tobiano1984
Well-Known Member
Hoping someone can help as I'm feeling a bit demoralised! My 15hh 6yo cob is horrible to school in a snaffle, it's nothing to do with strength as I hack and XC in a rubber nathe snaffle, it's just that he will NOT work in an outline properly over his back in one. In walk he will, not toooo bad in canter, nothing at all in trot. Just pokes his nose out. Doesn't even resist much, just impossible to flex.
I'd like to think I'm a competent rider and we have weekly lessons with a classical instructor who doesn't really get what his issue is. Then you put him in a Pelham (mullen with a low port) and he is a paid up member of the Spanish Riding School! Totally butter soft in the contact, working over the back, collecting, extending, working towards piaffe, simple changes on a serpentine - a total dream. So we thought 'aha!' maybe a double...He won an Intro test earlier in the year, but I haven't really bothered going out much apart from on training exercises as he just doesn't work well in the snaffle and I get fed up of being told that he's not submissive etc. So the plan was maybe to just go straight out in a double at Ele.
Tried him in a double for the last couple of weeks, and bit disappointed that he's much the same as he is in a snaffle. This is with an informed designs curved, lozenge, eggbutt bradoon and firstly a NS starter weymouth, but decided it wasn't wide enough, so now in a bog standard low port weymouth exactly the same shape as his favourite pelham. He doesn't resent the 2 bits, still got a lovely wet mouth and doesn't open his mouth or fuss with them, or back off. Just kind of goes through the snaffle and I don't feel like the curb really engages him. It just feels like I'm riding a complete novice green thing, whereas in his Pelham he feels so much more advanced.
So just wondering if anyone can give some advice, maybe I'm expecting too much of the double? I kind of assumed it would be similar to the Pelham. I think I need to lift the curb a hole as it sits quite low in his mouth and possibly isn't engaging fully...
I also tried him in a mullen hanging cheek snaffle as I figured it was like the top half of a Pelham...and he was probably the best he's been in a snaffle but still not great. Walk=lovely, canter=reasonable, trot=poke nose out and run into it. He is built like a tank but he doesn't pull as such, he's flexible laterally but just doesn't seem to break at the poll in trot and if I try and slow it all down he tends to end up leaning on me or head just comes above the bit.
ARGH! Sorry for the ramble, hope someone can help - just feeling disappointed! And yes he's had back/saddle/teeth etc all checked.
I'd like to think I'm a competent rider and we have weekly lessons with a classical instructor who doesn't really get what his issue is. Then you put him in a Pelham (mullen with a low port) and he is a paid up member of the Spanish Riding School! Totally butter soft in the contact, working over the back, collecting, extending, working towards piaffe, simple changes on a serpentine - a total dream. So we thought 'aha!' maybe a double...He won an Intro test earlier in the year, but I haven't really bothered going out much apart from on training exercises as he just doesn't work well in the snaffle and I get fed up of being told that he's not submissive etc. So the plan was maybe to just go straight out in a double at Ele.
Tried him in a double for the last couple of weeks, and bit disappointed that he's much the same as he is in a snaffle. This is with an informed designs curved, lozenge, eggbutt bradoon and firstly a NS starter weymouth, but decided it wasn't wide enough, so now in a bog standard low port weymouth exactly the same shape as his favourite pelham. He doesn't resent the 2 bits, still got a lovely wet mouth and doesn't open his mouth or fuss with them, or back off. Just kind of goes through the snaffle and I don't feel like the curb really engages him. It just feels like I'm riding a complete novice green thing, whereas in his Pelham he feels so much more advanced.
So just wondering if anyone can give some advice, maybe I'm expecting too much of the double? I kind of assumed it would be similar to the Pelham. I think I need to lift the curb a hole as it sits quite low in his mouth and possibly isn't engaging fully...
I also tried him in a mullen hanging cheek snaffle as I figured it was like the top half of a Pelham...and he was probably the best he's been in a snaffle but still not great. Walk=lovely, canter=reasonable, trot=poke nose out and run into it. He is built like a tank but he doesn't pull as such, he's flexible laterally but just doesn't seem to break at the poll in trot and if I try and slow it all down he tends to end up leaning on me or head just comes above the bit.
ARGH! Sorry for the ramble, hope someone can help - just feeling disappointed! And yes he's had back/saddle/teeth etc all checked.
