Ideas on getting a horse softer over its back......

[charlie76]

I have just started competing my mare in aff dressage. When i took her to her first comp we won the first prelim on 68.7% but were way out of the placings in the 2nd test as she became tense over her back. She has a tendancy to do this at home and I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to help with this. If I try to get her to work in a long low frame she tends to 'snatch' the contact down rather than becoming softer. She then still snatches when I pick her back up again which becomes a little annoying.

Any ideas I would love to get her going at Novice.

 

[Oldred]

My view would be that if the horse tends to become tighter in the back as work progresses, there may be a discomfort problem. The obvious saddle check is required, back health check and all the other factors involved (type of schooling work done, surface riding on, ability/suppleness of rider, any pain elsewhere in the horse's body particularly hocks etc).

I interpret tight in the back to mean hollowing to some degree, i.e. the long back muscles are not 'up' producing a rounded, toned and springy feel but have become flat and held or even retracting away from the saddle/rider. Horses do this for a reason like we would shrink away from someone giving us a poke with a bony finger into the small of the back and the cause has to be found before progress can be made. This is why I believe using gadgets to force the head down is often a big mistake.

Assuming all the above has been looked at, the developing exercises for the whole postural muscle system of the horse, which includes his back, would be transitions, bending correctly through the ribcage side to side, i.e. bends, circles, a few slow, gentle steps backwards then upwards into a transition, shoulder fore, shoulder in, on and back in the trot and canter.

Finally, spending a few sessions on the horse concentrating on your 'feel' up through your seat, maybe just in walk, can pay dividends because the answers of why a horse is doing x or y is revealled to us if we just listen instead of trying to 'do things' to our horses all the time. (That's what I found out anyway!)

 

[dianchi]

My wonderfull lovely (ratbag) mare does this.

I have found that doing lots of work (hours and hours im sure) at home long and low can help develop the muscles and this then helps with the tension. Do lots of work at home to dare her to go hollow so that if it does happen at a show you can get it back together and all is not lost!

However do have your mares back checked as well as your saddle, as there is no point in trying to work a problem out if you havent dealt with the cause first!

Not Chestnut by chance is she?

 

[charlie76]

Thanks for the replies.She doesn't hollow at all- more. She stays round in her outline but loses 'swing' across her back which then deactivates her hind leg. If anything she drops behind the verticle

Sorry- should have made this clearer!

 

[dianchi]

Have you tried doing lunging over poles? Preferable raised poles, cos of the effort she has to have to pick up her feet she cant remain tense then and has to use herself.

Also schooling exercises where she has to step under will help. Leg yield in circles and riding squares are always good ones. Working on from there to shoulder in and walk pirouttes may help too!