Having a problem with my youngster

Paint Me Proud

Paint Me Proud

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I have a 4 1/2 year old gelding who was backed summer last year.

He is ridden once a week by a professional instructor and I ride him as many times as i can the rest of the week.

However i am having a problem.

He works in a really nice outline, with good contact and using his hind quarters well......but NOT FOR ME! :(

Basically I have a problem with my legs and one leg is currently very weak - this results in me not being able to give him enough leg aid to get him working properly when i ride him.

A friend rode him today and he went into an outline immediately.

I am really quite despondent about it as i really really want to be able to ride him to his best ability but my stupid leg is getting in the way.

Sorry no real point to this post i guess but just bummed about it and needed to share :(
 
I am really quite despondent about it as i really really want to be able to ride him to his best ability but my stupid leg is getting in the way.
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No, you need to ride him to the best of your ability. Have lessons and work on your leg but don't put pressure on yourself or make yourself feel bad. He wont want to be in a contact all the time anyway. ;)
 
Give yourself time, he is still young and will still be learning.
The more you ride him the more he will understand what you are asking for, stick with it and dont get disheartened or you'll just wind yourself up. x
 
Interesting......I have an interest in para dressage, and I recently asked a top para trainer how he trained the horses to go so well with the para riders.

The answer surprised me to be honest - I thought he was going to tell me that when he rode the horses he deliberately didn't use his legs for example, or he only used one leg to train the horse for a particular rider etc.....

In fact, the opposite was true. He rides all the horses as normal. Then the para rider gets on board - the horse responds.

The fact is that he cannot replicate the aids that a para rider will use because he has no idea how to do that. He can no more lose the use of his right leg than a para rider can gain it.

The horse should be schooled to be obedient, calm and relaxed, and to carry itself in balance. Then things will fall into place naturally.

If para riders can do it, I'm sure we all can!
 
^ A very good point. Many of the top para riders now ride with top trainers and ride horses they have found/made under their tuition, in the same way that other top riders do. There may be some considerations with regard to how the horse moves, width, size etc. to suit the rider but that's going to be the same with anyone.

Out of curiosity to the OP, what does your instructor say? Have you discussed how you might school the horse and work on your own strengthening to "meet in the middle" as it were? It shouldn't take a massive amount of leg strength to ride a relatively easy going horse. Also, have you discussed the use of a schooling whip to augment your weak leg? This is also a common concession for para riders although again, they don't use it "differently" than any other rider, they just use it the normal way to help fill in for where they might be weaker.
 
i have discussed with my instructor who has given me exercises to help balance my leg aids and thing to compensate for my weakness but it is very hard to concentrate on everything at once while i'm riding.

I have had some NHS appointments this week and they are addressing the weakness again so hopefully it should be getting stronger in the coming months.

I know we will get there eventually but it's frustrating wen i try so hard but cant give enough to get him to respond.

He does only need a little bit of leg but my right leg is that weak that i do struggle.

Fingers crossed we can work through it :)
 
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