Lightening the front end

[Irishcobs]

How do I get this great lump off of his forehand?

As you can see he is build like a brick s**t house and his breeding means he is downhill for pulling.
With my other cob, I just push her on with my legs so her quarters come under her and her front end lightens, sometimes giving her a flick with the stick to remind her. I do the same with the TB and BSH at work. But Gyp is so sensitive to any leg movement, that if I were to use my legs to push his quarters under him I'll be over the other side of the field in a flash and if I used the stick I'd been in the next county.
My instructor is trying to get him to do it him self but being so downhill and not being taught it at a young age (he is 8) he is happy to drag his self along. She is wanting to put him in running reins but I am refusing as I can't see how they would help and he doesn't like his head held.
I do lunge in him a pessoa so I'm hoping with time this will help him, but what can I do on him?

 

[only_me]

lots of hill work so he will lift up his front end and have to use his back legs??

 

[Irishcobs]

We do do a lot of hill work he just tends to pull his self up with his front end. He will use his quarters if I hold the front end but he then explodes.

 

[Bossanova]

He's not built downhill by the looks of this photo, he stands over himself a little but I like how he's put together.

How's the rein-back? Can be a really helpful exercise to rein back a few steps, walk on a few steps, rein back a few steps and so on. Dont do it if he isnt happy with it as it's also the fastest way to teach them naughty tricks!

Another good exercise is to ride a square in walk with 1/4 pirouettes on each corner. To start they dont need to be crossing over but make a sharp turn with a slight shoulder fore positioning. Once he's happy with this, lots and lots of right angled turns in serpentines are good, they give the horse a sense of stepping around and onto the inside hindleg.
Imho pessoa wont help as I think it tends to push them down, even if it does bring the hindlegs unde r(which I remain unconvinced about)

 

[only_me]

you could try lunging him on a hill? or long reining up and down the hill...

 

[Irishcobs]

Rein back is dodgy. He'll do a couple of steps then starts to get panicky. But we are getting there slowly.
Not heard about the square thing, I will give it a go tomorrow.
Thanks Boss.

 

[Irishcobs]

Lol our field is on a hill. So he lunges and longreins on a hill all the time. Though we have just changed to the winter field which has a nice steep hill in the middle which he can have a longrein up and down.
Thanks

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

Loads of transitions, leg yielding & shoulder fore, this will get him to bring his hocks underneath himself & work properly from behind. When he engages his rear end & works correctly you will notice a vast difference in him. This does not happen overnight though,it takes persistence but it's worth it.

 

[Irishcobs]

Great thanks. I'm sure its going to take him a long time to learn it but I have all winter.

 

[FREESTYLER]

Transitions, transitions, transitions!!! I have been working on these for AGES, but they are the thing to do, correctly done you will have him pinging off his rearend.... does take time though as he needs to build up muscles etc..... like everything......be patient, it will come!!