Really desperate been asked before but need to ask again!

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

Schooled Rock today and seriously i need to get this horse off the forehand. I have tried changing bits, hes now in a hanging cheek snaffle which hes better in but only slightly. Have tried transitions - these do NOT work - he just leans through them! have tried giving him a good kick, no good he just runs forward still leaning. Have tried giving him a tug, works for like 3seconds. I lunge him in the pessoa which works him properly so he can do it. Oh and he listens to my leg brilliantly i can turn him on a penny just using my legs. Please please people i need some more ideas!¬!!

 

[mandagus]

Hi,
it may be that he's unbalanced and leaning on you for support, it takes two to pull so just give him the reins when he does pull, then take the contact back up and just give again if he pulls.

But I would also try him on the ground, push his shoulder away from you, get him standing without tripping (sign of being unbalanced) and get him to start thinking for himself and balancing.

 

[Parkranger]

welcome to my world! If hes leaning badly then odds are hes making you lean a bit too (from my experience!)

We're doing lots and lots and lots of circle work in walk and trot - leaving canter till we've got this sorted first!

Personally I'd not bother with a Pessoa - best to get on and ride him through it.....just my opinion though.

My boy is also great on the legs - it's odd isn't it?

Also, take your feet out the stirrups so your wrapped around him more and 'pulling him up' so to speak.

I also had to bridge my reins for a bit so I could pull against him and give him a tap on the shoulder rather than the bum when he pulled......

I'm guessing if he's like Ty it's a balance thing and to lean on the forehand is just easier - the circles do help as does me sitting deeper and keeping him propelling forwards, lifting up and half halting alot ..... he actually worked in an outline for 45 mins yesterday!

 

[Blackhawk]

Have missed your other posts, but if he's heavy in the forehand then you should find that lots of transitions will help. Do schooling figures and use ground poles to help him balance and bring his weight into his hindquarters.

 

[AmyMay]

Transitions do work. Aim to do at least 100 per schooling session (I know, but if it's good enough for Mr Hester.....).

Stop lunging him in the passoa - you aint helping him.

Sit tall, get your legs down - get some spurs on if it helps, and ride him forwards. Don't worry if he's not on the bit, as long as you have a contact.

And most important of all - get a good instructor.

 

[Parkranger]

oh yes - lots of trotting poles!

I'd personally get everything working in walk and trot before you bother with canter....

I also find that angling our moves with my shoulders slightly so we're moving together as a 'unit' helps him......although I feel like a complete amaeteur at the moment so I'm sure most of you do that anyway!

 

[chestnut cob]

Totally agree. Invest in some lessons. It's amazing what having someone knowlegdable on the ground will do.

The most important thing is to get him moving forwards. Transistions will help, as will things like shoulder in (he will have to pick his forehand up for this).

IMHO changing the bit won't help with getting him off his forehand, it's a schooling issue. Changing to something like a waterford snaffle can help with leaning but that's as far as it goes. Sorry but getting something to take the weight behind is a schooling issue and it's just a case of hard work, then more hard work.

 

[Kelly1982]

Agree with the others you need to get a decent instructor to help you, they can pick things up from the ground that you dont even realise you are doing.

Changing the bit wont help, it might make him lean a bit less but he will still be on the forehand.

This is not going to be an over night thing and you will need lot of time and hard work.

 

[Madam_max]

She has Andrew Gould as an instructor

 

[siennamum]

If he's leaning and not performing the transitions correctly then they are no use, which is why I think they are not the cure all people believe. I am quite anti- pessoas and so wouldn't recommend that. I can see no sense in going round and round in trot circles if you aren't improving.
My answer would be spiralling in and out and lots of canter work.
Him moving sideways off the leg is of no use unless he's working into his outside rein and you have a good contact. Canter work will improve the trot.
Having a top trainer is of no use if you aren't sorting the basics. I would get someone different on the ground.

 

[Parkranger]

SM - don't agree about canter work - if your horse is unbalanced it's usually always worse in canter - or is that just Ty? haa haa

 

[Kelly1982]

I dont know who he is but surely he should be helping her with this then if he is that good

She has been posting about it for quite a while now and obvioulsy nothing is improving.

I dont mean no disrespect as i dont know who he is but i know my instructor has done wonders for me and my horse in just 2 lessons so maybe he is not the right instructor??

Whilst he may work with others, K&R dont seem to be progressing.

I could be totally wrong but i am just giving advise on what i have read.

 

[Parkranger]

Totally agree Kelly - I as a rider have come on in leaps and bounds in 3 lessons and Ty is actually bending now.....think you need to bond with your instructor and that's a personality thing!

 

[Kelly1982]

Yeah thats what i was trying to get across but i am cr*p at explaining things LOL.

I get on brill with my instructor and we chat for hours and me & my horse have come on so much but my old instructor actually used to intimidate me and i lost loads of confidence even though my friend did really well being taught by him.

It doesn't matter how good they are, if you dont gel your not going to progress and i really think K&R should of seen some kind of improvement by now if they was going in the right direction.

I'm going to shut up now in case i get shot down LOL

 

[katiekate]

Hi there

I think you're taking the wrong approach by fiddling with your bit. Hanging cheek snaffles are horrible.

Transitions really are the best way to get a horse off their forehand. I'm sure you've tried this, but try starting your schooling using simple progressive transitions, and progress to use transitions within a gait and direct transitions. Walk to canter to walk is a great way to get a horse off the forehand IF he is straight, balanced and experienced enough to do this. If he isn't, you'll just wind him up.

Try in walk doing some 'almost halts', and in trot, some 'almost walks' (pronounced half halts) to get him to wait a little for you and carry more weight on his hind quarters. Going from working to collected to working to collected will also help.

Lateral work will help you get him straighter and more equal in the rein and will also get him to stop, listen and wait for you a bit rather than charging on.

I would get rid of the gadgets when lungeing - good old fashioned schooling and a good instructor is the best way to correct this problem. Lungeing over poles may help though.

Sounds like you need to invest in some good instruction so that someone with fresh eye can look at you both and set you on a good schooling plan.

 

[Sparklet]

I opened my mouth to speak and then shut it again. You have said it all for me

 

[chestnut cob]

I totally agree with you. I have moved yards and changed instructors (it was a bit much to expect my usual instructor to travel 150 miles

). The new instructor can be quite scary but I'm getting something out of my horse that I never have before. She took us right back to basics and there was something missing right at the bottom. I've had 4 or 5 lessons with her in 2 months and she's schooled him a couple of times too - I have a different horse

Sometimes a change can be v helpful.

 

[kayleigh_and_rocky]

My instructor is brilliant Andrew (hes on the british dressage team) but i only see him once every 5weeks and missed my last lesson as Rock was lame. Had another instructor but didnt get on well with him. Other trainer now lives in NZ.
To be fair he has only just come back into work but it took me a year to get him working even slightly better and now im back to the beginning.
And please PLEASE trust me on this, siennamiller is right, transitions are just worsening the problem. He was working quite well today until i tried a transition. After that he was awful.
I ride lots of circles which do help bt he drops his shoulder. Once hes fit enough i'll start with lessons again but atm he can only just cope with 15minute bursts.

 

[teapot]

Rode a horse once that was so on its forehand it was like a wheelbarrow.

Advice I was given was to just drop the contact - horse soon realised that if he didnt pick himself up, he'd be on his nose.

 

[Toby_Zaphod]

This is a balance problem you have with your horse. Do loads of leg yielding, this will encourage your horse to bring his hocks underneath himself. He will engage better & his balance will improve. Additionally ride circles & then spiral in & then spiral out. This again will gradually increase his balance. Forget about canter for a while until his balance is better. It may take time but it will get better.