How to get my horse working more 'up hill'?

[biggingerpony]

Hi all,

Thanks for looking - I've had my lovely ex racehorse for about 10 months, he is 5 and was very very green in the school when I first got him. Over the last few months I've been working him in the school and out on hacks so that he builds up some top line and accepts a contact. This has all been really slow and I haven't rushed him at any stage.

We're now in a position where he's moving lovely and soft consistently and really pushing from behind. However he LOVES working long and low and a lot of the time I feel he is too 'downhill' and should be more 'uphill'.

My instructor suggests that ensuring my hands are high rather than sitting on his withers will help (an old naughty habit of mine!) does anybody else have any other tips or exercises I could do with him?

 

[kc100]

You shouldnt be expecting a young, novice horse to come 'up' into a more uphill frame at this stage in his training, the main priority is getting him forward and relaxed into a contact and the neck shouldnt be a major concern, just allow him to be where he is comfortable working.

Too many riders want the advanced uphill frame too soon, yes it looks lovely but a young horse, especially one that is not a purpose bred dressage horse, isnt going to be able to carry himself in that way at such a young age. I love this diagram and always post this:
http://pre04.deviantart.net/49d7/th...sage_in_drawings_by_arabian_alice-d67mvyx.jpg

At this stage in your horse's development, 1 and 2 would be perfect and you shouldnt be pushing for more than that as you have only been working him for 10 months. It sounds like what you have been doing is perfect - lots of hacking to build fitness and muscle, so carry on doing that!

If you are doing lots of long and low in the school (which is also great) I'd just try and introduce short periods of more contact - dont call it 'uphill' as you are not going to get that from a 5 year old ex racer who's only been in work 10 months; but what you are aiming for is something akin to picture 3 on that diagram in the link above. Carl H always talks about varying the position of the neck throughout your schooling session, he advises 10 mins long and low, 10 mins with more of a contact, then 10 mins back in long and low etc. In your case 10 mins with more of a contact may be too much, so aim just for a couple of minutes at first and build up slowly.

Your instructor is right, it is your hands being higher up instead of down on his withers that will help lift him - so in long and low you want a slightly longer rein, low hands that are slightly out wide, whereas to get more 'up' your hands need to be higher, slightly shorter rein and still hands. Allow lots of breaks from this frame so he doesnt tire of it and try and fight it, you want to introduce this way of working very slowly.

If he is truly working from behind he should be coming 'up' in front so you need to be careful that you are always working from behind and not just speeding up and falling onto the forehand, which will be preventing you from getting more of a contact. I'd also take a good look at him conformation wise; if he is built downhill you are never going to have an uphill frame so you need to take a good look at what you are working with - dont expect something from a horse that isnt built to give you that.

Dont ever lose your relaxation and soft neck, those are your basics and if you lose them for the sake of becoming more 'up' you will create tension and resistance. Try the short periods with your hands higher and asking for more contact through your leg, as soon as get a consistent bit of work in a soft relaxed fashion, reward him and go long and low again. He needs to associate working with more of a contact with getting a reward at the end, so dont be tempted to push it and keep working in that frame, ensure its short periods with a reward of long and low.

It is more of a time, strength and patience thing to achieve the contact you are looking for - rather than there being any specific exercises to achieve it. If the horse is truly working from behind and has the muscle & strength to carry himself then he should come 'up. Try short periods of it and see what you get, if he is really struggling and becoming tense then go back to basics, carry on working on the fitness and try again in a couple of months time.