Incorrect Bend - Advice please!

[Honeybee1]

Advice / schooling exercises please!

I have an ongoing schooling issue with my mare, she keeps having incorrect bend when on the right rein, this varies from hardly noticable to completely wrong bend. Straight lines great, circles awful! I have regular lessons and know that getting her to bend around my leg, lateral work etc will help this problem but it is actually trying to get her to move/bend away from my leg that is the problem! She is very forward going and has a lovely rythmn and happy to take a contact but when you ask her to do any lateral work or move around the leg say for example on a serpentine she will lean into the leg rather than move away or bend around it. She is not strong and does not lean on the reins but when she wont bend around the leg she does become v resistant on that rein. Any advice or useful exercises that I can try between lessons would be v much appreicated! Thanks

 

[kerilli]

i'd have her back and neck checked by a mctimoney chiro or similar, consistent bend to one side sounds like a physical problem to me. i'd check saddle and also that you aren't sitting to one side
i'd do lots of work in walk, getting her really soft and through with true bend on both reins, with no pressure. With no danger of loss of balance in walk, you can correct immediately and gently.

 

[BID]

My boy did this and had a problem with his pelvis. Chiro soon sorted out the problem and he is getting better as the muscles get stronger.