Help with a green horse

Hodgson94

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Hello, I would like some advice please. I have a very green 6 y/o 16.2 maxi cob, our flat work is just awful and I don’t know what to do… I’ve booked in for some lessons but can’t get anyone to come for a couple of weeks so I wondered if anyone can give me some schooling tips in the meantime. He is ridden in an eggbutt snaffle, cavesson bridle (no flash) and is ridiculously on the forehand and so heavy in my hands. I try to constantly change things so, lots of circles, serpentines, transitions, give and take etc. and it does generally help but the first 10 minutes of every session seems such a fight. I also feel like I’m ‘holding’ him too much, if I dropped the contact to make him hold himself he would just tank off (before I got him he had just purely hunted so he thinks everything should be fast!) the only time he is light, listens, and works from behind is when he is jumping (strangely). Hacking he is absolutely fine, this is purely just when I am schooling he just thinks he can go flat out and ignore everything I am trying to teach him. He is also worse on the right rein, he is so tense waiting to tank off so trots round with his head to the outside and bum to the inside. He is starting to learn to bend around my leg but when I got him any leg aids to him just meant go faster, so I have had to start from scratch. Just before winter we did really start to see results and was having more lessons but I just seem to have taken a huge set back. Please tell me I’m not alone ….. what else can I try? Please no nasty comments either, I am trying my best 😊 (saddle/back/teeth etc. are all up to date and he receives regular physio to keep on top of any niggles) Thank you
 

SpringArising

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I feel you. I had one like this and I didn't enjoy riding him at all. Everything was a huge effort and my body physically ached from it all!

What about lunging him for 15 minutes over poles/raised poles to get him focusing on the work rather than being wizzy and anxious to start with?
 

Hodgson94

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I feel you. I had one like this and I didn't enjoy riding him at all. Everything was a huge effort and my body physically ached from it all!

What about lunging him for 15 minutes over poles/raised poles to get him focusing on the work rather than being wizzy and anxious to start with?
Thank you I might give this a go, he is a dream in everything else we do. Would you recommend lunging with a Pessoa or just with his tack on and through the bridle? Thank you
 

Hodgson94

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Why don't you send him off for some basic schooling to a professional? If he's only hunted then he probably hasn't a clue what all this fancy stuff is at all. He didn't come from Ireland by any chance did he?

Hello, thanks yes he did come from Ireland .... So just point and go...
I would love to send him for some schooling I just don’t have the money, everywhere around me is minimum of £150 a week, If I can save enough for a few weeks I’ll do it but I don’t think 1 week would massively help me 😢 thank you for replying
 

Pinkvboots

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Lots of transitions should help like 4 strides of walk 4 strides of trot and back to walk, then do trot to canter 4 strides of each, a bit of shoulder in sometimes helps to lighten the front end, one of mine can hang on the left rein, so I do half the long side in shoulder in then the other half in quarters in try in walk first then progress to trot, the lateral work will get him more supple so in turn should make him lighter in the hand, if his only hunted and only used to being ridden in straight lines his body is probably like riding a plank of wood, you need to get him bending through his body it takes time but does work.
 

Pearlsasinger

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I would introduce schooling on your hacks, walk/halt walk/trot, trot/halt transitions, 5/5/ transitions, practise accuracy by placing your transitions at lamp-posts etc. leg yield round puddles/potholes (!) etc, Then put 'furniture' in the arena when you take him in there, so poles, cones, any other markers you can think of, that will help him to understand why he should do the movement that you are asking for.
 

Palindrome

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Walk pirouettes (or half pirouettes) then progress to trot once he has got the idea. I used to ride a draft cross and this would help him get off the forehand. Haunches out/shoulder in on the circle also help.
 

Carrottom

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I find it useful to put a few wing stands in the school to ride circles or squares around. It makes it a bit more interesting and stop me just riding circles at A, C & B. A few single poles can help too.
 

Hodgson94

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Lots of transitions should help like 4 strides of walk 4 strides of trot and back to walk, then do trot to canter 4 strides of each, a bit of shoulder in sometimes helps to lighten the front end, one of mine can hang on the left rein, so I do half the long side in shoulder in then the other half in quarters in try in walk first then progress to trot, the lateral work will get him more supple so in turn should make him lighter in the hand, if his only hunted and only used to being ridden in straight lines his body is probably like riding a plank of wood, you need to get him bending through his body it takes time but does work.
Thank you
 

Hodgson94

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I would introduce schooling on your hacks, walk/halt walk/trot, trot/halt transitions, 5/5/ transitions, practise accuracy by placing your transitions at lamp-posts etc. leg yield round puddles/potholes (!) etc, Then put 'furniture' in the arena when you take him in there, so poles, cones, any other markers you can think of, that will help him to understand why he should do the movement that you are asking for.
Thank you x
 

Hodgson94

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If he works well jumping put some small jumps up in the arena and incorporate them into your schooling - just take the long route between them.
Circle, jump, serpentine, jump, leg yield, jump, etc, etc.
I think he’ll enjoy that and it will get him thinking thank you x
 
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