Encouraging youngster to be more forward

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NoniMouse

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I have a five year old ISH who has always been quite backwards thinking and behind the leg.

Getting him moving forward has been my main focus with him, but I feel like I've run out if schooling exercises now and need some inspiration as the last thing I want to do is to do the same thing again and again and again. He has improved a lot, but we still have quite a way to go.

Things I've been doing so far are transitions transitions transitions. Lots of trot/walk/trot, walk/trot/walk, trot/canter/trot, poles, transitions between poles. He struggles to hold the canter for more then a few strides, and sometimes our transitions are nice and sharp (he will now trot with just a squeeze) but we still lack impulsion within the gait. I've been really making sure I don't nag too!

To be fair to him, he has really improved, but we just aren't where we need to be yet. We don't have any off road hacking, only road work unfortunately, although we can start working in the field soon.

Does anyone have any good schooling exercises we can do?
 
What about fast hacks to sharpen him up? Or schooling around fences and popping the odd one to keep him interested?
 
Will be interested in the replies as I am in almost exactly the same position as you, but mine is 7 not 5!
 
How long have you been riding him?

Sometimes they can take a while to really get used to balancing with a rider on board and to build the mental and physical strength etc.

My 5yo can be like this too but he is improving daily. When we go to the beach he is very forward but this is hard to replicate in the school and local hacking he can't really be arsed either lol. Lately we have been doing schooling sessions in the field which is definitely helping, I can really get him motoring in canter when I have a decent length straight line. This is really helping when we go back in the school.

I also introduced some basic leg yield and shoulder fore / in in walk and trot to try and help the hind step under more and to increase power a little.

He still does drop behind the leg from time to time but it is now few and far between, happens mostly once he's tired so I give him plenty of breaks, use a lot of variety in my sessions and try and finish the session while he's still moving lol
 
I've been riding him for nearly four months, four times a week because of my work commitments. I think before I started with him, he was always ridden in spurs, he goes beautifully in even a tiny little pair, different horse. But obviously I don't want him to only go forward off the spurs, so don't ride him in them. Fine for refining the aids for higher level stuff, but not for us at the moment.

I did find that we didn't see much progress for about 8 weeks and then bam he absolutely shot forward, so I guess we have just reached another plateau.

I wish we could do fast hacks! Unfortunately there is practically no off road riding around us. It's the only let down of this yard, I'd love to take him for a good fast canter it'd do us both the world of good!

Hopefully we can start riding in the field soon, I think that might help.
 
There are, but unfortunately I don't have my own transport. I have a very kind yard manager however who has spoken about boxing her horse and rider out when the horse is ready, and us with them. But I have no idea when this may be and as she's already offered to take us out show jumping I don't want to push it! It's hopefully a possibility though.
 
And what does he do when you use the stick? Do other horses go easily forward for you, even cooler types? Have you had anyone else on him? Have you done inventory of anywhere in your position you may hold inadvertently - back of the knee, elbows, stomach, heel . . .?

I'm don't really feel that "forward" and "off the leg" are the same conversation. There are horses that are both, many that are one or the other, and some that are neither. I don't think it should matter how many fast hacks you go on or what you feed the horse, when the leg goes on you have to feel that little "zing" of connection, wherever and whenever. Of course, a horse that feels good will go forward more easily but, to me, that's not the point. The horse has to go when I ask, not just when it wants to. Ditto exercises - how do you do a correct leg yield, for instance, with a horse that's not consistently off the leg? Exercises are tests and ways of improving the reaction, but the reaction is there from the first day.

As to how, you, personally, get your horse off the leg, the short answer is you ask once, and only once, then you back it up, strongly if necessary. You don't worry about where the head is or even the rhythm until you put your leg on and the thinks GO! And only GO. The should not take more than a few minutes and repetitions, although you may have to repeat the basics for some time if he's used to behaving otherwise. Once you have that, and you are sure you are allowing the forward through your own body and riding, you can start refining, adding circles etc. The key is not to over do it. This will he hard work if he's not used to it and one mistake I often see is people get this response then go on too long, the horse gets tired and then cannot respond properly anymore, the rider has to increase the aids, which then starts training the horse in the wrong direction. Only you can gauge how much is too much - you may only have ten minutes worth at first, with a loose rein (this is important) walk break in between. But if you say that EVERY transition has to be forward and off the leg, every single time, and you don't go back to "begging" with the leg if he gets sticky, it won't be long until it's habit for both of you.
 
Speaking as someone with a naturally not forward horse who is very much off the leg (at home, less so in scary new places with jumps), I agree with TS that forwards and responsive aren't the same thing. And if you're using the leg to keep it moving, you can't do anything else properly.

Without knowing why he isn't forwards, it's hard to comment though - are you blocking him, or is he ignorant of the leg, is he dreadfully bored of schooling every day, or just not quite confident / fit / conditioned enough to offer more yet? The answer differs in each case.

Mine, I do lots of fast work with in a field (interval training) for fitness, and he jumps to give him something else to play with too, even though realistically he is a dressage pony now. When he is fit, he is a lot more capable of maintaining responsiveness when schooling.

In the past I've used the "forwards, no rein contact or blocking, just forwards, first time, or it's backed up" with success too.

Good luck.
 
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