my horse is really rude on the right side, why?? any ideas

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swampdonkey

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Hi all, would appreciate some thoughts or ideas. As I said my horse who I've had for about 8 months is really ignorant of my leg on her right side, whichever rein we are on. We have only started schooling properly for the past 3 weeks before that mainly hacking. I have weekly lessons on her and my instructor has the same problem with her. I have tried really kicking her tapping with schooling whip, tickling her, anything to get her to respect my right leg, she just ignores it, she will fall in or out depending on which rein but always that right side.
Do you think she has a problem or is she just being rude as my instructor thinks.
Any ideas to get her to listen to my right leg???
Thanks
 
Have you had her teeth, tack and back checked? My vet says that often we think things are back problems when they are a result of really low grade lamenesses - so my horse was presenting with a sore back, didn't want to go to the right, turned out it was a stiff hamstring. Or she might simply be stronger on one side which would make it easier for her to obey your aids in one direction.
How is she on the ground? Can you get her to yield to pressure from your hand in the stable and in the school? I would do lots of groundwork with her and make sure that you can move her around really well on the ground - eg move her front end in a circle around her back end, move her back end in a circle around her front end, get her to go sideways (as you would if you were mucking out with her in the stable) and make sure that she clearly understands how to respond to pressure from your hand in both directions. The better your control is on the ground the better it will be in the saddle. Make sure you start asking really lightly and up the pressure gradually until she moves away from it then release very quickly so that she can learn to move away.
I think there will be a reason she doesn't listen to your right leg so well, but I can't believe it would be simply rudeness if she listens to your left leg obediently. There will be a complicating factor like strength so it is more difficult or that she doesn't really understand. Good luck!
 
Might be worth getting a physio out to check she is not particularly stiff on one side, or has pulled a muscle, etc.

Have you tried her with spurs?

Other than that, I would try a different instructor. It seems a bit odd that your instructor can't correct the problem either.
 
swampdonkey said:
Do you think she has a problem or is she just being rude as my instructor thinks.
Click to expand...

If she's ignoring your right leg then she has a problem (the problem being she ignores the right leg). Whether that is a physical, educational or behavioural problem it's still a problem. If my instructor said my horse was "just being rude" then I'm afraid I'd get a different instructor, they should be giving you a plan of training to help work on it not saying it is "just" anything.
 
What age is your horse. I only ask as I have a vague memory of someone having a problem doing dressage with her youngish horse and being told by her vet that some of them can take a while for the nerves to develop properly.

This could be rubbish of course as I say a vague memory of a conversation!
 
My horse does this. He always naps to the left, won't stay on the outside of the school on the left rein etc etc. He also leads with his left leg in the paddock and when cantering on hacks. The saddler noticed that his left shoulder is more well developed than his right.

He is still young, has had no serious schooling yet and so far I'm putting it down to a naturally dominant left side. This probably also means he's reluctant to stretch out with his weak side so struggles to maintain a left rein circle.

I'm currently trying to get him stronger and fitter by hacking as he's generally a weak build and maybe it will sort itself out. If I could lunge him (but that's another story) I would do so on a 60/40 left/right rein.

Last year we were doing weekly lessons and the napping to the left was less pronounced after a couple of months but he had 2 months off over Christmas and he hasn't started lessons again yet.

I don't have a solution for you but my hope at the moment is that lots of hacking at walk in a straight line will help my boy to build up muscle evenly. If I was able to work in the school as you do I would lunge twice a week and when riding do lots of spirals from 25 metres (where it's easy) down to a place where he was comfortable and then back out. A visit from a physio or possibly just a masseur (less expensive) could help identify tight muscles and allow you to monitor progress.

I hope this helps, even if just a little.
 
rude??? never hear that one before.
sounds like it's a horse that's simply crooked, unschooled and does'nt understand, i would'nt overdo the schooling in a small space at the the moment, she can't cope, it will be like torture to keep forcing her, her i'd keep all the school movements very large and not too repetitive, a longish contact, keep everything very gentle, if you want to do a circle come down the long side to get the trot nice then commence a circle so that you get some impulsion, but not speed, no tight contact and avoid force and rough aids, teaching shoulder in and using it on the ignorant leg side when she seems resistant will do more good than blaming the horse, lunging a few times a week with no gadgets and hacking out whilst paying attention to straightness, i'd give up on the lessons for now because she will be put under pressure to do things she can't yet, get her straight and more supple first, riding instructors are not noted for their sympathy, they want results.
be kind to her please, don't blame her
 
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