Help - she won't listen

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smilinghill_95

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Need a bit of advice.

I bought an 11 year old fell x mare back in June. She can be very stroppy a lot of the time but we are over coming that. The thing thats bugging me is she won't come down on the bit and rides with her head in the air.

I had her teeth done at christmas but havn't been able to ride her since due to the weather and can't get to an arena.

If it wasn't her teeth (or her back) that has been affecting her what can I do to bring her down on the bit and form a nice outline?? I feel like I don't have any control over her when she rides like that.

Thanks
 
Maybe she has not been schooled to go in a nicer outline. Your position particularly your arms will affect her carriage. Keep elbows bent and close to your sides and sit up straight while sending her actively forwards while also keeping a definate but elastic rein contact. Do you have lessons from anyone? Or pics?
 
Have you considered her conformation? A lot of fells find it very difficult to truely work in an outline as the breed type generally doesn't suit it. It could be that it is physically extremely tough for your pony to work in a perfect outline.

Also at 11 (unless the rider previous to you was able to do so in which case disregard this) she will have her own way of going pretty established by now, which has probably built up the muscles under her neck making it even more tough for her! You will have to take your time to re-school her in how to go correctly, and also allow the correct muscles to strengthen so she can actually carry herself. Right now they are probably quite weak.

Correct re-schooling exercises, with a lot of time and patience, will help her. The best thing to do, as the others have suggested, is to find a good instructor who can help you re-school her.
 
try some draw reins (gently to start with), you need to soften her neck and mouth - so give her a bit she can play with, get her to relax her head and neck, if you are working in a school - plenty of half halts and talking to her, even singing to relax her only at walk to start with, gently move her neck from side to side, when she relaxes her neck and brings it down, make a big fuss of her. You need to really sit into her (bareback if possible - if you dont want to use draw reins) and move with her. For the first week or so i would not progress into trot until she is listening. then you will need to repeat the process for trot - but canter will be a lot easier.
 
Sorry DQ but OP please DON'T try draw reins. They are an easy way to produce a false outline - all they do is yank the horse's head in to the chest. Correct schooling is the way to get a soft, natural outline where the horse has learnt how to carry herself to produce springy uphill paces. Very very basically, you need to use more leg to get her moving forward and up to the bit, then your hands gently contain and control that energy. Shiver the fingers on each hand as gently as if you were holding a butterfly to encourage her to relax into the bit and drop her head down. Try this at the halt to begin with. Gentle shivers on the reins to encourage her to drop her head. She won't know what you mean to start with but keep asking and she should offer an assortment of moves until she finds the right one (drops head a little) at which point you reward her enthusiastically. Then ask for the same relaxation in walk at the end of a schooling session when her muscles are warmed up. As others have said, a good instructor can help you and you could maybe even feel how to ask for it on a schoolmaster so you know how to ask correctly on your mare. Don't expect miracles immediately but if you keep working at it you will get there and you and your mare will still be friends at the end x
 
Again BOF - each to their own, Im speaking from experience to which i know works for me and hasnt given me a false outline thanks, in fact has produced and reschooled some very awkward/difficult horses. So please try not to dismiss peoples experience and what works. Thanks.


So OP - there are good suggestions on here, it depends on what works for you and your animal.
 
I have a fell who can be very stubborn! Mine is only a baby and he doesn't work in an outline yet - he does drop into one in walk on a good day. I find his main problem is balance, he struggles especially on circles. We have to repeat things over and over to get them. This summer I'm really going to work on his strength and get him carrying himself. I can't really tell you how to improve your horse but I know what is really helping with my boy is having lessons with a really good instructor and also my instructor is riding him for me occasionally to "tune" him up. I'm also going to have a lesson with my instructor with pony on the lunge and get my instructor to show me how to get him to work best on the lunge and how to use my side reins effectively. It will probably be a long process for your horse as at 11 she will be fairly established in her muscles and balance but a good instructor will be able to help.
 
By the sounds of things you need to go back to basics and get her to drop her head full stop, not necisarrily on an outline, just long and low. This will get her to relax over her back and build up the correct muscles so when you ask her to go into a more uphill frame she will find it easier.
Trotting poles are a fantastic way of doing this, and raised poles. Loads of lunging over them too because she will probibily find it easier without a rider on board at first until she finds her own balance. It is a long process and it will be worth it in the end but until then its patience I am afraid.
Also a good instructor will be able to help you alot more then we can, as they will be able to see you riding for themselves and help you both.
Good luck!
 
Damnation said:
By the sounds of things you need to go back to basics and get her to drop her head full stop, not necisarrily on an outline, just long and low. This will get her to relax over her back and build up the correct muscles so when you ask her to go into a more uphill frame she will find it easier.
Trotting poles are a fantastic way of doing this, and raised poles. Loads of lunging over them too because she will probibily find it easier without a rider on board at first until she finds her own balance. It is a long process and it will be worth it in the end but until then its patience I am afraid.
Also a good instructor will be able to help you alot more then we can, as they will be able to see you riding for themselves and help you both.
Good luck!
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Agree with above! Above all, get yourself a good instructor who can help you get to where you want be. And don't use draw reins!!!
 
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