motorbiking horse

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woody2211

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any tips

my mare like most horses i assume is far better on the right rein than the left rein.
any tips or exercises when im schooling on how to make her more supple?
at the mo she is motorbiking round leaning in on her left shoulder!!

please help
she is a very quick learner but i dont no where to start

thanks x
 
flexing your horse one way, straighten, then the other way and keep repeating this, change the rein and do it on that rein. Try at walk first and work on it and as your horse gets better at it, do it at trot and at canter. That will help her become more flexible (say you are flexing to the inside, inside leg on girth open your inside rein dont cross it over or just bring it back and give with the outside rein whilst still supporting your horse a little with it and use it to help control the speed a bit)

When on the left rein really work for a nice inside bend around your corners and then let your horse make mistakes on the straights and correct in the next corner, this will help with your inside bend without nagging at all.

Hope its of some help :)
 
Sounds like you need to work on her overall balance and suppleness. Sounds basic but the first thing IMO is to make sure you have a good rhythm in every pace and that you are forwards but not rushing. Ideally you want her to be carrying herself - doesn't have to be an outline but if she's leaning on your hands she is going to be on the forehand and much more likely to lean in etc.

Loads of transitions are good to get her listening and encourage her to step under and support herself from behind more. Then make sure you keep her moving around - lots of large circles, serpentines, figure of eights, shallow loops etc. Try and do some sort of movement during every circuit of the school - if you concentrate on keeping a good rhythm and a light but supporting hand you'll hopefully find she'll learn to carry herself better. Start everything new in walk and build up to trot and then canter, making sure the movement is established in the easier pace before you ask for more.

It can be tempting to work more on her 'difficult' rein to try and get it as good as the other but this can worsen the problem rather than resolve it and it's often an increase in strength and suppleness in both sides of the body that is needed.

Including lateral work e.g. leg yield and shoulder in will help to get her using her hind end more when bending and should give you better control over her shoulders. A good exercise is spiralling in on a circle and then leg yielding back out again.

You might also want to have a think about the way you ride or get someone on the ground to have a look. Even the best of riders are often one-sided and this can make things more difficult for the horse. You need to try and remain as balanced and central as possible through all turns and circles in order to encourage your girl to stay central underneath you.

Sorry for rambling on but it's very difficult to give specific ideas/exercises without seeing horse + rider. Hope there is something you can work on in here! It can be a slow process but if you concentrate on getting the basics correct you'll end up with a light and balanced horse. :)
 
Riding on an outside bend then changing between outside and inside fixed this when b started doing it a few years ago. Weirdly ice never motorbiked
 
I agree with Celia and would also say, make sure that you are asking for the bend with your legs (outside leg behind the girth to ask for the bend, inside leg on the girth, to support) and just controlling the amount of bend with your hands, rather than 'steering'. Check that your shoulders are asking for the same amount of bend as your legs.
 
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