Developing contact

[Walrus]

Just looking for some words of wisdom on developing a contact. New horse, only 5yo, big and chunky with limited balance and strength. He's forward and enthusiastic (read, feels like a runaway steam train!) And only going in the school a couple of times a week.

My question is (and we are going to get some professional help).... what the flip am I supposed to do with my hands. I've always ridden horses with a more downhill tendency but this chap is a head up kind of guy (I think using his neck to balance himself). If I try and slow down and half halt we go inverted and his head comes right up. If I don't take a contact he will truck round with his head up but not dramatically (but muscle-wise bot really what you want). I am desperate not to fiddle / pull but similarly I do want to be able to have a contact and not just flop round with long reins. Do I just trust the process, focus on rhythm from the body, do lots of turns and circles and try and get my inside leg on (currently goes faster) or do I need to try and maintain a contact even if he argues.

I sound like an idiot, I promise I'm not but I'm terrified of mucking this up as I really rate the horse and currently he's very forgiving!

 

[FlyingCircus]

Keep plugging on with the scales of training.

Also make your life easier by teaching the elements on the ground that you need under saddle. For example, teaching them to give to pressure and get him moving away from your inside hand/leg/whip tickle in the place where your leg would be. I've always found it easier to get them to understand that legs don't mean go faster from the ground.

 

[Walrus]

Thank you. Yes we are doing in hand sessions once.ir twice a week. ToF is getting better (slightly over dramatic) and we're doing poles and circles and slow walking etc in hand.

 

[ponynutz]

By no means an expert but you mention he might be balancing himself that way. Maybe work first on his core muscles and topline muscles (onboard and on the ground) so he feels more confident carrying himself correctly.

Lunging training aids
Lots of hacking up and down hills (I've seen people long rein/lead horses on hacks with a lunging bungee on)
Polework
Feeding his hay from the ground so he's not building incorrect neck muscle that way
(Talk to a professional about this one) Loose side reins to help you out in reminding him to not throw his head up high?
Work on a big 20m (or bigger) circle and ask him to work long and low in all three paces on both reins. I have found, personally, the constant inside bend helps them work properly and working long and low is easier to do than working in a 'full contact' and builds the right muscles

Also I was once told to move my reins in the opposite direction to their head - if their head is high up your reins are lower, longer and wider and if there head is too far down your hands are shorter, higher and together.

 

[maya2008]

If it helps…

I bought a cob cross last summer who ran along on her forehand with her head in the air, and basically threw her head up to help her lift into transitions because she wasn’t using the back end at all. Super fast, super downhill, not all that fun to sit! There was no way that having loose reins and asking for a rhythm with my seat and legs alone was going to work, I needed to help her find her balance.

This is the process we went through:
1) Lower the head.
Why? Control and physically getting a better body position so she had a chance of being able to use herself. I asked for her head down, and any step in the right direction got a ton of praise. It wasn’t about a perfect outline, it was about getting the head down, out of the sky, and giving her a chance to use her back and get her legs under her. She soon figured out that she was more balanced with her head out of the sky, and our little attempts gradually grew into something more permanent. I still allowed her to have her head up for transitions at first, because she didn’t yet have the power behind to manage without, then gradually reduced this.

As an aside - I know there are many ways to ask a horse to lower their head - from the Karl Philippe ‘groundwork first’ type of method to riding into a contact to asking to mobilise the jaw. Probably more! I like the Karl Philippe method most, but this pony had some prior schooling when she was younger, so was comfortable with me asking with my fingers for release and understood that. I went with what she knew.

2) Impulsion
With the head down, I could ask her to step into a contact. That helped her learn what her back legs were supposed to be doing. It also helped me keep her straight on narrow tracks, and more balanced when it rained. Her back began to raise more, back legs stepped under more. Slowly, we got a steadier rhythm that was not rushed and pushed forwards from behind rather than pulling from in front.

3) Quality of paces
We didn’t go in an arena until I had a developed walk, trot and canter, with at least some impulsion and that was relatively straight. We used hills, roads and tracks and worked on calmness, balance and consistency. No corners to mess with the balance, nice long stretches to work on an even rhythm and build strength.

4) Then we went in the arena and began to work on corners and transitions. She was a different pony by this point from the one I had tried. She didn’t rush, but slowed down when she was struggling, and worked from behind as she began navigating corners and circles.

Now it’s kind of just round and round we go - suppleness improves then I can get more impulsion and better straightness which in turn improves our ability to do exercises which improve suppleness and then round again we go! I can hack with one hand on the reins now leading another pony, or drop my reins on her neck and the rhythm doesn’t change. We’re 5 months in, been in the arena since the beginning of November.

 

[Lucky Snowball]

I would do plenty of walking up and down hills. He should work out that it is much easier to lower his head and lift his back. Make sure he's tracking up as much as he is able. In the school keep a gentle consistent contact and let him find balance. Plenty of transitions. Resist the temptation to put him into an outline before he's ready and able. I wouldn't use anything except side reins on the lunge and keep circles large.

 

[Starzaan]

Hacking, hacking, and some more hacking.

Hill work, varied terrain, building up his strength, and I would only be in the school once a week at this age. Maximum.

 

[Kaylum]

Also get his teeth checked and make sure the bit and bridle fit correctly. Could be putting his head up to avoid pain. The bit could be hitting his back teeth or could have sharp teeth or sores.

 

[Walrus]

Thanks all, definitely the wrong time of year to buy a baby horse as I only see him in the daylight at weekends, so keeping him out of the arena isn't really an option. That's why we've got the in hand sessions. I also don't lunge (I hate it!). He's had a full mot since he arrived, teeth, physio and saddle. I totally appreciate it's balance and strength (of which he had neither right now) so we will keep everything short, easy and positive and resist the urge to fiddle. I was dead impressed last night as he did some trot poles in the shape of a Christmas tree without batting an eyelid and much straighter and neater than expected so we might try that again! Good to hear other views and experiences, he's a big lad so he's going to be a slow burn I reckon, but I think he's mega so I don't want to make a mess!

 

[FlyingCircus]

Thanks all, definitely the wrong time of year to buy a baby horse as I only see him in the daylight at weekends, so keeping him out of the arena isn't really an option. That's why we've got the in hand sessions. I also don't lunge (I hate it!). He's had a full mot since he arrived, teeth, physio and saddle. I totally appreciate it's balance and strength (of which he had neither right now) so we will keep everything short, easy and positive and resist the urge to fiddle. I was dead impressed last night as he did some trot poles in the shape of a Christmas tree without batting an eyelid and much straighter and neater than expected so we might try that again! Good to hear other views and experiences, he's a big lad so he's going to be a slow burn I reckon, but I think he's mega so I don't want to make a mess!

Rather than lunge in the most common sense (stand in middle, one line, horse typically razzes around at end of line with limited control...), can you lunge with double lines? This gives you the ability to lunge and long rein in one session. You can do straight lines, circles, change diagonal, leg refiling (and more when more advanced!).

I found it really valuable with my youngster to be able to work her on the lines and have her a distance away from me so I could see what was going on, but also build her confidence. This can be done anywhere. Arena, yard, fields, hacking...

 

[dottylottie]

the first few times i took my youngster in the school i had the same thoughts - she’s more head up for balance than down too, whizzed off if i had no reins but argued a bit when i took up the contact. honestly i just settled on a happy medium, where i could stop and she was happy, and forgot about the head. all of a sudden, she just put herself onto a lovely contact and did it all herself! ever since that first time, she’s been offering the contact more in dribs and drabs, most often it’s as we come across the diagonal, probably because she has no choice but to balance a bit more without the fence line to follow.

it’ll come! i remember feeling so out of my depth to begin with, deciding when to push for a bit more progress and when to allow her to be a baby. we still only do short sessions in the school, i hack her out more often than not and then go in the school for 10 mins at max. 6 next year but still so babyish because i only really started her this year!