Relaxing the jaw? Long, sorry!

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Sarah1

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Hi people!
Wonder if you could help me please? First of all I suppose I should give you a few details of recent events regarding my mans schooling!
Our YM has been schooling him for me (experienced event rider) and he's been going brilliantly. Bailey has no idea about taking the rein and working long & low and is very short coupled so finds this quite difficult anyway but he's willing to go forwards and will move away from the leg (albeit better away from left than right but he's getting there!) and he has been working into the bridle and working over his back much better.
I've noticed a difference as soon as I've got on him when hacking etc. and he's only been schooled by YM twice up to yet. I schooled him on Sunday and he was amazing! He was very forward and although he wasn't in full self-carriage he was doing most of the work rather than letting me do it for him!
Anyway I schooled him again last night and he was awful! He wouldn't bend and felt like he was setting his jaw & neck against me. When the YM 1st got on him he said he grabs the bit on the right hand side (he's ridden in a KK ultra, by the way) and last night he'd definately reverted back to his old ways!
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It was as if he was just sticking 2 fingers up at me!
I'm very disheartened as on Sunday I had him going better than I ever have and last night he made me feel totally useless again!
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I know they have off days - could this have been one of those times?
So I was wondering of you could advise me on how to stop this setting of the jaw and get him to relax? is it a matter of playing/flexing or is it something that will only come when he's working correctly?
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His back, teeth and saddle are checked regularly and I don't think this would be the problem as it's only a matter of a couple of days since the last schooling session & he has also been hacked twice in meantime and has been perfectly fine!
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Thanks guys & sorry for the lengthy post!
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Be patient with him and just re-mouth him a bit on his bad side if he gets blocked. Do this by playing with the bit up on the corners of the mouth. It doesnt need to be a drastic action, just a little shake off the rein if he fixes down on it.
 
Tell me about it! OMG do I know how you feel or what!!!? My horse goes beautifully sometimes, but has those days when he just hangs on the left rein and is a real stubborn monster! I know exactly what you mean about them sticking two fingers up! haha!

I have to make sure that I relax my arms and shoulders so that I don't get into a fight with him. It's difficult, but just try to keep everything soft and relaxed. If he's pulling the right rein, take more on the left to flex him that way, then bring him back round again. It just takes patience I think and time to establish (hopefully, anyway!)
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Also try leg yielding on a circle to push him into your outside hand.
 
My young horse was exactly the same and i battled with him for weeks: he was stiff through his neck and back, wouldn't bend, set his jaw against the contact until my arms ached etc! However i changed his bit to a Nathe straight bar (very nice and soft), as soon as i put him into this he just transformed and is now working very well from the moment i get on, plus my arms don't ache!
I advise that you try changing his bit - start at the softest kind possible, you will know when you find the right one!

Good Luck!
 
Ha ha! Stubborn monster is exactly right although it much more polite than what I called him last night!
Bailey won't kick off like some horses do if he doesn't want to do as you ask he just pretends that you're not asking - ignorant little sod!
Last night the other thing he was doing is when on the left rein (his better rein by far - even if he's having a bad day his left rein is usually not bad it's his right rein that really suffers but last night everything was a mess!) he was bending his neck right! No matter where I tried putting my legs or outside rein I ended up dragging his head round with the inside rein (which I'm really trying to avoid as trying to steer with legs!)! What the hell is all that about?!
I'm going to give the schooling another go tonight and try what is suggested but YM is schooling him in the morning for me too - I described him to YM as 'like riding a plank of wood'!!!!!!!!!
ETS: I did a bit of leg yielding with him which he perfomed beautifully (making all the other cr*p even more frustrating!) but didn't try it on a circle so I'll have a go at doing that! Thanks!
 
Hmmm....well I call him much worse to his face
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I'd give it a bit longer and see what YM thinks when she(?) rides him. If he doesn't get better I would get his back/teeth checked as well, to be on the safe side. Although mine can be a sod, he is really bad when his back hurts. I can always tell because I get on and immediately think 'he's not going right'. Worth considering if he carries on being a weirdo and it's not just a one off
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Does he soften in halt?
If so, then rather than continuing the battle, just bring him back down and ask him to soften, and start again. When he softens correctly stop fiddling, as soon as he starts to lean then make it uncomfortable for him with your fingers on the rein.

Do lots of transitions with him and it will help keep him working from behind, which in turn should improve his contact.
 
Why would a horse hang on the rein out of "stubborness"? Can you imagine what they feels like to him? Hardly pleasant. He's not doing it to annoy you, he's doing it to "tell" you something.

What does your rider think? It seems you've ruled out the obvious physical causes (I'd still have a look at your bridle and maybe another bit) but it might be "developmental" in that it's related to something in your riding, his training so far, how his body has developed etc. Don't take it personally, do some detective work. Have you done groundwork with him? Don't laugh. I'm not talking "games", I'm asking if he backs up perfectly straight, can cross his legs back and front, pivoting both left and right on both his hind and fore legs, move both his shoulders and his hips the same on both sides, how does he move free, how is he longing without tack - things that point up underlying straightness/fitness/suppleness issues you can then address with proper work.

Dressage is "yoga" for horses - it's not tricks, it's physio. Teaching him how to use his body effectively, not just trot around without falling over, is the basis of everything else. There are specific training sytems and regimes that address stuff like that, generally called "good riding."
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(I'm not implying you're not perfectly capable, just that you're part of the system that is riding, not just you sitting on your horse while he does his thing in isolation.)

In the short term, try letting go. When he locks up push your hand(s) forward slightly and take the pressure off. If he needs correction then do it but always with the aim of returning to lightness - don't "bear it" until it gets too much to bear, correct it when it starts not when it gets too much to cope with. Go back a pace, slow down, make your circle larger, whatever, then correct and return to your work, guaging how much pressure he can take.

All horses are uneven - it's a fundamental "reason" for riding as we do, to make them more athletic and able to do as we ask. Maybe not sexy but essential.
 
I know he isn't doing it because he thinks 'I know, today I will annoy her and make her feel totally useless'! I know he's trying to "tell" me something which is why I asked for advice on how to relax his jaw!?!
My YM commented on him grabbing hold on the right rein as soon as he got on him and he worked hard on getting him to relax his jaw - he eventually did relax and worked beautifully so this coupled with the fact that he has his back, teeth & saddle checked on a regular basis makes me think it isn't discomfort related.
He's only just started working properly and being asked to carry himself rather than having me help him out all the time and I realise this will be difficult for him initially so I do try to give him the benefit of the doubt and 99% of the time I blame myself as the rider rather than him. I shouldn't take it personally but I do blame myself for not being good enough for him.
I am fully aware that he's uneven - that's the reason for his left rein being far better than his right (another issue we are currently working on).
I have done ground work with him - due to previous issues he wasn't ridden for 9 months and I lunged & long reined him for hours on end! Hes stiff on his right rein on the lunge without tack but works very well on the left.
I'll give it a go being softer and hopefully it will help but I'm already very soft (sometimes too soft) with my hands and I feel that he doesn't always feel like I 'have hold' of him?!
It's not a problem which will be solved overnight I know that and I'm willing to practice, practice & practice some more but it's frustrating none-the-less when he worked so wonderfully only 4 days previously!
Thanks everyone for your advice - I'll try everything that's been suggested and hopefully something will click for us!
 
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