GETTING A HORSE INTO AN OUTLINE

jenbleep

jenbleep

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hi peeps could you give me some advice?

ive been riding for a while now, and i just cant seem to get any horse into an ouline. i ride mainly riding school horses, so i understand that a lot of these cannot go into an outline straight away because of their schooling, but even when i ride my friends horses who are well schooled, i still cannot do it! i dont know if its the way i am sitting, i have a feeling that i might collapse my hip to the left.

i don't just want to hold the horses head in, i want it to have a nice outline and working from behind. one instructer told me to ride 'leg into hand', what exactly does thaat mean??

i am trying but i dont want to use force or gadgets to get a horses head tucked in.

do you think i should do pilates?! my posture is terrible!

any suggestions please!

jenx
 
Usually when people struggle to get a horse into a outline it is caused by a number of reasons. When I am teaching (on school horses so a similar situation to yours) the usual cause is not enough leg and an inconsitent contact. Many people think that you get a horse on the bit by 'squeezing' the reins- this usually causes the fingers to open and close therefore allowing the rein to go tight then loose and causing you to loose the direct contact to the rein, so check you are keeping the fingers closed around the rein. You must also remember that if you are using a stronger rein aid to get the horse rounder you must use a stronger leg aid otherwise the horse will stop going forward from leg to hand.
You may also be tipping over the horses forehand which may be causing a problem.
 
that is so true! when i was younger i was told to 'wiggle' my 3rd finger. that didnt do anything. do you think that beacause i might slouch that is causing the horse to go on the forehand?
i get what you are saying about keeping a stronger rein contact with a stronger leg, but i feel like im hanging onto the horses mouth when i do that. will the horse soften eventually if i keep doing that? i mean in general terms, of course all horses are different
 
imo you need to go to a trainer/instructor and tell them your problems, we cant really comment as we havent seen pictures of you riding so dont know how you are sitting/what your hands are like and how you are asking the horse. if you post a picture of yourself riding i will gladly give you some advice
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xx
 
Hiya,

There isnt really a simple solution to this, but the basics of "leg to hand" is basically having a constant elastic contact from your hand for the horse to work forwards into from your leg. It you have a contact with alot of movement/too strong you will encourage the horse into a false outline, that looks pretty but will be blocking the horse through its neck and back. Legs should always work before the hand to push the horse into the contact, as opposed to pulling the horse in the contact.

Apologise if this doesnt make sense, am talking to customers whilst typing this!!
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[ QUOTE ]
that is so true! when i was younger i was told to 'wiggle' my 3rd finger. that didnt do anything. do you think that beacause i might slouch that is causing the horse to go on the forehand?
i get what you are saying about keeping a stronger rein contact with a stronger leg, but i feel like im hanging onto the horses mouth when i do that. will the horse soften eventually if i keep doing that? i mean in general terms, of course all horses are different

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Not so much wiggling the third finger, think more about keeping the contact steady by squeezing a sponge in each hand (not literally, it is the feeling I am trying to describe, somewhat inadequately)
 
no it makes sense, i was lookin for tips to take to my riding, so thanks. if anyone else has any thoughts.......? im going riding this weekend so ill get some pictures up xx
 
1) You're probable trying too hard
2) You are thinking about the 'outline' and not working the horse from behind
3) You may be tensing through your elbow and having a straight arm
4) Work the back end with your lower leg more, sit taller and focus on the rhythum, even count a regular beat if it helps, think about moving one hip slightly forwards then the other, keep your hand elastic and soft
5) I always bang on about them - transitions, transitions and more transitions, up and down the gaits and within them.

Looking forward to the piccies
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My last trainer used to go mad if you had any movement in your contact at all. You need to take a cotact on the reins that makes you feel like you can absorb every movement the horses head makes, and follow it, without pulling on their mouths. Almost like holding someones hand, should be a firm but constant pressre, you are holding the bit in their mouths, so no movemt on the contact is needed. If you then ride the horse forward with your legs, the soft contact you have given the horse should allow him to work from behind into the contact, which needs to allow and control this without pulling back, or letting him race off. Ita all about containing the energy created by your legs.
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I think when you are inexperienced it is difficult getting a horse into an outline in a straight line. Much easier on a circle. So, have a go at:
Using inside leg quite firmly to push horse into quite a holding outside rein. (sitting tall shoulders slightly turned in the direction of travel, looking where you are going)Don't let horse collapse onto it's inside shoulder. Open your inside hand slightly so that you can see it's inside eye, but no more. Your outside leg is controlling the pace, so keep it in use, but your main focus is on your inside leg.
If you find that you cannot keep the horse off your insiude leg, that will tell you much more about where your riding issues might lie.
Then you know that before working on the horses head carriage, you have to learn to move them off your leg laterally, if that makes sense. The minute you feel the horse soften - do the same, ensure he knows what you are asking.
Aim to do all of this in walk, and just keep your shoulders square and relaxed, if you ride correctly there will be a line from them through your hips to your heel, and if you are worried about the quality of your contact then again aim for a line from your elbow through your wrist to the bit.
It's old fashioned stuff, but it works!!
 
thanks peeps for the advice. i do try too hard, but only because i want to get better! so if i keep the horse going forwards with my legs (not nagging) and keep a steady soft contact with my reins, then see what happens? and SIT UP STRAIGHT! my old instructor used to shout 'DIAPHRAGM!' at me to remind me to sit up.
 
oh my god yes! i did some work for a woman who show jumps in cornwall. she gave me a lesson and i was put on this sharp youngster, which walked around with its head in the air. she told me to ride a 'square' at one end of the school, pushing the inside leg into the outside hand. it worked like a dream! so if i can manage that i just have to accomplish it on a straight line!
 
Echo the others circles are really good. Also when getting the impulsion from leg to hand, you obviously need to have the horse really using his hind legs and stepping under. Try leg yielding, particularly on a circle. Spiral in to a small circle, and then leg yield out.

Any exercises that encourage a horse to use his back end will help towards an outline.

good luck
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I think that if a horse is going forward (i.e. you use your leg to find an active, balanced walk/trot whilst maintaining an elastic and even contact) the ‘outline’ should come naturally…

You could try various exercises to achieve this – lengthening down long side of school and shortening at the ends, transitions, etc.

Don’t worry about the head, worry about the ‘motor’ - by this I mean the back end. When you have established a consistent, balanced pace, you can try asking him ‘round’ using your inside leg and outside rein on a circle. Remember to make comfortable every time the horse drops his head for you – even a little bit.

I would also have lots of lessons !
 
Aggree with what most of the others have said, but for a riding school rider, i just wanted to say, you sound very knowledgeable and sensible!!

Hope you can acheive what you are trying to do soon
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x
 
i used to ride all the time until a year ago, and ive just started having lessons again 3 weeks ago. im starting to get serious!

oh and fjudge - thanks!

this weekend im going to attempt to get some photos of me riding, so everyone can give me constructive critisim! yey
 
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