Horse contact issues

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Stephbatty

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Hello,
I have owned my horse for about 4 months now and have a contact issue in the dressage phase. Occasionally he will chatter his bit and come behind the vertical. When he does this the contact becomes very light, almost as if he "curls" up. Obviously any advice would be appropriated.

Thanks xx
 
Have you had his teeth checked?

What bit and bridle is he in ?

Are there any particular moments this happens - e.g. in transition, particular movements or paces?

Is he off your leg and moving forward when you ask?
 
He is ridden in a Jeffries Wembley pro flash bridle. I have ridden him in a happy mouth full check, neue schule full cheek and a eggbutt with French link. The bit at the minute he is going well in is hanging cheek with French link.

I haven't really found out when he does it. But he is forward going and off the leg.
 
is he forward going enough though? i have one that i had always assumes was an active, moving horse but it was only with a new dressage instructor that i realised he wasn't powering through with his hind enough into the contact. I used to always get 'btv' on my tests until we really started working on it. also would you be lightening too much when he goes light, and he's accidentally getting rewarded for it?
 
He is active but probably doesn't have a amazing hind leg action, not enough for pure dressage as he is a event horse only at be90 and be100.
What did your instructor do to improve that?

Thanks
 
You haven't given a lot of information in your OP but it sounds like you need to work in general on his connection to the bit, so that if he starts to curl up, you can encourage him to remain out and into the rein. Start with the bit he feels most confident in, whichever that is doesn't matter at this point, and then work on giving him a really stable contact - not fixed but consistent so that he can trust it.

You don't need an amazing action behind, nor does he need to be running forward as long as he's in front of your leg, but you do need to develop the connection from the hind leg through to your hand.
You might need to do some work on yourself to improve this - do you have an independent seat that allows you to keep your hands steady and soft? Or are you having to rely on them sightly for your own balance?

What is he like to the contact when he doesn't duck behind? e.g. are you able to ride him into a stretch where he stays forward to the contact (rather than just throwing the reins at him)? Does he follow your hand and seek the bit? Is he even in both hands, or does he lean on one or the other? Is he soft through his back or is he just working with his nose tucked in? All of these things would give you clues about what you need to work on to get the consistent contact.
 
Hi,
He doesn't seek the bit and sometimes is in a false outline, where is isn't working through his back to create this outline. He is even is the contact and doesn't lean on the bit. I have recent changed his bit into the hanging cheek with French link and he goes amazing in it. Probably the best he's gone ever. He only ducks behind the vertical when I use my leg aids in to push him into the contact if that makes sense, to incourage him to step through and work using his back.

Thanks X
 
with my lad it was months and months of doing stretchy trot in circles and figures of 8, into a very steady soft contact, but really making him power from his hind and get a proper trot. He always had what i thought was a powerful trot, but he hadn';t been using his hind end properly. Both of mine have a tendency to curl behind the vertical, due to my dodgy riding years ago, so it's a constant process for me of feeling what his relationship to the contact is, and really pushing him forward into the contact if i feel him suck behind. I had a solid year of 'btv' in tests, even when i felt it was a good test, it drove me mad. Got a new instructor and she broke down our riding and took me back a few steps until i took focus off what his head was doing and rode his hind end correctly.
 
Stephbatty said:
Hi,
He doesn't seek the bit and sometimes is in a false outline, where is isn't working through his back to create this outline. He is even is the contact and doesn't lean on the bit. I have recent changed his bit into the hanging cheek with French link and he goes amazing in it. Probably the best he's gone ever. He only ducks behind the vertical when I use my leg aids in to push him into the contact if that makes sense, to incourage him to step through and work using his back.

Thanks X
Click to expand...

If this is the case, then he is most definitely NOT working off your leg and therefore not on the bit. Correct direct transitions (trot - halt, walk - canter, etc.) and transitions within the pace work well. Swapping around bits won't fix this. Do you have a competant instructor?
 
My horse used to duck behind the vertical (now I have the opposite problem and he won't stop leaning, sigh) and my instructor used to have me push him forward and if he didn't respond to do an upward transition into the next pace - keep it for a few strides/half a circle and return back to original pace.

It worked wonders as the upward transition was pushing him forwards and the repeated transitions got him sitting back on his hocks. If you're in canter I would open up the canter on the long side for a few strides and then bring him back before you reach the short side.

As i said we now have the opposite problem that he won't stop leaning but I do pretty much the same now when he leans but with downward transitions. You could try that?
 
paddi22 said:
with my lad it was months and months of doing stretchy trot in circles and figures of 8, into a very steady soft contact, but really making him power from his hind and get a proper trot. He always had what i thought was a powerful trot, but he hadn';t been using his hind end properly. Both of mine have a tendency to curl behind the vertical, due to my dodgy riding years ago, so it's a constant process for me of feeling what his relationship to the contact is, and really pushing him forward into the contact if i feel him suck behind. I had a solid year of 'btv' in tests, even when i felt it was a good test, it drove me mad. Got a new instructor and she broke down our riding and took me back a few steps until i took focus off what his head was doing and rode his hind end correctly.
Click to expand...

Agree with this.... Try art2ride on YouTube
 
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