Help with Outlines!

Piaffe63

Piaffe63

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My five year old loan pony is wonderful in every way and is so beautiful, but he refuses point blanc to go into an outline! He used to do it naturally, but has been used alot in a riding school, so has been allowed to get away with not carrying himself. I have tried so hard to get him to do it again, but he just sticks his head in the air and runs through the contact!! Any ideas?? :confused:
 
'get him going forward from your leg better, it will come eventually'
well persephone and andreaB ( I may be wrong) but you have abviously never worked with a tb, if I got my mare going forward any more off my leg we would go up a pace and up would go the head.... More leg = giraffe neddy. What I found the best was using a bungee for lungeing once/twice a week for a while to help build up the correct muscles, then in walk and hacking bring your hands a little lower and establish the contact so they get the feel of contact with a rider and then bring hands up to the correct position and just keep trying. It is possible that your lad has just built up the wrong muscles (ones on underside or neck) and needs to re establish the top side/topline muscles. Be patient, ride quietly and dont nag on at their mouth (not saying you do btw) just be quiet be persistend and dont take any bs
 
I would look up the scales of training and go from there. I am not the best person to be teaching this as I am only learning it myself but basically you have:
1. rhythm or tempo
2. suppleness
3. contact
4. impulsion
5. straightness
6. collection
You need to work on these six things in order and when you get (1) really good go on to (2) and then (3) will be much easier. If you try to get contact without rhythm and suppleness it won't really work. What will happen is you will be pulling your horse's head down into a false outline rather than really working through from behind. There is lots of really good information online or get a good instructor to help you.
I would do lots of transitions to get your horse using his hind end properly including transitions within the pace and use circles to engage his inside hind and get him bending around your inside leg (for (2) suppleness when you have the tempo). If he is hollowing you can use your core muscles to push his neck forwards and down - your instructor will no doubt have a much better explanation of this than I do! Good luck!
 
unbalanced said:
I would look up the scales of training and go from there. I am not the best person to be teaching this as I am only learning it myself but basically you have:
1. rhythm or tempo
2. suppleness
3. contact
4. impulsion
5. straightness
6. collection
You need to work on these six things in order and when you get (1) really good go on to (2) and then (3) will be much easier. If you try to get contact without rhythm and suppleness it won't really work. What will happen is you will be pulling your horse's head down into a false outline rather than really working through from behind. There is lots of really good information online or get a good instructor to help you.
I would do lots of transitions to get your horse using his hind end properly including transitions within the pace and use circles to engage his inside hind and get him bending around your inside leg (for (2) suppleness when you have the tempo). If he is hollowing you can use your core muscles to push his neck forwards and down - your instructor will no doubt have a much better explanation of this than I do! Good luck!
Click to expand...

Nicely put :) I would also just add on to make sure back/teeth/saddle has been checked recently.

Definately find out how to engage your core to push the pony out in front of you. Until you can engage your ponys core, the hands and what they are doing is insignificant (just try to keep a consistent and quiet contact).

Trina x
 
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