Giving with your hand

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Morrigan_Lady

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www.teamterrellshowjumping.co.uk
I need some help please!

Arch has got in to the habit of hanging on the left rein. I dont no if this has got anything to do with me being left handed, but he never used to do this!
Because of this, I tend to hold the rein more and hang back on him!
Im trying REALLY hard to push my left hand forward when I feel him leaning, but old habits die hard!
I did try him in a waterford for a couple of days and it did help, but he's back in his normal bit now and he's doing it again. I just tend to end up with my left rein shorter than my right!
frown.gif

Last time I took him jumping, he even hung on the left and darted off over the wrong jump and there was nothing I could do to stop him.
So other than pushing my hand forward is there anything else I could try?
I did try thismorning trotting him on the buckle and did a few circles, really using my legs and he doesnt fall in so I think that might help abit, but any more suggesstions would be grealty recieved.

Edited to say - He is only like this on the right rein!
 
I've had exactly the same problem with my dressage horse to the point that he was almost dead to the left hand. What I was taught to do to correct it is to ride him into right bend and the right contact as if a horse is in right bend, it can't leg it off to the left with you. It takes alot of getting used to and you really have to use your legs to set the right bend up but I now have a horse that will go straight from both legs into both hands. Also, have you considered trying something like flexi reins to help prevent your dodgy left hand from pulling back as much? I used Ernest Dillon reins as the intention was to make me more aware of what I was doing with my hands, thus stopping the problem.
 
by holding on, you are doing what he wants - i.e. he's training you to hold him up, so he's in helped-carriage not self-carriage.
just keep dropping him, repeatedly. think of nothing else but that for 5-10 mins as you go around. give the rein, repeatedly, until he realises he's allowed an ounce of contact, not 10 lbs! they soon give in when there's nothing to pull against - think of 2 tug of war teams, if 1 team drops the rope, the others can't do anything about it. think of yourself being the team that won't play the pulling contest.
i'm left handed (therefore left-hand is stronger and more dominant, as yours is) and my trainer makes me walk around on the track on r rein, with just light inside rein contact and no contact at all with outside rein, until the horse will stay straight and on the track from my other aids, not from being held there with the left rein. (you have to do it on both reins, obv, but this illustrates that it's possible to both of you, hopefully!)
hope that helps a bit.
 
My mare does the same thing when she fancies being difficult - just drop the rein. Tell him you aren't going to hold him there and he has to hold himself! As you start to take the rein back up, make sure he doesn't hang back on it again - the minute he does - drop him again! I find doing this exercise on a circle, with the problem rein to the inside, helps fix the problem quickly. Jyst start to do little half halts on that really long inside rein until he gives you a bend. Then take up the contact again. Don't worry too much if your circle goes all over the place, just don't let him tank off with you as another way of evasion!

I wouldn't change a thing with your tack - keep everything the same and work him through it. This is an evasion problem rather than a tack problem - he's just testing you! lol x
 
I had this - my instructor told me it was him not listening to and moving off my leg (so if hanging on left rein not listening to left leg) - so she had me doing lots of shallow loops and leg yields until he did move off that leg and that lightened him off the hand enormously. Kerrilli is along the same lines, you need to teach him to be in self carriage, so not being held up by your hands (and in my case by my legs too).

If the previously suggested exercises don't help try holding both reins - not pulling back but really holding the contact strongly and ride positively forward from the leg, keep your hands still not fiddling - so you're pushing all his energy through from behind but holding it in with the reins - after a while he should drop his hold and work nicely so you can relax your arms too. If he doesn't drop after giving him a good side of the school plus to do it in, then vibrate your fingers on the reins until he does.

Hope it works out, its tiring isn't it having one arm leaned on! good luck - let us know how you get on!
 
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