard even for adults. although in principle I absolutely agree that the outline should come from behind, in practice lots of horses and ponies need to be asked, sometimes quite firmly, to soften/flex into an outline but the leg and seat need to back this up and yes of course there does have to be a contact. (I'll probably get slaughtered for saying this!) I'm no expert but I've found that spiralling in and out of a circle and riding small serpentines ie from quarter line to quarter line, really helped but a good instructor should have a number of exercises to try. I think it's great that your daughter wants to ride properly, much better to do it at 10 than when you've developed a load of bad habits!
 
I wonder if the pony has previously been ridden with a lot of leg into a fixed contact, by a strong rider. This would be a false outline but maybe is all the pony understands, as he doesn't know how to balance himself if he is not leaning on the rider's hands.

Hopefully after your daughter has some lessons on him with a good, sympathetic trainer, he will get the idea about relaxing correctly into a soft contact, and will then present the outline that you desire.

I would not allow a 10 yo child to ride with draw reins.
 
I think it's completely absurd to consider letting a 10 year old use draw reins. Does she care that the pony isn't working into an outline? If she can ride the pony straight, forward and into a soft contact the outline will come with time.
 
I think you would be in danger of ruining your child's soft hands by focusing on achieving an outline.

Having had 2 children in Pony Club I have seen lots of children not able to understand or feel what is correct and get fixed, horrible hands or even pulling their ponies' heads from side to side because there has been this pressure to work in an outline.
I thought I could see the difference but writing for dressage judges has made me realise I can't always see when a pony is hollow.
It will come in time!
 
The easiest way to help her learn what it feels like when the pony is in an outline would be to lunge her on the pony - ensuring the person doing the lunging is getting the pony to work well from behind and into a contact provided by a pair of side reins. I'm not suggesting that this is how the pony is ridden everyday, but this will allow her to find the feeling of the horse engaging its hindquarters and working over its back.

Following that, work on the rhythm and suppleness should help her to find the contact with the pony by herself. As always, a good instructor will be a big help.
 
Draw reins are not the way forward in this case. What she needs to learn is how to take a proper contact and ask the pony to work forward from behind and soften into the contact.

If she is riding along with soft hands that is great but she needs to learn to pick up a contact - not to be confused with pulling a horse into an outline. An instructor should help with this :)
 
Thank you all for your constructive advice. What I mean is I don't want him to go 'wooden' but rather get her to feel the shape she needs to ride to, she does not have consistent contact but is getting stronger with her legs and seat. I think the schoolmaster idea is good, as well as lunging her on him. She does attend pony club but maybe we'll add in some extra flat work lessons. There's no pressure on her to 'look pretty' she has loads of fun on him, it's just that when she's riding him on the flat I know it feels better when they're working nicely and (personally) I feel I ride better when I have the horse in an outline. Draw reins are out then!! At least I know now :)
 
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