Long Reining help....

[Riverboy]

Hello everyone - happy Friday - its nearly the weekend!!!

I need a bit of help - I'm relatively new to this long lining lark and Luca and I have hit a bit of a snag... He's getting a little nappy (we do loops around the farm and he thinks he knows where he's going) - this in itself is not so much of a problem, I can normally get him going forwards, if a little zig zaggy. However... this morning things got pretty bad, and it was a combination of factors - meeting another horse (also being long lined for back rehabilitation lol) coming out of the dark, then trying to nap, me sending him forwards (tickling with a long schooling whip) which caused him to shoot backwards...

Now the problem occured - he can kick out at the long lines or whip if I use them (very gently) to encourage him forwards, so i was stood slightly to one side for safety, as he shot backwards the lunge line went round him behind and tightened.... this of course caused tension on his mouth, so he shoot back even more violently and eventually started rearing.

After trying to send him forwards again and him getting quite upset I made both he and I stand and take a deep breath and then quietly encouraged him forwards again, this was fine, we had another little incident where the same thing happened a little later when we crossed paths with the other horse again, but much less violent this time...

My question is this - how do I encourage him to go forwards. He is only young and not had a lot done with him (was broken in for 2 months before hurting himself in field and has only been long reining for 2.5 weeks), he is a very sensitive soul and wants to please but when he doesn't understand/gets told off/is scared he throws all his toys out of the pram. He doesn't like too much pressure anywhere (mental or physical) so we have always taken things slowly slowly with him. I need ideas to ensure he moves forwards to prevent the 'pressure on mouth/shoot backwards/more pressure/rear' scenario as at 17hh its not fun to be on the ground around this...

I am going to take him back a few steps tomorrow and get a helper to walk with him to restore his confidence, and do smaller loops of the tracks to get him feeling more comfortable but want to be able to do the best by him and not long reining is not an option - we have to go out 6 times a week for a hour a day this week and 1.5hrs a day next week as part of his programme given by the vet...

Wow - an essay sorry guys just you are always so full of good advice... A nice Friday glass of vino and box of chocies for all...
x

 

[ldlp111]

how is he for lunging? does he respond well to voice aids?

 

[ldlp111]

sorry just read all post and im guessing due to injury lunging is out of the question?

do you have another horse you could ride and lead from? or i guess as you suggested getting someone to help when he is reluctant to go forward

(i am not an expert so im sure someone more experienced will be able to help)

 

[Riverboy]

Hi thanks - no he's not allowed to be lunged and he responds well to the voice commands apart from in 'toys out of pram' moments like this morning.

I've only ever long lined in a school, generally lunging with two lines, rather than like this so am trying to think of a way to get him to go forwards when this behaviour starts. I'm pretty sure I'm not helping the situation... back to basics we go again...

x

 

[millitiger]

where do you run your lines to keep them up?

if they are fairly low it can be a nightmare for napping horses as you can't open the rein sideways very well.

make sure you aren't directly behind him and apart from that very similar to when you are riding- most will go if you keep them still for long enough; the last thing you want to do is flap around like a chicken and get all tangled up!

if you can sit it out and just try to keep him pointed in the right direction he will most likely get very bored and carry on his way.

 

[AengusOg]

"He doesn't like too much pressure anywhere (mental or physical) so we have always taken things slowly slowly with him. I need ideas to ensure he moves forwards to prevent the 'pressure on mouth/shoot backwards/more pressure/rear' scenario..........."

Herein lies your problem.

The most important thing is for you to stop holding/pulling the reins when he gets away from you, as that is what will make him panic and, because the bit is being pulled tighter into his mouth as he backs away from you, he will rear. That's what horses do when they feel held tightly.

If he does shoot backwards, the first thing you must do is give the reins, so that the bit is not likely to hurt his mouth. By doing that, you will encourage him to stop. As soon as he does stop, you must praise him as you move in toward him and, having set him up to move on again, ask him to walk on in the original direction, even if that means turning him before you start away again.

It may be that you are keeping too much of a contact on his mouth when he's going forward, and that is why he's faltering and reversing. If that's the case, and you are asking him with the whip at the same time, he has nowhere else to go but backward, as that is an evasion which gets him out of the situation he's in.

It is possible to train him out of this by working him on two lines, in the school for a while, till he learns to go forward freely without fear or restistance.

I always start a young horse on a lunge cavesson for their first longreining sessions. That way I can teach him to yield to the feel of the reins without putting pressure on his mouth. At the same time, I have the reins running through low rings on the roller so that I can teach him how to cope with the touch of the outside rein as I teach him to turn. This is important as this is the means by which I will teach him to go straight........by using the outside rein to dissuade him from turning, and by using the low outside rein round his quarters to prevent them from swinging out, and to encourage him forwards.

You should be able to use the reins to ask him to come round under some control, by asking with the inside rein, and controlling the speed and amount of turn with the outside. Should he try to spin, you can use the outside rein to stop him, firmly without pulling, and with the rein round his outside quarter, so that he has to work out for himself how to avoid the pressure of the outside rein and learns to come back, and to turn at the speed and to the degree which you require.

Once he's learned to turn, and to take the check on the outside rein, you can then use that to help him if he backs up, by completely turning him round, if necessary, or straightening him out, before starting him off again. He'll soon learn that it's easier to go forward than to not.

Remember to watch your contact as he goes............you really want him to be able to feel both of your hands lightly at all times.

Once he has learned this in the cavesson, you can restart him on the bit.

 

[Riverboy]

millitiger - thank you thats what I ended up doing - I realised I was making the situation worse and confusing him, so I stood very quietly and then praised him a lot when he moved on - I just didnt let him turn around.

I run the long lines through the rings on the side of the roller - so they run along his flank - would it be better if I positioned then elsewhere?

T x

 

[Riverboy]

AengusOg - thank you SO much - I didn't know you could long rein from a caveson - I would feel much happier doing that to take it back a step... You are exactly right - the more I think about it the more I know I was causing the situation (I was also running a little late for work and have repremanded myself for not responding properly) once I totally gave with the reins he did relax... I feel everso quilty.

Those tips will really help thank you - I will practice in the school when its quiet so that he learns he can trust me again. Thank you all again - always such good advice here!

X

 

[sarahHugo]

Just to also say thanks AengusOg

I have been also been having the 'backwards' issue so I reverted to my dually. The above makes perfect sense - as it's worked

Very useful.. Thanks

 

[maggiesmum]

I used to have a similar problem with my TB, Harry is quite sharp and sensitive and has a tendancy to overreact in a big way especially if too much pressure is put on him, he's fine until he isn't, he gets himself in a flap and then he just can't calm down. Quite by chance one day I tried out a harbridge, not to dictate his head position in any way but to stop him throwing his head and trying to rear when he was 'freaking out', it was just a try out to see what happened as I'd tried so many different ways of dealing with it - ignoring it etc etc
When he had his mad moment he threw his head up and hit the harbridge and it was similar reaction to slapping a hysterical person in the face, he just stopped dead then carried on trotting around as though nothing had happened! He did try again later on and the same thing happened, for now he wears it to long rein and ride in as it just seems to bring him back down to earth.
This was all done in the school though.

 

[millitiger]

yes, i actually long rein from a headcollar to start and then progress to 2 clips on each long line- 1 on the headcollar ring, 1 on the bit so you can never pulll their mouth.

i run my long lines through the neck strap and then through a flash strap done up across the front of the roller.

i find if the lines are too low (more where your legs go if you were riding) it can make the horse feel very trapped by the pressure.