Outline advice please....

[chestnutmarelover]

Long story short, ex racer (fin racing july 11) taken slowly since, will not accept ANY bit (under saddle) whatsoever, just goes up (back fine, teeth fine, jaw fine, tack fine, think possibly a previous bad experience thats stuck in his head) Goes fantastically in a Micklem bitless, so no bit isn't the issue, but, lunging he is fine with a bit, is going long & low and has stopped fighting himself but how do I continue the contact & outline when ridden? Increasing impulsion without speed is proving difficult & not having access to a school isn't helping! He is a sensitive chap & ive just about sussed the fine line between being firm & making excuses for him the 1 step forwards 2 steps back is edging towards 1 step forwards.......don't wanna 'rock the boat'!!!

 

[Florrie]

Both my Gelding and Mare who are ex-racehorses were exactly like this. Working long and low on the lung but under saddle heads right up like giraffes!

Have you tried giving him a quick lunge making sure he works long and low before mounting him?

I would suggest lots of 10m and 5m circles and serpintines to build up the muscles in his neck and back.
My gelding was incredibly hard to outline despite having all the correct muscle work and trying different techniques. In the end I agreed to very loosely use draw reins on him (under supervision) and I started off using them quite loose so it bought his head down but it wasn't quite an outline and little by little bringing it to the correct position. This worked very well for him but I did it with the supervision of an instructor