Overbending

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Finns

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31 July 2006
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Finns has always had a slight tendancy to overbend, especially when he has found work hard but after 3 years of work we recently got to the stage when he hardly ever did it anymore. He's been on full livery (so exercised) this month and he's started doing it again. The girl riding him is fab, and is doing everything we've ever done to persuade him not to do it (ie making sure he's forwards enough, and doing loads of transitions etc) but when I ride him he does it intermittantly. He doesn't do it if I'm chasing him forwards, but becuase he's a pony he has quite a short stride, and it can look very much like he's being chased out of his rythym. Does any one have any ideas as to how we can nip it in the bud? I'm not sure if he's just being an idiot because he has a different person on him but she rides far better than me, so it's nothing she;s caused. The only thing I'm wondering is that he had a loose front tooth which the dentist took out a week ago (he said it was fine to ride him btw) and I'm wondering if that has caused him not to be as confident in the contact?

Sorry, a bit of a ramble, but a bit concerned as to why he's started doing it again now! Having lesson with our fab instructor tomorrow night so will ask him if it looks as bad as it feels!
 
Already tried changing bit - he was in a hanging cheek when I bought him and swapped that to a french link, now he has a french link with a sort of roller in the middle that twizzles round. It's a sprenger bit and supposed to stop him grabbing it. Thanks for suggestion though.
We had a brilliant lesson this evening and when he tried to do it, but not to the same extent as with me on my own, my instructor had loads of exercises which seemed to work really well - he thought he might have been trying it on a bit (he's part bred arab and really a one person horse) as he's finding the work a bit harder - so me and the employee who is riding him need to keep doing what we have been to drum it into him it's not okay - so fingers crossed!
 
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