Pony plants when you stop leading

[TheSubwayDino]

Hi all,

So recently been helping a friend with her horse and he is lightly backed and just coming into proper work as a rising 8 year old (very late I know). However, he's really good being on him and leading and have no issues at all.

But yet again, here for a reason, if you stop leading him while someone's on him he doesn't listen and plants himself. We wish we can take him on solo hacks at some point you see and we can't seem to get him to budge either.

 

[Tracking_up]

The backing process sounds half done.

It sounds like the horse has no idea about forward/leg aids, and independence from the handler, in order to listen to the rider. These need to be clearly understood as part of the backing process, I would say......

 

[TheSubwayDino]

The backing process sounds half done.

It sounds like the horse has no idea about forward/leg aids, and independence from the handler, in order to listen to the rider. These need to be clearly understood as part of the backing process, I would say......

Yeah, I was thinking it might a case of "relying on the leader because he doesn't know what to do" but thought to ask others for their opinions too, thank you so much!! ??

 

[Caol Ila]

The horse doesn't know that he's meant to listen to the rider, not the person in front of him. The easy solution? Long lining/ground driving/leading from the shoulder (like the classical trainers do). Get him listening to a person behind him. Also make sure he really understands the leg and seat aids. They don't automatically know that squeeze = forwards.

If there are reasons why those won't work well, then you have to get creative. My Highland (also started very late) had a similar issue, and for various reasons relating to his background and other people ballsing up his education, the SOP fixes weren't great options. I did a fair bit of single line lunging, making him maintain his pace without a person/horse directly in front of him. When I was hacking, even if I was behind people/horses, I would give him little jobs. Weaving around logs or rocks, slowing down or speeding up the pace, leg yielding across the trail, that sort of thing. Doesn't matter -- any job that gets it thinking about the rider and not the person/horse in front.

Now the horse schools absolutely fine, like any green horse. Hacking solo remains a work-in-progress, but that's down to him not being 100% confident going past scary things with a rider and no one in front to get eaten first. That's a different problem!

 

[TheSubwayDino]

The horse doesn't know that he's meant to listen to the rider, not the person in front of him. The easy solution? Long lining/ground driving/leading from the shoulder (like the classical trainers do). Get him listening to a person behind him. Also make sure he really understands the leg and seat aids. They don't automatically know that squeeze = forwards.

If there are reasons why those won't work well, then you have to get creative. My Highland (also started very late) had a similar issue, and for various reasons relating to his background and other people ballsing up his education, the SOP fixes weren't great options. I did a fair bit of single line lunging, making him maintain his pace without a person/horse directly in front of him. When I was hacking, even if I was behind people/horses, I would give him little jobs. Weaving around logs or rocks, slowing down or speeding up the pace, leg yielding across the trail, that sort of thing. Doesn't matter -- any job that gets it thinking about the rider and not the person/horse in front.

Now the horse schools absolutely fine, like any green horse. Hacking solo remains a work-in-progress, but that's down to him not being 100% confident going past scary things with a rider and no one in front to get eaten first. That's a different problem!

Yes!!! Long reining is something I want to do with him, I think it'll help. Honestly, we could probably do solo long reining once we know he's really paying attention. He's really bomb proof, he's fine with speeding cars, tractors, trains even when we are using power drills.. he just wants attention! It's only motorbikes but we only got to be on the road for a minute then we are in fields

I'm really hoping long lining helps him thank you ??