Husband or Instructor - who's right?

Orthe's Daystars

Orthe's Daystars

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Would like your opinions - will try not to waffle!

Have excellent instructor who feels that once a young horse has been carefully backed & ridden away and is strong enough, mentally & physically, it should be ridden in a light but consistent outline, with plenty of "stretch breaks" whatever work it is doing. She believes it helps them gain correct muscle development & mentally relax because there are only one set of rules to learn:)

Have husband who has ridden all his life & competed successfully at RC level.
He now bombs around on his feisty Arab/NF in a Dr Cook bitless bridle on the buckle end:eek::eek: & says that I should ride my new Irish coblet on a loose rein when hacking & only ask for "correct outine" when schooling.:p:p

Who is right?????
 
The question is what do you want your horse for?

If you want to compete regularly or bring your horse on to sell then your instructor is right.
If you want to have fun with your horse your husband is right :D.
If you want to keep the peace, do what you want unless one of them is watching :p
 
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I ride mostly in an outline, with stretch breaks- even when hacking.

But some days when the weather is lovely or I just can't be bothered we just pootle along at buckle end, and I only shorten my reins to go for a blast :D

Its nice to have the odd totally relaxing hack.
 
Jenni_ said:
I ride mostly in an outline, with stretch breaks- even when hacking.

But some days when the weather is lovely or I just can't be bothered we just pootle along at buckle end, and I only shorten my reins to go for a blast :D

Its nice to have the odd totally relaxing hack.
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This! My lad is a bit 'school sour' so most of our training is done on hacks.
 
Hehe sorry Orthe's Daystars - read the title and without reading the thread thought ' Husband' - has to be, for a quiet life!

But seriously I think your instructor's approach is probably the more correct one - they do say that if you let young horses slop along on the buckle they are more likely to trip. But agree, probably be discreet when hubby is around! Good luck
 
Depends, my two friends who ride at top level dressage, hack out with their horses on the buckle, only picking them up into a contact for trotting work, same with one of their youngsters, so it obviously doesn't do them any harm if you are working him correctly in the school :)
 
The most important thing is to get the horse working from behind, so concentrate on that not what the neck is doing.

Therefore, I think your husband may be onto something. I suspect he wants the horse to find true self carriage and take a degree of responsibility, rather than just look pretty. Question him some more, my guess is without having analysed it, he looks for a forward going active pace with the horse stretching its neck and learning to think for itself, rather than looking for a 'false outline' with a 'pretty' (horrid) neck!
 
I do all my schooling on hacks so unless I'm having a fun hack with friends or on my own I ask for an outline and give plenty of stretch breaks. It works well.

Do both, when on your own school hack , when with oh have fun. It won't hurt horse and horse needs to be flexible.
 
I go with your husbands opinion.....there is no need for contact and an 'outline' when both are riding for pleasure aka hacking etc....
 
I don't think either would be particularly harmful :) I like that your instructor has included the phrase about when the house is mentally and physically fit enough, I think it's a common mistake to expect too much too soon. I think horses benefit from time out to just chill out or have fun, even when they are mentally and physically capable and older. I can also see the point about one rule being easier for a young horse to understand and it would avoid a lot of arguments when they go through the stroppy teenage stage. In truth, I think they both have their merits and I would be drawing from both as and when I saw fit. It would probably result in me schooling in an outline for the majority of things, but if I felt my horse was going a bit sour or bored I would do something completely different and fun. I also think you need to remember that mature enough and fit enough won't be a switch that will trip and stay tripped. There's a good number of years to mature ahead of your horse, horrible winters where you don't get to ride as much so he will lose fitness, and god forbid potential for injury and recovery times. Listen to your horse first and everyone else second :)
 
Well well well, sounds familair! My husband is one of the best horseman I know. However, his skill set has always been on racehorses and starting youngsters. He gives them loads of confidence and rides very loose and likes to bomb around as you say. We have differences of opinions on the finer points shall we say. Like his loose leg drives me batty. But at the same time he ain't getting out of that tack love nor money. He hunts occassionally too. If I video'd him people would be horrible. Yet he's always relaxed and horses go well for him.

With youngsters you have to realise the more you concentrate on the perfect outline the more things can go sour. I have struggled over the years on what is right. Always outline or not? What is beneficial? So really I try to keep a light contact and work with their natural headset. As they get stronger they get better at carrying themselves. Also days out of the arena doing nice easy things is best for youngsters.

Terri
 
Thanks for lots of replies - please keep them coming:D

Should explain husband has no intention of ever engaging from behind:D:D Lol I did NOT mean that to come out as it did!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now rolling around in purile childish giggles:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Pull yourself together girl! What I meant to say was that husband's little horse happily skips around on the forehand including over some pretty rough New Forest going
 
I wrote a long reply and it seems to have disappeared but basically I'm with canteron, impulsion comes from behind, created by the riders legs and seat.
 
Al tries to ensure that Reg and Smokes hack out working correctly for most of the their hacks. It has the effect that the horses can build up muscle correctly, and it also means they know what's expected of them when they're ridden because it offers consistency. They always have a loose rein coming home and plenty of stretching moments whenever they ask for them, and when they're doing fast work obviously they don't work in the same way.

I don't think it leaves them sour- Reg has been under this 'regime' for 3.5 years now and still loves his work. He sees you bringing tack and whickers and prick his ears. He would load himself to go to shows. And the more disciplined Al has been with herself and him out hacking, the better he's gone at events and his suppleness and musculature have improved considerably.
 
I would say neither loose rein all the time isnt good young lad won't be learnibg anything and you may not have control u need. But consistent outline with breaks is still a lot for a young horse. My lad is ridden with a contact but not necesssarily neck arched I have a good feel on his mouth without pulling and maintain control. he is ocassionally asked for slightly more when schooling but depending on age of youngster teaching basics and having control is key I would say. I would be a little worried about giving horse totally loose rein as others have said easy to trip and also u never know when they may need supporting. You have to do what's right for horse but it seems instructor wants all the time and hubby wants none of the time all or nothing not good. Somewhere in the middle and making horse responsive and secure main things. So neither there u go don't have to choose - simples
 
Sorry phone posted too quickly it's not about how horse is looking it's how it's working horses can look like their working and seem to look pretty but working from behind and working correctly is key not about choosing to do either everything or nothing.
 
I'm a buckle end hacker unless he is being welsh :p.

He has competed up to BD elem and is now 20 so its all pretty well established if I want it but hacking is my time out and he seems fine with that ;)
 
i'm no expert, I expect thay they are both right...

personally i would go with your husband (on the buckle doesn't necessarily mean to slop along) as i know my horse would go on strike if she had to be worked on the bit all the time. i think of a hack as chill time/fun as well as fitness building.:)
 
I think hacking on the buckle does a lot for the horse's topline, strength and self-carriage; together with jumping and galloping.
 
I'm sorry, I really thought it was given knowledge that seat and leg are what you use for the hind end. And that by working properly that's what is meant. Hence forth they need the work to strength
 
Geez I hate pre post sendings!

Anyway the outline comes from all parts working together. Takes time and paitience. Worry about head and neck only and you're missing education.

Terri
 
When I ride my horse with a contact, whether in the school or not, I expect him to work into an outline. For me, that's just training the horse so that correct work becomes the default. The more the horse works correctly, the more it will build the correct muscles so that it becomes easy to do.

Working properly shouldn't be difficult for a horse, but it is more likely to be so if the horse hacks out on no contact all the time and is then expected to work into an outline in the school.

That's not to say I don't ever let a horse walk on a loose rein, or go for a gallop - but generally I like to teach a horse that when I pick up a contact, that means they should soften and work correctly.
 
E_I- yes! When the OP said 'outline' I thought it was taken the 'outline' comes from the whole horse working correctly, not just a pretty neck position. In which case it's the best way for the horse to go for helping them develop correctly. I thought, at least.

Going correctly isn't a stressful or unenjoyable thing to do if you/ your horse have been taught correctly. It shouldn't ever be a fight or cause discomfort.
 
Thank you xspirex for putting into words EXACTLY what I mean. Should also say new coblet is 8, not a baby & at some time has been very well schooled. Also, we don't have an arena, just a large field for summer (what summer) and the rest of the time its "schooling" hacks. Instructor competes very successfully despite the lack of facilitites. Lessons are all about working from behind, lateral work & building right muscles which should help him to jump even better than he does now!
 
see whereas I don't think mine goes particularly incorrectly while on a loose rein just a bit more stretchy and in front of the vertical which is probably good for him.
 
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