On the fore hand... help please.

[showjump]

Ok so this prob wont make sense but i will try and explain as best i can.
I half own my mare with my friend (shes a novice rider). Mare is 9years and was owned by novice before us. I ride her twice (ish) times a week. I had my jumping lesson last night on her as i use her as my diesel horse bsja.

Now i struggle/ lenthen her as she is on the fore hand, and all strung out (if you know what i mean?) She also has no concept of half halts (well some days she does/ others doesnt.) So when in canter i feel i have to have a really strong contact to maintain the speed. She dosnt 'do' going on the bit, which i feel is making things harder as she leans down on the bit. I have to sit upright and hold her together which i am not used to as otherwise she increases speed, and it all goes t*ts up from there!

So what could i do to improve all of this? At the mo i seem to be checking her loads and therefore loosing rhythem. Or i am allowing he to drop on the forehand, and then shes flat over fences.

Hmm fed up as my lesson last night was bad due to these probs, and im getting frustrated with it!
Help me you lovely people! Sorry its long!

 

[kerilli]

i wouldn't worry about her not going on the bit, a lot of fantastic jumping horses never went in an outline but were in perfect self-carriage and jumped huge courses clear. anyone remember Gem Twist?

i'd concentrate on the schooling, take time to teach her what leg and hand and half-halt mean. if your sharer is a novice, make sure s/he isn't letting the mare lean on her/his hands all the time. it sounds as if she needs to learn to go along in her own balance and to accept and react correctly to your input, all basics that take time, i'm afraid.

 

[showjump]

Yes i think that due to my friend being a novice, and insisting on riding her when im not there (grrr!) she might be letting her get away with things.

Yes its not the going on the bit, it the fact that she doesnt come back to me when i ask, so i end up with this constant pulling to keep steady, and then when i release contact by even a mm shes off!
I dont think its helped that shes always been rode by a novice and been allowed to do her own little thing! Arrh well got a show on sun so should be fun!

 

[franki]

Can I suggest you work on full halts rather than half halts, for a while, to teach her to listen to you. The key to this being when you say whoa and stop, she does whoa and stop. The instant she stops make sure you reward her with a soft contact. Don't throw the contact at her just soften your hand and allow her to take the bit, chew the reins and stretch down if she will but don't allow her to snatch the bit and put her head in the air. If she does gently take back the contact and gently flex her left then right. In the flex you only want to see her eye lashes you're not looking for neck bend. If she flexes reward again with the soft hand and she if she'll chew the reins out of your hands, forward and down. If you had someone on the ground they can ingore her to stretch down with a polo or two.

I would agree not to worry about the on the bit for the moment, but by doing lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of transitions to halt she will begin to take more weight behind. Make sure to close your legs when you ask for the halt so that she marches her hind legs up into the halt. Don't allow her to dribble into a halt this will only put her further on her forehand. Similarily when you ask for the walk / trot on after the halt look for a smart transitions getting her to use her hind legs.

As she appears to be running away from you think less about checking her and if you feel you need to check do a full halt for now until she learns to listen, but also do lots of trans and school figures. It is harder for her to run off if she's constantly being asked to change direction, or work on a circle, or transition into another pace.

If she's leaning you're allowing her to lean, so give and retake the reins often with her, nothing dramatic, don't throw the reins at her just open your fingers and close them again.

When you're jumping her keep the fences small and ask her to halt soon after the fence, in a straight line, closing your legs and softening your hand when she does.

 

[showjump]

Thank you will put into practice everything you have said.

 

[Baggybreeches]

TBH If she is jumping clear and winning money dont worry about it. I had the same problem with my mum's horse, lots of trainers tried to change her way of going and alot made it more difficult for her, so in the end I just went with the way she found easiest. So we could quite often be seen 'hunting' round a newcomers indoors!

 

[showjump]

I will she how i get on tbh, i just wish i could improve the half halts so i no shes listening. But when shes out competing she cbacks off the fences herself so maybe im trying too hard? I dont know will take her this weekend and see how she goes.

Thanks.