Get Lazy Horse Off the Leg

[Alex01]

I have been sharing my 10 year old cob for just over three months. He has competed in unaffiliated dressage competitions and have come first in many of them (not sure at what level but not as low as intro). He is slow to get going but once he is moving can be very forward going and works hard. His owner has only recently started riding him again in the last month after a break and since she has been riding him I've noticed that he is much less willing to work for me and I'm not sure why this is or whether it is just coincidence.

I have an instructor and he is very forward in the lessons. However recently, when riding him on my own I have found him very sluggish and almost stubbornly dead to my leg. He breaks all paces to go back to walk and on occasion I have struggled to even get him into a working trot as he just switches off and refuses to do what I say.

When warming up I try loads of transitions, walk to trot, trot to walk, walk halt etc but sometimes I feel even this isn't making a difference with him. His owner gives him a good old smack if he isn't listening and my instructor has told me to give him a good hard hit if he is really taking the p*** but to be honest, this doesn't sit well with me and I am reluctant to do this as I think it is cruel and it doesn't even seem to make a difference anyway. I ride with a schooling whip and will give him a tap with it, however I'm starting to wonder if I do this too often and so my leg aids have lost all effect. I don't feel I can really speak to his owner about this, as she will just say he is fine with her and I worry that she will say that I'm not suitable for him. I do really like him and don't want to look for another horse as he has given me so much confidence since a bad fall and the arrangement I have with the owners is very good and I don't want this to change. I've only been sharing him for three months and so maybe I am putting too much pressure on myself.

In all honesty, I'd like to try ditching the whip and leaving it at the side of the school so that I can try to focus on leg aids alone, but not sure if this will work. Can anyone recommend anything I can do to get him more off my leg? I've heard someone say you should do 100 transitions every schooling session. I'm starting to get frustrated and don't know what to do!

 

[FestiveG]

There sounds to be a difference in your riding from the owners style, maybe watch her ride and try and adapt your style to hers? Otherwise the 5 and 5 exercise at the start of your schooling might be a good idea. Walk for 5 strides and trot for 5, repeat for a circuit of the school, change the rein and do the same again for a full circuit of the school, often wakes up a horse that tends to be lazy.

 

[Shay]

He's worked out that you can't - or won't - make him work. Cobs are great at this. I am not for one moment advocating that you beat him or hit him in any unreasonable or unfair fashion. But you are clearly not able to give him the leg aid he will respect, so your whip is the correct artificial aid to support that.

Whilst you gain the expereince to use aids effectively you might want to always ride with an instructor or experienced eyes on the ground. Its all about timing. It is unfair - and unreasonable - to hit if you have not asked clearly, or if you have come out of balance and confused him. Or just too late. It is reasonable to use the whip to back up an appropriate leg aid given correctly and at an appropriate time.

There are all sorts of exercises to help you train a horse who is dead to the "nag..nag..nag.." of an ineffective leg. But all take experienced eyes on the ground because it is all a matter of learning the correct timing and applying that.

I have (or I guess more precisely my daughter has...) a cob - a perfect PC competition pony. Mostly retired now but at his peak was much in demand to take kids to Nat champs. If he had a capable rider he would - and did - get there every year. Took my daughter for 5 yeats until she moved onto a larger horse and into affilliated. Took sharers pretty much every year for 6 years. But you have to ride him. And ride him right. If you can't give the correct aid he simply won't do it. He can figure out who can make him - in which case he does it with barely a touch. And who can't. In which case its like kicking wood. And he is not unique. Ponies learn this.

Talk to the owner. Talk to your instructor. Take more lessons. You need to be able to convince him that you can actually make him to what you ask - in which case he will stop making it hard for you. Horses do what costs less engery. Right now it costs less energy for him to ignore you. And you are right - if you use your whip inappropriately he will ignore that too and just come to resent you for abusing him. You need to convince him that it will cost less energy to do as you ask. That takes expereince and timing.

 

[SBJT]

He's worked out that you can't - or won't - make him work. Cobs are great at this. I am not for one moment advocating that you beat him or hit him in any unreasonable or unfair fashion. But you are clearly not able to give him the leg aid he will respect, so your whip is the correct artificial aid to support that.

Whilst you gain the expereince to use aids effectively you might want to always ride with an instructor or experienced eyes on the ground. Its all about timing. It is unfair - and unreasonable - to hit if you have not asked clearly, or if you have come out of balance and confused him. Or just too late. It is reasonable to use the whip to back up an appropriate leg aid given correctly and at an appropriate time.

There are all sorts of exercises to help you train a horse who is dead to the "nag..nag..nag.." of an ineffective leg. But all take experienced eyes on the ground because it is all a matter of learning the correct timing and applying that.

I have (or I guess more precisely my daughter has...) a cob - a perfect PC competition pony. Mostly retired now but at his peak was much in demand to take kids to Nat champs. If he had a capable rider he would - and did - get there every year. Took my daughter for 5 yeats until she moved onto a larger horse and into affilliated. Took sharers pretty much every year for 6 years. But you have to ride him. And ride him right. If you can't give the correct aid he simply won't do it. He can figure out who can make him - in which case he does it with barely a touch. And who can't. In which case its like kicking wood. And he is not unique. Ponies learn this.

Talk to the owner. Talk to your instructor. Take more lessons. You need to be able to convince him that you can actually make him to what you ask - in which case he will stop making it hard for you. Horses do what costs less engery. Right now it costs less energy for him to ignore you. And you are right - if you use your whip inappropriately he will ignore that too and just come to resent you for abusing him. You need to convince him that it will cost less energy to do as you ask. That takes expereince and timing.

I agree with this and just had the conversation yesterday with my sharer as she was saying he wasn’t working with impulsion for her, while I’ve never had an issue. She watched me lunge him and realized she isn’t pushing him enough. It’s not about beating them or nagging as neither is fair. It’s about asking softly and nicely with a nudge, then telling them with a kick, and if they still don’t listen you give them a meaningful short and sharp hit with the whip. Once they do it then leave them alone for a moment to process, then it’s a do over and start again with the process. They realize that less is more and easier. But always be fair to them. If you’re struggling with leg and a whip I’d be hesitant to take the whip away.

 

[equestrian7474]

I have been sharing my 10 year old cob for just over three months. He has competed in unaffiliated dressage competitions and have come first in many of them (not sure at what level but not as low as intro). He is slow to get going but once he is moving can be very forward going and works hard. His owner has only recently started riding him again in the last month after a break and since she has been riding him I've noticed that he is much less willing to work for me and I'm not sure why this is or whether it is just coincidence.

I have an instructor and he is very forward in the lessons. However recently, when riding him on my own I have found him very sluggish and almost stubbornly dead to my leg. He breaks all paces to go back to walk and on occasion I have struggled to even get him into a working trot as he just switches off and refuses to do what I say.

When warming up I try loads of transitions, walk to trot, trot to walk, walk halt etc but sometimes I feel even this isn't making a difference with him. His owner gives him a good old smack if he isn't listening and my instructor has told me to give him a good hard hit if he is really taking the p*** but to be honest, this doesn't sit well with me and I am reluctant to do this as I think it is cruel and it doesn't even seem to make a difference anyway. I ride with a schooling whip and will give him a tap with it, however I'm starting to wonder if I do this too often and so my leg aids have lost all effect. I don't feel I can really speak to his owner about this, as she will just say he is fine with her and I worry that she will say that I'm not suitable for him. I do really like him and don't want to look for another horse as he has given me so much confidence since a bad fall and the arrangement I have with the owners is very good and I don't want this to change. I've only been sharing him for three months and so maybe I am putting too much pressure on myself.

In all honesty, I'd like to try ditching the whip and leaving it at the side of the school so that I can try to focus on leg aids alone, but not sure if this will work. Can anyone recommend anything I can do to get him more off my leg? I've heard someone say you should do 100 transitions every schooling session. I'm starting to get frustrated and don't know what to do!

He’s probably taking the p*** out of you because he knows what he can get away with, however he knows his owner won’t let him play around.

This is what I do with my young mare and it really helps:

1. Pretend he’s a cheeky little school pony who’s bucked a kid off and you were told to get up and put some manners on him. As weird as it sounds, it works trust me.

2. Let him know you mean business. It sounds a bit cruel but when you get on give him a good tap on the shoulder and FIRMLY ask him to walk. He needs to know he can’t play around with you. Although you are using the whip, it’s not to ask him to move forward, it’s so he knows he can’t mess with you.

3. Have a plan. Don’t let him aimlessly drag you around the arena. No matter how many times he comes back to walk or plays up, you want trot. You aren’t thinking about anything other than trot. When he breaks and acts up, ignore him and ask for trot again.

4. Get him listening to your leg. Try this in walk first: Ask him to walk on and after a few steps take your leg completely off. He’ll most likely just stop, so when he does give him a tap on the shoulder and a good kick then take your leg off again. Repeat this for a while and it will slowly start to work. You’ll need a lot of time and patience to do it though.

Also keep riding with the whip, just don’t use it to replace your leg. Leg 3 times, if he doesn’t listen use the whip.

 

[SBJT]

He’s probably taking the p*** out of you because he knows what he can get away with, however he knows his owner won’t let him play around.

This is what I do with my young mare and it really helps:

1. Pretend he’s a cheeky little school pony who’s bucked a kid off and you were told to get up and put some manners on him. As weird as it sounds, it works trust me.

2. Let him know you mean business. It sounds a bit cruel but when you get on give him a good tap on the shoulder and FIRMLY ask him to walk. He needs to know he can’t play around with you. Although you are using the whip, it’s not to ask him to move forward, it’s so he knows he can’t mess with you.

3. Have a plan. Don’t let him aimlessly drag you around the arena. No matter how many times he comes back to walk or plays up, you want trot. You aren’t thinking about anything other than trot. When he breaks and acts up, ignore him and ask for trot again.

4. Get him listening to your leg. Try this in walk first: Ask him to walk on and after a few steps take your leg completely off. He’ll most likely just stop, so when he does give him a tap on the shoulder and a good kick then take your leg off again. Repeat this for a while and it will slowly start to work. You’ll need a lot of time and patience to do it though.

Also keep riding with the whip, just don’t use it to replace your leg. Leg 3 times, if he doesn’t listen use the whip.

Yes, this. They tend to sit up and think more when they know you mean it. You don’t have to be hard handed or mean about it, but its about mutual respect.

 

[equestrian7474]

Yes, this. They tend to sit up and think more when they know you mean it. You don’t have to be hard handed or mean about it, but its about mutual respect.

That’s exactly what happens with my mare. My mam rides her sometimes and she’s very soft and nice to her, but she ends up being nappy and not moving for her at all. But the minute I get on she behaves and listens.

 

[SaddlePsych'D]

From the OP it sounds like you're getting him going in your lessons but it's when you're in the school alone that it's trickier - if I have read it right? Maybe worth talking to your instructor about the difference you're noticing if this is the case as it sounds like you can do it but something about being on your own seems to change things? I only pick out this bit as I am also sharing and hoping to start practicing what I have been learning in lessons but it will be my first time working in a school without it being a lesson. I've asked my instructor for their thoughts on this as know in lessons I can be a bit hesitant to ask for more 'forwards' so this is definitely something I'm going to have to work on if I am working by myself, for example.

I wouldn't worry about seeking help from the owner either - if you're otherwise doing well with the share, I'm sure they wouldn't want to get rid of you especially if you've got the attitude of wanting to learn and improve. I'd be interested in what the owner does to warm up - perhaps worth watching to see what they do and working out how it might differ to what you've been doing.

 

[Spotherisk]

Are you only schooling? What’s he like on a faster hack out in company, bit more zoomy or still dead? If it’s just schooling he could well just be completely bored with it, go have some fun! ?