Endurance and head carriage

[Leam_Carrie]

How do endurance horses normally carry themselves? I've got an ex-endurance arab who seems to like to stick her nose in the air. We are working on that with an instructor, but wondered what she will be used to doing?

 

[heebiejeebies]

Arabs naturally have high head carriage

 

[Leam_Carrie]

She definitely has the arab high head carriage and can flick with her tail when I'm riding (accidentally when going for flies). The issues is that she doesn't currently work in contact and I wondered how they ride in endurance? I'm assuming the problem is me, hence the instructor .

 

[Arabelle]

Good endurance riders ride in a very light contact, with the horse working efficiently from behind, but not pulled in at the front to create a dressage style 'roundness' It is more of long and lean silhouette, but working from behind, or the horse won't have a long career in endurance.

 

[Leam_Carrie]

Thanks Arabelle. That's really helpful. She had a very long career in endurance and rides beautifully from the seat. We'll keep working on balance and bend in that case!

 

[EstherYoung]

Ditto arabelle. You want the horse to be working in as efficient manner as possible, and to a certain extent it depends on the horse's conformation as to what that will be. Not all arabs have high head carriages either - H's evasion of choice is to go overbent and fall onto his forehand. You also want them to be balanced, and to be able to work in a different frame (shorter/longer) when needed so that they aren't just hammering the same muscles all the time. Also, there's a difference between a slightly higher than average head carriage but still powering through, and a horse going hollow. A hollow horse won't be using its back properly and will get sore over long distances.

ps Sometimes schooling arabs can be a bit of an acquired taste. 1) You have to persuade them it was their idea in the first place and 2) transitions are your friend. You're not going to get anywhere with an arab doing endless circles in the same pace just fine tuning, but they will round and soften if you give them lots to thing about. It will help immensely if your instructor understands arabs. They have a habit of 'curling up and looking pretty' but not actually working properly (and many instructors can't tell the difference). You need to concentrate less on the head and more on what the rest of the horse is doing, as if you them really working from behind and opening up their shoulders and using their back, then their heads will just be where they ought to be without you having to work on it.

Who have you got, by the way, Leam_Carrie?

 

[Leam_Carrie]

Ditto arabelle. You want the horse to be working in as efficient manner as possible, and to a certain extent it depends on the horse's conformation as to what that will be. Not all arabs have high head carriages either - H's evasion of choice is to go overbent and fall onto his forehand. You also want them to be balanced, and to be able to work in a different frame (shorter/longer) when needed so that they aren't just hammering the same muscles all the time. Also, there's a difference between a slightly higher than average head carriage but still powering through, and a horse going hollow. A hollow horse won't be using its back properly and will get sore over long distances.

ps Sometimes schooling arabs can be a bit of an acquired taste. 1) You have to persuade them it was their idea in the first place and 2) transitions are your friend. You're not going to get anywhere with an arab doing endless circles in the same pace just fine tuning, but they will round and soften if you give them lots to thing about. It will help immensely if your instructor understands arabs. They have a habit of 'curling up and looking pretty' but not actually working properly (and many instructors can't tell the difference). You need to concentrate less on the head and more on what the rest of the horse is doing, as if you them really working from behind and opening up their shoulders and using their back, then their heads will just be where they ought to be without you having to work on it.

Who have you got, by the way, Leam_Carrie?

Thanks this is really helpful. She goes hollow in trot and is building up too much muscle under her neck, so we definitely need to improve (well I need to improve how I ride her). My instructor is working with us mainly in walk and making it all about bending - so lots of circles, half passing and shoulder in - and we've only had two lessons, so very early days!

I do know I have to keep her interested. She likes lots of variety and gets bored if we do too much of the same. We usually go for a hack or do some jumping after schooling.

She's called Spirit - proper name Negev Spirit of Aswam.

 

[Lamb-Ski]

Esther has given you some spot on advice and knows what she is talking about. I have 2 full Arabs and one was very versatile in her day. She never had a high head carriage but I put this down to training in Western before we embarked on an Endurance career. I also (still have) an ex racer and I would liken your ex endurance mare to an ex racer, you are re-educating her and this will take some time. The more relaxed you are the more she will relax with you. Don't underestimate the power of in-hand work to build trust in your relationship. And please make sure your instructor "likes" Arab's, they are an aquired taste and often misunderstood. Good luck and enjoy

 

[EstherYoung]

I do know I have to keep her interested. She likes lots of variety and gets bored if we do too much of the same. We usually go for a hack or do some jumping after schooling.

Welcome to our world..... Spud says, if he's done one perfectly adequate circle he doesn't see why he should have to do another.

She's called Spirit - proper name Negev Spirit of Aswam.

Oooh, I found her: http://www.egbarchive.endurancegb.co.uk/horse_results.php?horse_id=28138

Looks like she took some time out to be a broodie, and there's a video of her with her foal here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZtj0-A6N2I

It's quite interesting to watch that actually. The only time her head shoots right up is when she's really galloping, and the rest of the time she's actually got quite a low head carriage and carries herself quite well. So that to me indicates that it's a tension issue. Your riding instructor sounds like she's on the right lines with lots of suppling work.

She's a nice mare. You'll have lots of fun with her.

 

[Leam_Carrie]

Welcome to our world..... Spud says, if he's done one perfectly adequate circle he doesn't see why he should have to do another..

So true, today we have trotting poles and a couple of jumps for her to do, with lots of bending in between.

Oooh, I found her: http://www.egbarchive.endurancegb.co.uk/horse_results.php?horse_id=28138

Looks like she took some time out to be a broodie, and there's a video of her with her foal here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tZtj0-A6N2I .

I hadn't the film of her with her foal before - that's really lovely.

It's quite interesting to watch that actually. The only time her head shoots right up is when she's really galloping, and the rest of the time she's actually got quite a low head carriage and carries herself quite well. So that to me indicates that it's a tension issue. Your riding instructor sounds like she's on the right lines with lots of suppling work.

She's a nice mare. You'll have lots of fun with her.

Thanks for all the advice and find the links. Arabs are a new experience and different to the TBs I'm used to! She's definitely starting to work better the more we bend. And we have a lot of fun. I thought you might like to see a pic of her now.