dressage...behind the vertical

[Wheels]

No one else has answered your very sensible question, so I'll try, from my limited knowledge.

The draw backs of riding a horse overbent:

It is easy to tip them onto the forehand.

If you do it too much, it can be difficult to get them out of it in a competition.

The pros:

It's difficult for a horse to lock its back or neck when overbent, so it can be a good way to keep the horse loose.

It's more difficult for a boisterous horse to do any serious aerial acrobatics if kept overbent, so can be used to achieve submission, or at least control.

For me, I would choose overbent over a poking nose and set mouth and neck

But these aren't the only two options surely? What about slightly in front of vertical versus slightly behind? Or nose poking but still moving forwards with a mobilised jaw?

 

[joycec]

But these aren't the only two options surely? What about slightly in front of vertical versus slightly behind? Or nose poking but still moving forwards with a mobilised jaw?

For some young horses, especially those with short thick necks and young/green, it does feel like they are sometimes the only two options for short periods.

I think what people are imagining on this thread is that people are riding overbent for a whole session. While I'm sure some do, that's not what I'm talking about.

My definition of noise poking is that the neck is stiff and the mouth set. There's nothing wrong with a mobile neck and mouth with the nose in front of the vehicle, imo. But nose poking is all wrong.

 

[JFTDWS]

I was answering JFTD's little in-joke "strictly come dancing comment not any of the above..sorry for the misunderstanding...

Why? I mean, why single me out? I didn't bring SCD up... And there was no "in joke". I don't even know the poster I was responding to.

Feel free to return to BD if you like. Why would we care?