Napping/Falling Through Shoulders

[iknowmyvalue]

After a rather frustrating XC schooling session today I’m hoping you lovely people might have some suggestions to help. It might get long so bear with me!

The issue is with Pepsi basically using his big shoulders against me and just refusing to go in a straight line/where I want him to go. It’s hard to explain exactly what it feels like. If I try and use the reins to stop it, he just chucks his head down or starts cantering on the spot. If I use my leg he carries on doing it but just goes faster. Nearly ended up in a barbed wire fence/hedge today doing it which obviously is not what we want! (And it felt like if I hadn’t pulled him up he would have kept going into it, doesn’t seem to matter if theres

In trot I can control it a lot better, but he will still try. I’ve tried putting him onto a tight circle the way he wants to go and making him work, then relaxing the other way, but it just seemed to wind him up and the minute you take him off the circle he’s back to it. I try to ride him from the outside leg to stop him falling out, keeping the outside rein close to the neck and not pulling too much on the inside one. The only way I seem to be able to stop him is to pull him up completely, then start again.

I don’t carry a whip on him normally because he’s over-reactive to the leg as it is, but I did wonder if this would be useful. I just feel like I need to be able to ride him forward off the leg into my hand but when he gets into that frame of mind he goes really tight and on the spot, and starts snatching the reins.

I think I’ve established that it’s partly napping and partly just an evasion tactic/stress response. He doesn’t always do it in the direction of the other horse, but he does seem to be worse if there’s another horse nearby (but still will do it if there isn’t). He usually goes right, but sometimes goes left just to spice it up and keep me on my toes. It’s not running out at fences as such either, it can happen just cantering round or on landing after a fence, but again sometimes yes it is on the approach to the fence.

Strangely, it’s not too much of a problem out competing, he does it a little bit the first few fences or if he sees a lot of other horses when out on course, but generally once he’s going he’s great. So I don’t think it’s that he doesn’t understand the concept of XC. He did used to do it a bit SJ and Dr but doesn’t seem to now, apart from the odd occasion he thinks about pulling back to the warmup. But XC schooling or the XC warmup he’s awful!

I will be trying to get lessons too but getting XC lessons isn’t as easy as Dr/SJ, especially this early in the year when lots of places aren’t open for schooling yet.

Kudos if you got to the end, sorry I’ve rambled on a bit!

 

[Sossigpoker]

I'd say this is a schooling issue rather than a XC issue.
How is his flatwork in the arena?
It sounds like he's not going from leg to hand and therefore is messing around

 

[iknowmyvalue]

I'd say this is a schooling issue rather than a XC issue.
How is his flatwork in the arena?
It sounds like he's not going from leg to hand and therefore is messing around

I agree, I don’t think it’s the XC in and of itself, I think it’s being on grass in a big open space plus the general excitement of jumping (the adrenaline tends to make him curl up and drop behind the aids but also overreact at the same time).

If you manage to get him set up straight for the fence he’ll jump. He does go from leg to hand in the school now, but he used to be really over reactive to the leg and object to any rein contact at all. Basically this feels like he used to be in the arena when I first bought him.

We actually didn’t jump that many fences today and mostly just schooled on the grass which definitely helped. I’d love to be able to take him out regularly just to school him in a big open space but there’s not really anywhere we can do that effectively without hiring an XC course. And the XC courses round here won’t let you hire alone (as in nobody else at all, not on the ground or ridden) which is a big issue for me, as I don’t have anyone able to come with me more often than every few months.

ETA. Actually maybe the beach would work for “schooling” in an open space. It’s not quite the same as on grass and I’d have to be mindful of the depth of the sand but could be workable…

 

[Sossigpoker]

It sounds like working on contact isn't established . Do you school when you hack? He needs to learn that this is how he carries himself whether he's in the school or anywhere else.

 

[iknowmyvalue]

It sounds like working on contact isn't established . Do you school when you hack? He needs to learn that this is how he carries himself whether he's in the school or anywhere else.

I would agree with that, it’s taken months of consistent work to get him to accept it properly in the arena. I think he ended up with a lot of gaps in his education as a youngster so was never taught anything like that properly. We did get it a few times today to be fair, which we haven’t always before. Got a few nice canter circles each way working into a contact and keeping straight even going past his friend. I think he just needs that regular work outside the arena and it’s frustrating that I can’t give it to him. At my previous yard I could have taken him to school on the XC course without jumping 2-3 times a week, but we don’t have those facilities where I am now (and before anyone suggests moving back there, I would in a heartbeat if it wasn’t 4hrs away now ?)

Yes, but our hacking is almost all on roads so don’t do much other than walk/trot on regular hacks unless we box up somewhere. I could probably do more though and tbh the lack of light after work makes it really hard to hack more than once a week until it gets lighter again (not long now though!). He’s generally ok taking a contact on hacks until you get into faster work, which makes sense as that is what we get the fewest opportunities to practice.

 

[Sossigpoker]

I would work him on your road hacks like you're in the school,.so working in an outline , transitions, halt , leg yield etc.
I wouldn't take him XC until his basics are better.
It sounds like he gets very excited on the XC/out in open, and he won't learn the basics when his brain is in hyper mode like that, so he needs to be more educated before you put him in that situation.

Do you work with an instructor or get a pro to school him ?

 

[Frano]

Is his eyesight ok? Is he trying to get a better view of the fences?

 

[iknowmyvalue]

I would work him on your road hacks like you're in the school,.so working in an outline , transitions, halt , leg yield etc.
I wouldn't take him XC until his basics are better.
It sounds like he gets very excited on the XC/out in open, and he won't learn the basics when his brain is in hyper mode like that, so he needs to be more educated before you put him in that situation.

Do you work with an instructor or get a pro to school him ?

I have regular lessons with an instructor. She’s great and has helped me loads with him. I think I’ll try using the same exercises that we use in the school outside the school. He’s actually very good to hack so hopefully won’t take him too long to get the idea, and then just need to translate that when there are jumps added.

 

[iknowmyvalue]

Is his eyesight ok? Is he trying to get a better view of the fences?

Yes eyesight is fine, was checked not too long ago. Plus it’s not always related to the fences, will do it in areas there aren’t any too. And if you get him going he doesn’t do it and will lock onto fences like you’d expect.