How do you get your horses thinking forward?

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TheShark

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So, what do you do? Sometimes I worry my legs aren't powerful enough to keep the horse going forward properly and consistently and to generate a feel.

What techniques do you uses to achieve forwardness and power?
 
I use lots of transitions within the pace as well as walk/canter..halt/trot. Keep him thinking about what's next & keep up the praise when he tries his best. If he offers more than you asked for go with it, he's tried. Don't over tire him as he will lose his impulsion & that's not what you want.
 
The horse needs to be encouraged to think forward and carry itself not be letting you do all the work with your legs, strength doesn't really come into it, it's more technique.
It depends on the horse as to what I would do but there are plenty of things to try, start by warming up on a long rein, in walk then trot, encourage the horse to stretch its topline and swing along with little restriction from the rider, once working freely like this you should be able to build up the energy and desire to go forward.

Once warm and moving in front of the leg, do plenty of transitions as you pick them up, make sure they remain forward, in both upward and downward transitions, the more advanced the horse the more varied they can be and will generate energy from behind. If they are not in front of your leg in the transitions back it up with a flick from a schooling whip.

I feel it is important to let the horse know when it is doing well, praise when it listens and it will become more willing to go for you, vary the work, keep things interesting, pole work is useful to encourage them to really have fun and carry the rider.

There are loads more things you can do but I would have to write all afternoon and still only get part way through.
 
Forwardness lots of hacking with a friend in front and then beside them then the young horse just in front for a little then friend takes over again forwardness is IMO a mental attitude we develop in the horse.
Never block the horse with your body or hand unless you plan to make sure from the start you reward good forward reaction.
I have a forty minute hack that we do a lot ,when a young one will hack round it on a loose rein without me ever having to ask it to go forward I know they have achieved that milestone .
Impulsion the development of pushing or carrying power depends on the correct progression of the training using transitions and lateral work to develop the strength needed ( hill work out hacking is also good )and the gradual refinement of the horses understanding and reaction to the aids as training progresses.
 
I tend to do activities that will wake them up, such as hacking with lively, forwards company, hunting, fun rides, big group hacks etc. And also focus on activities they as individuals enjoy, whether that's canter work, jumping, even gymkhana games. I'd use transitions for something slightly behind the leg. But for a true dawdler I wouldn't, no point doing an awful transistion, which is what you get from an awful pace.
 
Both of my horses are naturally 100% forward, but when schooling a horse that has a tendency to drop behind the leg, I find that the most important thing is to be 100% consistent.

From the word go, the horse must be off your leg. No nagging to keep him moving forwards. If the horse drops behind your leg he must be corrected immediately, every time without fail. I also find it helpful to ride with energy - it's no good telling the horse to move forward if you're dawdling off on another planet ;).

Also bear in mind that the horse lives in the present - any reaction you make to its behaviour must be done within about a second, or the horse won't associate your reaction with its behaviour.
 
I would agree with the hacking solution with some energetic friends to make it interesting for the horse. I used to take mine out and use lots of changes of pace, ride in different types of terrain, i.e. through woods, up and down short hills, narrow paths, open spaces (ha, I have to say I lived in an area with excellent hacking) - anything to keep the horse thinking and enjoying the experience of being ridden.
 
What works for mine is to work her forwards right from the beginning. Once I let her slip into "dumdedum" ambling mode it is harder to get her working forward. I also canter relatively early in a session to wake her up.

If all else fails, I've recently discovered that unexpected fireworks can generate some serious forward momentum :D
 
Transitions...

My mare was a bit "dead to the leg" Got an RI and after 1 lesson she was a different Horse. We worked on using my seat to slow her and speed up. No nagging of the legs, if she didn't go within 2 asks of my leg, she was tapped with the schooling whip. By the end of the lesson, I would only have to slightly squeeze and she'd be off.

Just remember not to block with your hands, when they do go forwards though :)

We did lots of trotting, fast down the long side, using my seat and hips. Then on the short side, slowing my rising and closing my hips. Same in walk etc :) then move on to direct (halt-trot, walk-canter)
 
The old answer to that question used to be "Take them hunting"

It does the job but also gets them thinking for themselves over all kinds of territory, many horses only work on 'flat' surfaces - roads, or in schools, a lot of them have no idea at all what to do with their legs when they meet deep going, or uneven ground, or bushes.

How do I get mine thinking forwards? I can't hunt, so I take them out in the woods, turn off the track and bushwhack, makes them take responsibility for what their legs are doing and every single one of them has ears pricked and are happy. Make life more interesting, if I was pootling around a school, or the same boring block all the time I'd be on autopilot too.
 
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