Getting/keeping a consistent outline

[EllieandGeorge]

My pony is a bit of a typical welsh pony schooling, he's very forward and tries to evade the contact a lot. He tends to Stick his head up and try and run away from the contact, I try and push him into the contact from the leg (which works on small circles but down long sides doesn't) and when he does accept the contact he is not very consistent. He comes into a nice outline but I feel myself having to sponge the reins a lot to keep him there which i obviously don't want to be doing. I have used draw reins but i found it difficult as he has such a short neck and is forward going, and didn't want to do more harm than good. I've used a bungee once or twice but would rather not use it, and i lunged in a pessoa over the summer when we have use of the field but it didn't seem to help with him accepting the contact when he's ridden. He's just had his teeth done which were quite sharp but now fine, and he's in a wilkie with a lozenge. Any help appreciated

 

[galaxy]

Do you have regular lessons? This sort of thing can only be helped through regular help from the floor.

 

[philamena]

I'd second this ^^^^ Not least because sometimes when we're riding on our own we get overly focused on something like the outline, when in fact if you have a really good instructor getting you really focused on all the other stuff (true straightness, proper bend, impulsion, rhythm, tempo, acceptance of the leg, etc) suddenly you notice that the better outline happened without you thinking about it. So little of the outline's about what's happening with your hands / the bit, rather it's far more about the rest of the horse's body... but it always takes someone on the ground to keep you focused on that because we're 'hand' focussed as a species, and the horse's nose is the bit we can see!

Can you tell I'm a big fan of instruction rather than driving yourself mad on your own? I send myself round the bend trying to do stuff on my own!

 

[B-B]

As well as above....

He probably finds it harder to go straight so I would keep doing circles - you can move these around the school - until he is strong enough to maintain his balance on the straight.

The contact needs to be live and sponging maybe necessary at times, especially on their stiffer side. So why not do it.