Sarah1
Well-Known Member
Received this email from a friend - your comments & ideas would be appreciated!
When we are out hacking he is overbending I think thats what hes doing anyway - he doesnt do it in his lessons. When we are out he has a normal head carriage I have a contact but am not making him keep a shape etc - after around half an hr (never at the start of the ride) he begins to tuck his nose into his chest - I have no contact and at the same time he slows right down - I have tried playing with the reins putting my leg on giving a tap and giving him a tug on the rein the latter 2 work but its bugging me why hes doing it - always half way round a ride and never in his schooling sessions.
He doesnt pull down on my hands & isnt heavy he just tucks in and diseappears! His bit is a french link snaffle with copper lozenge and is the one he had been in since being broken and is now 10 yrs old - I havent tried him in anything else - he doesnt have martingale etc. I know when owner was struggling to ride much before coming to us she used to lunge alot and always with side reins on - when we had him on the lunge last wkend we had side reins on and after ten mins or so he did make a nice shape but did again seem over bent.
Hes done it in my lessons once when instructor made me ride on the buckle in trot on a circle to get my position right and he went into nice self carriage without my interferance but again his head totally disappeared so seemed overbent again!
I dont know if I should pop snaffle in - his brakes are good he doesnt pull for his head or argue his direction is fine hes light etc - any ideas?????
When we are out hacking he is overbending I think thats what hes doing anyway - he doesnt do it in his lessons. When we are out he has a normal head carriage I have a contact but am not making him keep a shape etc - after around half an hr (never at the start of the ride) he begins to tuck his nose into his chest - I have no contact and at the same time he slows right down - I have tried playing with the reins putting my leg on giving a tap and giving him a tug on the rein the latter 2 work but its bugging me why hes doing it - always half way round a ride and never in his schooling sessions.
He doesnt pull down on my hands & isnt heavy he just tucks in and diseappears! His bit is a french link snaffle with copper lozenge and is the one he had been in since being broken and is now 10 yrs old - I havent tried him in anything else - he doesnt have martingale etc. I know when owner was struggling to ride much before coming to us she used to lunge alot and always with side reins on - when we had him on the lunge last wkend we had side reins on and after ten mins or so he did make a nice shape but did again seem over bent.
Hes done it in my lessons once when instructor made me ride on the buckle in trot on a circle to get my position right and he went into nice self carriage without my interferance but again his head totally disappeared so seemed overbent again!
I dont know if I should pop snaffle in - his brakes are good he doesnt pull for his head or argue his direction is fine hes light etc - any ideas?????
