Heavy in the left hand

LEC

LEC

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I have tried everything but my horse just will not get off the left hand. He is being a bit of an idiot when he is schooled as feeling very well but I have tried flexing, shoulder in, leg yeilding, giving away the contact and changes of pace.

I feel he is coming through true from behind. Normally he is really even in the hand. I am wondering if its because he is being an arse as some moments we have the lightness then he will lean again. At dressage on Saturday he was hideous but after warming up for 45 mins, a test where he was horrid and more warming up for 2nd test he did get better but its still a struggle and I would like it happen a bit quicker.

Teeth were checked 2 months ago but getting friend who is EDT to come out again and his body was checked last week by very good chiro and he had no issues. Food is being cut down to half.
 
Have you tried flexing him using an 'indirect' rein aid - i.e. crossing the left rein over the wither and flexing him that way rather than by taking the hand out to the left or back towards your hip? I have been using this recently on horses which get a bit resistant and it works really well, it's literally for a couple of steps then release, couple of steps then release until they go evenly into both hands. Another thing I have been doing is getting a real inside bend then pushing them out with the leg so they are almost falling through the outside shoulder, which helps them to really step up with the inside hind, this also seems to help with leaning.

Failing that, every time he leans, halt, lighten then move off again. Tedious but might work if you haven't already tried it?
 
What I would try is letting go of the left rein completly, and only holding onto the right. Stay like this for a good 45 mins or so, whatever you do, do not take up a contact on the left or use the hand at all- he is not allowed to take ANY weight on it
In that time do lots of circles, changes of rein, leg yield, etc using the leg strongly to direct him- especially the left leg to try and get him into the right hand.
He will have his head bent right to begin with but (hopefully) after about 30 mins or so ( you do have to perservere) he will take up a nice contact on the right and be soft on the left.
Keep the left really elastic once he takes up the contact.

Tried this in a gill watson lesson and horse went like a giraffe for the first half hour and then suddenly relented and felt amazing, totally even and soft in both reins.
 
I have had him on circles for 20 mins with strong inside bend. Normally that would be enough but not at the moment. Will try crossing the rein. I have been doing a bit of halting as he is pretty rude maybe I need to have a whole session to remind him of his manners.
 
I let go of the contact and ride for probably 5/10 mins like this, again in the past this would normally be enough but maybe I need to peservere for longer periods. He is not normally this horrid and used to give in much quicker hence why food is being slashed.
 
I found the crossing the rein thing very very hard to do as it is such a cardinal sin in the UK and trainers have shouted at me for doing it (unintentionally) in the past! However done correctly with good timing and feel it makes an amazing difference on these horses who we have retrained out of bad habits as there is nothing for them to pull back against. Even the really green horses here respond to it - I think I have finally found a way to counteract Bs rudeness in halt! I just wish I did not have to wait until July to try it. Mind you, perhaps he will come back super-polite anyway and I will not need to.....
 
What bit are you riding him in?? My mare was in a french link and leans on me on the right so much i ended up with the whole link on 1 side. I put her into a straight bar, metal, she ran through a nathe, and she hardly leans at all in this! I find it harder to get her round but i use that and the french link together to try and improve the problem. Other than that everything you are doing sounds like what i do, also lots of counter canter helps to straighten my mare up.
 
Yes would try for longer- it takes simply ages and you keep thinking 'this really isnt working' and then all of a sudden they give in and you get the best contact ever.
Slashing the food - this makes the muscles tireder ( sorry cannot spell) so its something to bear in mind. Was told on laura bestcholheimers forum to keep my difficult/argumentative horse on enough food because if he doesnt have enough food for his muscles, it will make his brain even more difficult as his muscles have become tierd. If that makes sense!
 
I am not too worried about his energy as at the moment he is taking a minimum of 90 minutes to get anything remotely sensible. Normally he would be a 20 minute warm up horse.

Bit wise when he was younger I went through everything. He is incredibly fussy in the mouth and tells you very quickly if he is not happy with something.
 
Do not believe in physio for horses unless coming back from injury which has been diagnosed by the vet - I use a chiro for musculature issues who came out last week.
 
90 minutes, bloomin 'eck, you must be fitter than I am!
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Is he falling in through his body that way as well? I do a lesser version of what S_C's suggested: lift the hand quite high (but no further forward or back than it was before) - this seems to have the effect of neck reining, but that means that you can get your inside leg on so that you can keep the bend without the hand being so important. Once they are around the leg you can give the contact away by pushing the hand forward - that's their reward for getting off that rein - then take it back v gently. If they lean on it again, repeat until they get the message. Eventually you can just lift the hand a tiny amount when they might get heavy in the hand (ie. on the long side, through corners etc) and they seem to learn not to go to your hand for support at those moments.

I've just spent 40 mins on Bally the Bogtank hunter doing it and it does work. However even when every bone in your body tells you to grab the inside rein and flex him to make him soften, don't, as if you do it turns into all-in wrestling.
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(Disclaimer: all this is just My Humble Opinion but could in fact be a load of gobbledegook (sp?) due to my complete inability to master the English language today.)
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I am very stubborn and also I know what he should go like but he refuses to co-operate at the moment. His ears are always pricked which sounds ridiculous but I know it means he is not listening to me. He is also ridiculously excited about everything at the moment!

I guess that is what is happening is I am flexing and he will soften I then give away the rein to test the softness and he will then get hard on to me again. Will try lifting the hand instead of holding it wider. The softness is in the body but not in his jaw or neck. At the moment he feels like he needs to come up more in his shoulders but because he is holding onto the left rein this is not happening how I want it.
 
I've got the stubborn gene too, but I think my lot would surrender after an hour.
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Think of shoulder-fore positioning once you've lifted then hand and got him off that rein - that seems to help keep them soft.
 
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