Long-reining my youngster (Pics!!)

PonyFeet10

PonyFeet10

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This is my 3YO colt being long-reined in the field yesterday, really I would like to know what you all think of him, how he is doing with growth etc as he is still very slim and narrow! Also on the long-reins he carries himself quite over bent a lot of the time, I'm just wondering if this will change as he fills out more? Or is there a way I'd be able to correct this? He's walking forwards (most of the time!) pretty well unless he has a 'moment' of trying it on lol. Also he's in a full cheek, straight bar, happy mouth snaffle..

Loads of pics, I can't choose which ones to post lol

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he is a nice chap. i would say he is over-bending because he lacks balance, therefore is on the forehand. if you could get him working from behind more im sure he would even out. try walking him out in-hand up and down hills, 10 mins to start with then increase as he gets fitter. nice honest boy i like him :-)
 
Honest opinion?

OMG stop. That is rolkur if ever I saw it. Go back to basics and what are you doing long-reigning like that????

What I mean is, start by lungeing properly and build up the main muscles. NOt even a gypsy would do that to a horse. Alright they might drive at two but i don't think you are a gypsy.

Personally, I wouldn't even have it in a lunge at that age. Walk and trot in hand is all I would do. I don;t normally start lungeing until a horse is broken but I know others do different things.
 
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Nice, apart from the overbending stuff, agree he could do with some hill work to get him to work from behind. Wish I could persuade my 3 yr old Exmoor to long rein. He just takes off, he's like a small tank. We've done some VERY spectacular mud skiing recently.
 
Thanks guys, it's flat where I live so there's no hills I can really walk him up to gain more muscle.

But yes I've been taking him out in hand around where he's kept. He just needs to be kept occupied as he gets very bored otherwise and sulks until I bring him in and do something with him!

Tallyho! - I don't understand what you mean by 'long-reining like that'.. Like what?! He's not being forced to bend his head in, I'd rather he didn't.. But it's how he carries himself naturally..

He's not being lunged around in circles, he's being long-reined around the field. He won't be lunged until he's at least 4 as I don't want to strain his joints.
 
tallyho! said:
Honest opinion?

OMG stop. That is rolkur if ever I saw it. Go back to basics and what are you doing long-reigning like that????

What I mean is, start by lungeing properly and build up the main muscles. NOt even a gypsy would do that to a horse. Alright they might drive at two but i don't think you are a gypsy.

Personally, I wouldn't even have it in a lunge at that age. Walk and trot in hand is all I would do. I don;t normally start lungeing until a horse is broken but I know others do different things.
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i understand what your saying but i think you are being a little harsh on the OP. I actually once tried out a horse that carried itself in this manner-you could let the reins drop and his nose would attach itself to the chin. Rolkur is when the rider/handler is using force to overbend the horse.

perhaps you could detach the lunge line from the roller to avoid pressure? just a suggestion
 
elsazzo said:
i understand what your saying but i think you are being a little harsh on the OP. I actually once tried out a horse that carried itself in this manner-you could let the reins drop and his nose would attach itself to the chin. Rolkur is when the rider/handler is using force to overbend the horse.

perhaps you could detach the lunge line from the roller to avoid pressure? just a suggestion
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Thank you elsazzo, should I take the roller off all together? He was only asked to walk out away from us so we could get the pictures of him, otherwise he's going in straight lines other than needing to turn a corner of the field.

He is rather strong and there are other horses in the field next to this which he was quite interested in, which is probably why a couple of the pictures looks like he's being forced around us when he's actually pulling towards them!

(The 6th picture down is him showing off as he had smelt a bit of female poop!)
 
ok cool :-) prehaps he hasnt accepted the bit and is fighting to avoid it. im assuming his toothy pegs have been looked at/checked? with full cheeks i like to use cheekers < i think thats what they are called? they attach to the bridle and hold the long cheek pieces of the bit in place. also with that type {native} their mouths seem to be very fleshy and thinner bits seem to be better for them if used correctly, this is because i think, fatter bits unable fleshy, fat tongued horses to swallow properly and in some it causes them to panic. what mouth piece is that bit? if you dont mind me asking? gawd im coming across as a know it all! lol im not i am still very much learning and that ^^^ is just what my horse has taught me :-D sorry for the bad grammar im very much pooped!
 
I think some of these replies are a bit nonsensical tbh.

He is short in the neck & overbending sure, but I don't think you are doing anything drastically wrong he's just overreacting rather, still he'll be very soft when you start riding. he looks like he may be a bit sore in the mouth, or he could just be showing off because he is entire.

To nip this in the bud in your place I would work him off a cavesson, with the lunge rein on the front. If he is going to be controllable, start long reining off the side loops on a cavesson rather than a bridle. I would dispense with the bit altogether till he is stronger & working in a longer frame, you need to get him to carry his head out in front of him, but at his age I would tend to do as little as possible at the moment.

He just needs to build more muscle so that he can carry himself in a longer frame, rather than arching his neck as an evasion which he currently thinks is rather clever.

If you need to keep his brain occupied I would move on to backing asap. He would benefit from learning steering and control with a rider on board, with voice commands, weight, legs & as little use of the bit as possible.
 
Not entirely sure whether it might be better to take it off. The best thing would be to ask a qualified instructor who knows the horse and he/she could advise you. Good luck-hes a lovely youngster
 
Just looks like a baby over-reacting to the contact as another poster said - you're obviously not forcing him into that shape. One thing to think about could be the bit. I'm not keen on happy mouths as I've seen a couple chewed by youngsters that have developed sharp edges / points on them. Also a straight bar has no 'play' in it - has he been mouthed in a breaking bit? Whilst cheeked bits are a good idea for steering it may be worth looking at bits with a little more movement as opposed to the straight bar such as a gentle snaffle with a losenge in the middle so he can mouth a bit more. It may encourage him to stretch forwards.
 
Have you had his teeth checked? They go through some major changes dentally between three and four so it might be some soreness in his mouth.

I'd personally use a cavesson for now and just do some gentle in hand work from the bit at a later date.

As he grows and matures I think he will be a very smart boy indeed.
 
He looks cute but very confused!

If he was mine;

Firstly I would put a headcollar under the bridle and clip the long reins to the sides of the headcollar instead of the bit as he doesn't look comfortable with his bit yet and perhaps needs a few weeks to get used to it in his mouth before a contact.
Also means you won't ruin his mouth when teaching him to turn etc as until he understands what you mean it will involve a bit more pressure than ideal.

I would take the inside line off the roller and have it straight to your hand instead.

The outside one can stay looped through the roller but bring it over his wither instead of round his quarters and stay on a largish circle to start with.

No trotting until he can walk nicely on the vertical or in front of it.

Also, although you aren't forcing him into that shape, imo there is too much pressure on the rein, particularly when he comes very overbend and I would try to think more of a very light, guiding hand for when he wobbles off course for now, rather than trying to get a proper contact.
 
lovely looking yougster who will make a great head turner i'm sure in the future
personally to your question i would leave him this summer to mature and start him in the winter(jan/feb 2012) as he as lots of changes to go through yet i know it is another 12 months but he would benefit more to fill his frame imo
 
Op you are long reining EXACTLY as Jennie Lorriston Clarke does with her youngsters that are being long reined for the first time and I think she does know whether its correct or not!!! As long as it is her that is carrying herself in this way with no pressure from the reins I wouldn't worry she is probably just finding a way to carry herself comfortably and will correct this herself within a few sessions.
 
Hi, he looks like a lovely boy who just needs to grow into himself, like most his age do at this time of year. It's hard to judge from a photo what a horse/pony is really like.
The only thing I would suggest would be to possible ditch the mullen mouth as some ponies object to the pressure they place on their tounge. Also they are not good for steering, as the bit slides through the mouth and it is difficult to use left and right reins independantly. He may be happier in a double jointed bit with a lozenge shaped central link. He appears to be doing what my little mare used to do in a mullen mouth/straight bar. I changed her into a double jointed wilke and attached the cheek pieces to the top loops to keep the bit still in her mouth and reins on as normal rather that onto the loops. She was very green and fussy with her mouth and it worked a treat!
 
binkymerlin said:
he is a nice chap. i would say he is over-bending because he lacks balance, therefore is on the forehand. if you could get him working from behind more im sure he would even out. try walking him out in-hand up and down hills, 10 mins to start with then increase as he gets fitter. nice honest boy i like him :-)
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I'm doing this with my pony but the trouble is he find the hills MUCH easier than I do! Hahaha

Think he looks great- he look extra lean because of the big strong neck that he's got- sure it will even out as he matures and stregthens to carry himself better x
 
Thanks everyone, you've all given me lots to think about!

He is due to have his teeth looked at so will get that done asap.

I thought that when I bought the full cheek mullen mouth and it arrived home that I should have bought the one with a lozenge! I'll have to sort out getting him another now lol.

Also I think I'm going to go back to doing in hand work for now until I get a new bit as I need to keep him busy doing something.. He does love the long-reining, as soon as the lines are attached he cant wait to get going!

I do have a full cheek snaffle with keys.. Would it be worth letting him play with that in his mouth whilst I'm giving him a groom etc?
 
Agree with what Millitiger says. I've done a lot of long reining for driving and riding, and the first thing I'd say, is that in the first pic, he's curling up his tongue to evade the bit pressure and coming behind the bit. You REALLY don't want to get him into that habit, as it's a very hard one to break.
Put your reins though the loops at the top of the roller ( called the Danish method, if you've read Sylvia Staniers book - highly recommend) so that the bit pressure is more on the corners than the bars of the mouth, It wouldn't hurt, if you can hold him, to have reins on bit and headcollar combined. I find that colts/ stallions do thrive on variety, and I would be doing figure eights in walk and trot with him, it'll keep him thinking instead of tanking. Lots of transitions work well too. I use long reining as a proper schooling tool, and my stallion can do halt and rein back to canter, and shoulder in as well as the regular movements. If done well and clearly, you will end up with a very nice responsive pony without putting weight on his back too early.
 
The only thing with using a mouthing bit with keys is you have to then introduce yet another bit to a young horses mouth far too early in their education.
I personally don't like them and much prefer to mouth and do early stages of training in the same bit, preferably the one I intend to start ridden work with. Unless the horse is telling me otherwise. Thats my view on them from past experiences, it's one of these things where everyone has their own way of doing it.
I hope you find what is right for both of you, I will be in your shoes this time next year!
 
cundlegreen said:
It wouldn't hurt, if you can hold him, to have reins on bit and headcollar combined.
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I'm no expert but this is what I would do too. Headcollar under bridle, long line to the side buckles of headcollar but passed through the bit ring on the way. This way the pressure of the rein rests mostly on his headcollar and allows him to adjust to his mouth being touched gradually. Once he settles like this I would go back to clipping the lines straight to his bit.

And he is a very smart looking chap and will look cracking when he fills out :)
 
Nothing wrong with long reining a 3yr old lightly, and much less stress on the joints than lunging. However, I would come out of the bit if he is over bending that much and maybe go over to a dully halter or just use the head collar for a while until he learns not to lean on the reins or he will become quite hard and heavy on the hands.
 
I would agree with others, def get that bit out and try something with a lozenge or french link.
It's not clear from pictures but there does seem to be tension in the rein from the roller to the bit- even when the rest is slack. Is the lunge rein running freely through the rings? SOme rings are on the small side I often find.
I prefer to run the reins through the stirrups on a saddle initially- the lower rein position encourages them to go long and low and can help with steering aswell as the rein is lower round their bum.
Please don't be offended but I do wonder why you are keeping him intact though. He is a sweety but if you leave him much longer you are heading for a hefty bill to get him cut if he becomes too much.
 
Firstly, long reining on a circle even thought you say you aren't doing that anyway, does NOT cause them to over bend like that. What he is doing is resisting the bit.

I only long rein on a circle, I never lunge and I've never had one do that ever. It is a very good way to work them.

I'm not sure about that bit, I tried one on my youngster and she also opened her mouth like that. (she is not a happy mouthed girl anyway).

I'd go back to basics and get him responding to the bit in hand and go from there.
 
He is lovely. I do a lot of long reining and my advice to you is to get the long reins out of those rings, preferably don't put the reins in the rings at at all or use the much higher rings to recreate where your hands would be. Keep him moving forward with minimal and light contact.

I can recommend a fab book on long lining - it shows the different technique. You could even use an 'overcheck' rein - a rein connected from the top roller rings to the side of the headpiece where the browband meets to stop him overbending, but as he's only a baby I would go steady and gently.

This is the book:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Art-o...0830605919?pt=Non_Fiction&hash=item2ec26fda5f

Good luck
 
Right, I'm going to put my two penneth in here and go against a lot of grains. I've been breaking horses for almost 40 (!) years, and started out doing it the "English" way; long reining, etc. Abandoned that 38 years ago. Running the reins through the loops on a roller creates a pully effect - this means that even though it feels very light to you, the force on the end of the line (your horse's mouth) is AT LEAST 10 times stronger. Long reining in a straight line is usually only possible in walk; this is too slow to create any real forward momentum - you need to work in trot = lunging. Don't do it for very long (10 mins is fine; max 20 mins - 10 mins each rein). Keyed breaking bits are AWFUL, they make horses tense in the mouth, fussy and inclined to put their tongues over. Use a normal snaffle. There is more, but I won't rile you with it. Breaking, ALL stages of it, should only be done by experienced peopple.
 
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