On The Bit

[ChestnutHunter]

Probably posted this already....
How can I get my horse on the bit?
I know its keeping the outside rein tight,and legging him on,but it just doesnt seem to work!
Help?

 

[sunny123]

Get some lessons! It is really hard to help when i dont know anything about you or your horse. Some general pointers that help me-Really concentrate on getting your horse going forward from your legs so that he is active and working from behind. Bend your elbows. Have a soft steady contact on your horses mouth, so its constant and just feels like a little weight on the end of the reins. To begin with you will proberly find that it helps if you very gently sponge with your reins. Really it all comes from your legs, but first you need a relaxed horse who is working from behind, i find with some that you really have to settle them first and concentrating on their rhythm helps. HOpe some of this helps abit, i think lessons really are the best way to go, or put some vidoes up on here because there are alot of people on here that are far more knowledgable than me who will be able to offer better advice!

 

[Nari]

Sunny_Ways is right, get some lessons from a good instructor. You are very unlikely to get there by "keeping the outside rein tight,and legging him on"!

If there's a good school near you it may be helpful to have a couple of lessons on a schoolmaster that will give you the feel of a horse working correctly on the bit that way you#ll avoid the trap of thinking nose in = on the bit.

Good luck & don't be discouraged if it takes a while, it's one of those things that looks a lot easier than it truly is

 

[MillionDollar]

Definitely definitely get some lessons. It's all about getting the horse to work from behind NOT forcing the horses head down and on to the bit. Once the back end works, the natural outline comes with it. You need to do hundreds and hundreds of transitions as well as spiraling from a big circle into a bigger one.

It takes lots of time and patient but i t will come. But get some lessons from a decent instructor.

 

[MillionDollar]

I mean't spiralling from a big circle into a smaller one and vice versa

 

[ChestnutHunter]

Ok,thankyou

Ive been working on getting him working from behind,and sponging the reins

Its just a case of waiting for results now I think

 

[georgiegirl2]

Rule number one is keep your hand up and out in front of you - if you look at pics of dressage riders for example they carry their hands fairly high and forward and i have always found this to work with any horse i have ridden it gives them something to work towards. To be honest im not a toal advocate of the inside leg to outside hand rule, ive never found it particularly works all that well although i guess i subconsciously ride like that anyway. The thing to do it the odd tweak/sponge (whatever you want to describe it as) with your inside hand (softly mind) whilst doing turns and circles with your weight to the inside but not leaning and the most important thing to remember is as soon as your horse rounds and lowers his neck carriage is the relaese the contact ever so slightly without dropping the feel completely so that your horse learns that this is a nice place to be.

my god.....look at that waffle, its a good job i never became an instructor!

 

[ChestnutHunter]

Wow! Thankyou!

 

[cobwithattitude]

excellent article in HORSE mag - lesson with Andrew Gould -