Crap Rider Needs Help!!

[sleepykitten]

So I have decided to keep my Friesian gelding who I had serious issues with getting him to hack out alone. Having spent quite a lot of time and effort on him, I have now managed to get him out on his tod - managed a four mile hack last weekend on him all alone, so pleased with that!

However, I have started to take a renewed interest in flatwork as he usually comes onto the bit nicely and works well in an outline.

Recently though, and it seems to coincide with him getting a bit fitter, he has started to evade the bit (ridden in a full cheek snaffle) and I am struggling sometimes to get him in an outline. Also, have discovered that he is stepping his trot up a gear and its soooooooo big that I struggle to balance and end up tipping forwards and my heels come up.

I also tried a bit of canter with him at the weekend and when he strikes off, he takes such a big stride that I end up taking a pull to stop him b*******g off, and then he breaks back into trot!

Help I am so crap. What can I do to stop ruining my poor horse?? Tea and a crumpet for reading

 

[sleepykitten]

Oh, just to say, his teeth were done last friday, back checked by vet at same time and all good. Teeth previously done 5 months before that.

 

[Foxhunter49]

Well done on sorting him out with hacking out alone. You have won that battle so the s*d is going to try all sorts of other things to get to you!

He is probably going through what I call the 'silly fit' stage where he is not really fit but feels as if he is and behaves badly in that anything and everything is a reason to try it on.

Look at his feed and cut it down. Work and more work.

If he is ignoring the bit ask him to move a bcd leg away from your leg, if his hind end is engaged he will have to come down.

With the cantering work him on a circle ask for the canter and when he goes into it immediately ask for the trot by sitting deep, then with a good trot ask again, this will get him thinking that one stride is all that it wanted and you can gradually increase the number of strides without him thinking that he has to race off.

To make you more secure when you get on and several times during the ride, put your hand under your thigh from behind and pull all the flesh back so your thigh is flat on the saddle. This will help you keep your leg in a good position and make you more secure.

 

[Naryafluffy]

To make you more secure when you get on and several times during the ride, put your hand under your thigh from behind and pull all the flesh back so your thigh is flat on the saddle. This will help you keep your leg in a good position and make you more secure.

OMG, I remember getting this advice about 20 years ago, making me feel old.

Do you have anyone to help you in the canter? We have a horse that when you sit on it it always feels like it's about to take off with you (in walk), but she never actually does, it's just the power she has behind that makes it feel like this, just takes a bit of nerve to actually trust that she won't do anything. If you could get someone else to canter whilst you watch you may see that it's just something you're feeling rather than something he is actually doing, if you don't have anyone to help then Foxhunters advice is good, just do 1 stride at a time and build up from there, probably similar to hacking out alone, did you go out alone for 4 miles the first time or did you build it up.

 

[Booboos]

Well done on winning the hacking battle!!!

The best thing is to get some lessons with a good instrictor who can see the exact problem and advice you. If you want to try other things before that, try holding onto a neckstrap when you ask for canter so that you can balance yourself but still allow the horse to go forwards. Ideally you want to let him go forwards in canter even if rushed because you do not want to give him mixed signals by puting on the leg and then telling him to stop with the hand.