Overbending Youngster

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Whoopit

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I'm not sure if I can't see the woods for the trees here.

Scowl as you will because of her age, but my 3yr old gets hacked out maybe three times a week - she is very intelligent and has a busy little brain so needs to be kept occupied (she cribs bites if she has nothing different to do, even though she's out 24hrs).

I've only ever dawled about hacking, not lunged her (she's ex-racehorse so already broken), not ridden in sidereins/drawreins or anything as such and suddenly she's trying to drop onto a contact with minimal leg and hardly any hand contact.

Now, this only happened yesterday and today (only went down the lane and back a few times today to check it hadn't been a fluke!) and she definitely does it when you put leg on - i hardly even need to use my hands with her.

Problem is, she feels as though she's overbending, although I can't actually see as nobody to take a photo/video yet. If she feels overbent i'm lifting my hands to encourage her head up, which she does for a few strides then her head pops right back up to "normal" and we keep going in this little circle of her wanting a contact then overbending. Same happens if i lessen the hand contact - she remember the leg when you initially apply then it seems as though when she has your hands she forgets about the leg???? Does that make sense? I don't want her to keep doing it and me not correct it - she doesn't get ridden that often so don't want to be letting her get into a "bad" habit.

Anybody any suggestions to something I don't really know what i'm asking??

Gold Sticker if got to the end of my ramble!!!
 
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Is she forward off the leg or does she just tuck her nose in without becoming more active?
 
She goes forward - she slows up initially when she drops on, as though she's trying to make sure everything is still working, if ya know what i mean. We don't have a problem with forward - she goes everywhere in hurry. She normally walks so fast I almost bounce out the saddle but when she drops on its much smoother and like a "normal walking" pace. . . Quite hard to explain, but hope you sort of get the gist??
 
Keeps walking forward as though she's late for dinner :D but stretches down with her head so I leave her some more rein and just end up lifting my hands so doesn't lean on me. She'll walk on at a good pace like that chomping on her bit. It feels as though she's inward of the vertical as her ears nearly vanish but maybe now you've asked some questions and made me think it's because she's stretching downward at the same time?? Tell me if you think I sound as though i'm doing something wrong - won't be offended!

She's in an eggbutt snaffle but she is very very strong. I was thinking of upgrading to better brakes but she canters in a contact quite happily (not only in a collected canter she has suddenly discovered but also in a cross-country seat) so I'm not ending up heaving & circling to stop anymore. Trot is a bit hit and miss - she manages it for longer if i'm at a sitting trot.

It's just taken me by surprise as my 5yr old can only do it in a dawdling walk!!! (ex racer also).
 
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I was riding a friends baby horse for a few months who did this, he would use it as evasion and had likely been in draw reins whilst broken before she got him, i used to try to keep the pace really steady and use an upward quick action with the rein to make him lift when he dropped behind, it was really tricky but it was a terrible habit he had got into and it made stopping pretty tricky at times.

I have heard people recommend waterfords for this but havent tried one.
 
Ok, well it's a bit hard to say for sure without seeing the horse, but horses can 'overbend' as a different way of avoiding the contact of the bit. Given her age and what you are doing with her at the moment I would just give her a long rein and try to get her to drop her nose rather than tucking it in. While she is green I would ignore her head as much as possible and work on the regularity of her paces (get her moving straight and rhythmically), and work on some basic seat aids. You will probably find that in 6 months time she will be quite a lot stronger so you will be better able to control what she is doing with herself.
 
As it has happened suddenly and with her age, I would suspect teeth.

I'd give her a few weeks off to settle down and then see how she is.

eta- just seen she is 'very, very strong' in one of your later posts- sounds like you need to go back to basics a bit with her imo as a 3yro should not be very, very strong. I'd also knock the sitting trot on the head for now personally.
 
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DabDab said:
Ok, well it's a bit hard to say for sure without seeing the horse, but horses can 'overbend' as a different way of avoiding the contact of the bit. Given her age and what you are doing with her at the moment I would just give her a long rein and try to get her to drop her nose rather than tucking it in. While she is green I would ignore her head as much as possible and work on the regularity of her paces (get her moving straight and rhythmically), and work on some basic seat aids. You will probably find that in 6 months time she will be quite a lot stronger so you will be better able to control what she is doing with herself.
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Thank you :-)

Will try and get a photo or video of her so it's easier to tell. Think I was just worrying she might be getting a bad habit. Will just leave her head alone and try to get some straightness as that is very poor!!
 
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