Feeling disheartened and rubbish...

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somethingorother

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Any spare kicks up the bum going?

Schooled again tonight, it's about the 4th time ive schooled my share horse and he seems to be getting worse, not better. We're clicking less and less schooling, even though i love hacking him out and we get on great.

Took him up the lane for 20min today to warm up and to take out someone who was riding K for the first time. Then went in arena and he was lovely in walk, lots of stretching but as soon as we went up to tro his head went up, he went hollow and started just legging it round raster and faster, obviously unbalanced, as you would be with your nose pointing to the stars. Worked for about 45 min and tried every trick i could think of to avoid having to pull on his mouth strongly/saw.

Tried:
leg yeilding in and out of circle, but he just nearly fell over motorbiking; leg yeilding on the straight in walk but he just ignored my legs and stuck head even further in the air; loads of transitions; mexican rein (where you hold it backwards so it's softer) which worked for a short time until he went to go shooting off and i couldn't stop him, but he did improve very slightly. And then finally i tried a trick i have used a long time ago which richard maxwell uses, where if the horse wants to run around with its head in the air, you hold the reins up high too (no pressure, just holding up at shoulder height) and when he wants to drop, release instantly. This worked best and he dropped briefly a couple of times and then we finished on a 'good' note.

The thing is, he's been shown all his life, he's won loads, he's done really well. Also everyone says he goes so nicely and relaxed for his other sharer... I've not seen her ride as we have different days, but i'm going to try and go up to watch her when i can after tonight.

I try to keep my everything relaxed. He doesn't listen to my seat or leg aids very much, so i do still need some rein aid. It's hard to keep hands soft when he's pi****g off with me though. He was so good last wednesday, (terrible on friday but i put that down to road works all around us), but today it was quiet and although he was energetic on the short hack, he was well behaved and sensible.

I think i might just give up on schooling him and hack him out. I obviously make him unhappy, which makes me unhappy, and he doesn't show or anything any more and wont load anyway, so i suppose there's no need for him to be schooled.

Only problem with that is that i then feel like my riding goes downhill if i only hack, and i can't afford lessons. I do love him though, we have so much fun hacking and he's so lovely, i don't want to give him up but i don't know what to do!

Feeling completely miserable and incompetent, and worried what his owner will think if she saw us from the house. Backside kicking in any form will be gratefully received, along with any advice.

Choccy digestives and cake for making it to here. Just needed to let it all out.

What he can look like:
Razeyd-2.jpg
(his share ad picture)
And what he looks like with me (or much much worse):
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dont panic.its early days and you need to get used to each other.we had a new horse and its taken a few months to get her working really well and press the right buttons.both horse and daughter very capable as im sure you are.keep the sessions short and sweet.you can try too hard and is there a friend who could watch from the ground and advise.i also think you can school on a hack and we used to have short sessions working round and soft out hacking,transitions etc.
 
He's lovely on a hack
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Unless he's spooking at a leaf (or a monster truck0 but we'l let him off for that) he's usually relaxed and happy. Will try doing a bit more with him when we're out though, maybe some leg yeilding etc. Thank you
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I usually try to keep it short, but it was hard to find a good note to finish on tonight
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To be honest, he looks pretty hollow in the showing pic and that is with the benefit of a double bridle and presumably a rider who knows him well, so seems like it is his naturally preferred way of going so don't be quite so harsh on yourself!

I'd definitely make the time to watch the other sharer ride and see how she deals with him and have a chat with her to find out what makes him tick!
 
First thing I noticed was the bridles, Our little mare who also does a lot of showing, when we put the double bridle on she instantly knows to work in an outline, and becomes very foot perfect in everything we ask,
different story when shes hacking or schooling with the snaffle, she too also likes to mess about with the nose in the air. In the bottom pic he looks like his attention is else where, and not listening to you, Nice horse
 
He was changed to the snaffle from a pelham just before i started with him a few weeks ago as he was always pulling when out hacking, and apparently is a lot happier now.

His attention was elsewhere on friday when the picture was taken, as there were huge diggers and trucks up and down the road. But if anyone took pictures today they would have been much worse, his head was the same height but his nose then poked horizontal, actually pulling upwards
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He is a lovely horse, i'm so proud to be involved with him... But not to be seen schooling!

ETS: i'm not bothered about an 'outline' as such- just some sort of normal head carriage and control and ability to flex would be a start on working properly. I know it's natural for him being an arab, but i can't do anything whilst all he wants to do is get his nose higher.
 
I wonder if the other sharer is schooling him in a double?

I find horses that go with their heads in the air and hollow really hard to ride. Give me one on its forehand and I can do something with it, but can only sympathise and agree that watching the other sharer would probably be your best bet, or have a lesson on him maybe?

I am sure you will find the right buttons to press so don't give up!
 
No, she uses the same bit/bridle...

Thanks for the sympathy though
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I can usually start to click a bit by now, or at least find ways to help...

I can't afford a lesson due to paying for the share (not working either at the mo- told myself i was too busy with it being my last year of uni, but then i found a 3 day a week share! oops!) Will ask for some off OH for xmas though i think.
 
Why don't you ask the owner to give you a bit of tuition on him? If anybody should be able to get him going nicely, she should.

If it were my horse, I'd be glad you raised the issue sooner rather than later.
 
he is very pretty. tbh you do look very tense in the bottom photo - arms dont look relaxed.

Do you feel safe on him even if hes giving it speed? as look as you feel safe then work through the bad bits - if you start to feel unsafe and not enjoy it then its not worth it - enjoy hacking him.

however id try and treat yourself to a couple of lessons or wont the owner help? or the other sharer?
 
Thanks quirky, i would but she's 3 days overdue to give birth at the moment! Lol

I am a bit worried she'l think i'm rubbish and just tell me not to school him. She doesn't seem big on schooling really either but i like to once a week to try and stop me getting into bad habits... In theory!

ETS: CallyH I feel safe yes, it doesn't scare me and i'm not going anywhere without him, but it's obviously not good. I really try so hard to be relaxed and soft, but i do find it hard when he's randomly shooting off, it's hard to avoid a 'fight'.
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My flame was always inclined to work like this, when I got her the muscle under her neck was enormous. You have to ignore it. Just ride quietly from your legs and seat, doing lots of circles and serpentines gently asking for bend. I used to find a good, long, relaxed but forward canter, then coming back to trot, really encouraged her to stretch and use her back.

Forget about the outline and people watching, just ride around doing different stuff and wait for him to seek the contact.
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Flame, thanks i might try that. I admit i have been avoiding a lot of canter as i tend to go off the 'don't run before you can walk' but now you've said that i can see it might help him to want to stretch. I was doing lots of walk every time he got really tense i came back down to walk and he really does seek a contact and a stretch then, so it might work from canter to trot too. Plus i think with them being in a lot now it's winter, he is just full of beans, so a good canter might take the edge off. Really don't know why i didn't try that!
 
if hes a show horse then he work loads better in a canter - i wouldnt be afriad to speak to the owner - she obviously has confidence in you if she lets you share him and hack him out
 
if it helps at all this is uncannily like my experience today-been riding a new horse for a month and it seems were completely going backwards the more i try the worse we get! This afternoon i was on the verge of telling the owner i wouldnt be riding her any more. Reading your post made me feel so much better though knowing others are in this boat! so im going to steal all the advice been given to you and see how it goes
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Aw i'm glad to know i'm not alone too magic beans!!!

And glad it's made you feel better! What's your new horsey like? It's exciting having a new horse to play with but not half stressful at times!
 
Gorgeous, gorgeous horse! I would defo talk to the owner. She may not be able to come up to the yard but she might give you some tips on the phone if he is a quirky ride. I have to agree with an earlier poster, he didn't look that soft and round in the show picture but then, as you say, arabs do have a higher head carriage. I think the owner would appreciate you talking to her about the problems - they may not be as big as you think. It always feels worse when you have people watching you and I wouldn't listen to what every one says either. Far too many armchair experts on a lot of yards.
 
Looking at your photo you look good, sounds like he's sour, they get fedup up with showing after awhile and it sounds like he enjoys your hacks, I'd keep it at that for awhile, just enjoy each other and when next year comes then go back to the schooling.
Why does everyone want to keep schooling?????
 
i totally agree! with me she is a chestnut mare-with the the trimmings that go with that title! with me she pulls, spooks, hollows generally ignores my aids, but people who have ridden her previously said she was never like that for them, and i know she used to do affiliated jumping and seen the pictures! im lucky if i can get to walk on the track! i always have the feeling the owner is going to tell me to get off and stop annoying his poor horse! it is great though getting to know her as she is nothing like any horse i have ridden before so sharp and agile and seems to really like my presence on the ground. will have to see how it goes, im thinking some lessons may boost my confidence and help us click a bit better maybe..
 
Thank you so much everyone, i've never been so cheered up so quickly!

And i've not even opened the 'special occasion' cherry brandy i was planning on starting after how tonight went
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I'm not sure if he is a bit sour, i could believe it. Also i'm not keen on how much i hear the terms 'get their head in' around there, so maybe he is used to people being pushy about that. But i just want to be able to see over his nose and not fall over when we turn a corner! lol

Will talk to the owner *bites fingernails* She is lovely but i am so worried after how much of a mess we looked tonight that she will think it's me ruining her expensive horse! I will resist the urge to school more the worse he gets, and do lots on our hacks to make up for it and get to know him better. So much good advice, thank you! I love HHO
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I would try doing some work on shoulder in, straightening and then counter bend (shoulder out) say 6 paces of each on circles in walk to start off with and then doing half gives as soon as you change the bend it keeps the horses attention a bit more as you are constantly asking for something different and encourages the head to relax and lower. Make sure you change your aids through your hips not your hands and you may find that will get your horse listening and relaxing, then you can build up to doing the same in trot and have a go with figures of 8. Works well for mine when he is being an oik!
 
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To be honest, he looks pretty hollow in the showing pic and that is with the benefit of a double bridle and presumably a rider who knows him well, so seems like it is his naturally preferred way of going so don't be quite so harsh on yourself!


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Actually- that was my first thought- he doesn't really look THAT much different in his way of going between the two pics...I think you are being a bit critical of yourself.
 
Oh thank you... it feels awful though! Surely he can't always be like that...?

Hilldale, thanks i did try flexing to either side/ shoulder in but not a circle, just going large so might try on a circle for any difference. I was finding i really had to be strong to the point of it being a fight to get it though, so stopped in the end. Will think about my hips more next time though and see if that helps. Thanks x
 
No need to be strong and your hands shouldn't cross the wither just turn your upper body very slightly inwards making sure your inside hip is slightly forward and then inside leg gentle pressure on and off on the girth, then straighten yourself and continue in the same direction but use opposite hip and aiding mentioned to get outside bend but look straight ahead on your circle, does that make sense, hopefully if you can get him a bit more aware of the changes in your seat/sternum he will start to listen a bit more and also use your your hip action to slow and speed up the pace within each pace once they start to listen it is amazing how easy this becomes....

Hope it works!
 
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