Making sense of it all

[Inene]

I just need some help making sense of everything as sometime one can over think things and miss whats actually going on...

I have a 10yo tb who was basically started wrong. Was taken off the track and given to a child to jump with who put very little schooling in and the bit that was put in was incorrect. He was bitted to the hills and jumped in all kinds of gadgets, sometimes all at once.

To cut a very long story short, it took a good 18 months to undo and almost the same to redo but I am getting quite dispondent.

Initially I took everything off and found a bit that he seemed happiest in. He tried every evasion tactic known to mankind to get out of work and still throws one in every now and then. He has had tons of physio, chiro , body work and is finally in a very good place. He is conformationally built like a camel and is a bit croup high with seriously insane withers so hes never really had a saddle of his own until I got him and am now on his 4th one which seems to be doing the trick. The previous one had a very long gullet plate which I am sure what digging into his shoulder - he refused to canter most days. He is now popping into canter relatively easily.

He is naturally lazy as hell and is very hard to get off the leg unless you ride in spurs, which I am not a fan of. I have tried every training exercise possible to try get him to respond to the lightest of aids for a good year or so and the only time he seems to operate is when you ride in spurs.

He spent a good year and a half with his ears up my nose until and I can finally get him to walk soft and round without too much effort. The problem comes into play at a trot and a canter , which 3 years in a still a mess.

I get moments of decent soft round forward contact in the trot but most of the time its a serious argument and its developed into a bad habit of me fidgeting far too much with the reins. Its just too much. We tried him in a neck stretcher and what a difference. He is balanced , more together and calmer and his head carriage is quiet and correct and hes lifting his back. This tells me that maybe he is ready for a bit more poll pressure as I am not a fan of riding in it but it is just so much easier.

The canter has always been bat out of hell fast and unbalanced or a few strides of something civilized but he usually stops after a few strides on his own no matter what you do. He has a habit of throwing his right shoulder out in both trot and canter on the left rein. There are signs of improvement starting to show but three years in I feel useless.You have to sit damn near perfect and not move a muscle or he stops because he is unbalanced. I also think there is some habit in the whole thing too. Its a bit of a catch 22, he unbalances me which unbalances him and he stops.

So any thoughts on the neck stretcher? We use it at its longest and also when working properly in trot it really doesn't come into play at all and hangs loose. I am able to keep my hands quiet and stop fiddling as well but am nervous to canter in it and am not a huge fan of gadgets at all but after 3 years and many sleepless nights I get the impression that he is just one of those horses that continuously pushes the boundaries and despite being a sweetie most of the time , hes a make me or I wont do it kinda guy.

Why would he go so perfectly in a Neck stretcher but just argue non stop without it? He honestly seems like he feels more secure about something. Any ideas?

Thanks

 

[Firewell]

I think with the neck stretcher he has a consistent contact on the mouth. Have you had lessons? I had a TB mare who was a tricky ride on the flat and dressage lessons with a really good trainer helped hugely. My mare needed a really black and white contact. It had to be 100 % consistent all the time. We also used exercises to help her, lots of exercises one after the other to keep her thinking, sharp off the leg and to help me. Lots of shapes, and lateral work and transitions.
Before all that though if I was you I would do ground work with her. After 3 years she should be able to hold a balanced canter on her own. I would try loose schooling and lunging and in hand lateral work. Once she can maintain a rythmical canter (ignoring where she puts her head) by herself on the lunge (or loose) on a big circle I would introduce small sessions on the Pessoa (only once she had warmed up without), make sure she is tracking up in it otherwise you will do more harm than good.
Also hacking, hill work and raised poles in the arena. Get her using her bum. She will find it all easier once she has the strength.
I love training ex racers and making them big and beautiful. Good luck!

 

[Firewell]

I kept saying She, sorry I meant He . Also if the neck stretcher is helping you. I don't think there is any thing wrong with it. She must, must be moving forwards into it though. Get someone to watch because if she is not tracking up she will just be tucking her neck in which will make her sore. Also as you know give her a good warm up without it and only use it for 5 mins at the beginning building up. I would focus on getting her off your leg first thought and balanced before worrying about her head.

 

[Inene]

Thank you Firewall. That all make sense. I am having lessons with a Trainer who thankfully understands him and gets all his quirks. I prefer to use it when she is watching as I feel safer as well. I usually can feel him pulling it when I need to get him more forward and use more leg but eyes on the ground are better.

I think him needing the consistant contact is bigger than I realized.

She rides him beautifully but he does throw in his nonsense with her as well. He still stops in the canter and throws his shoulder out but it's improving slowly now that his saddle is fitted.

The problem I have is that with her he doesn't give her any cheek whatsoever. When I ride he knows I listen to him and he lets me know he doesn't want the neck stretcher or Spurs. He's very good at getting his point across so I take them off and he's happy again but doesn't work properly so I think I need to bite the bullet and work through it because it's better than the argument we seem to have without it so will keep it short and sweet for now.

She has also been hacking him for me for a while now. I don't go too far because everyday is a lucky packet with him. Some days he's is good as gold and others he gets his knickers in a total twist but she doesn't mind that at all .

Thanks again.