riding a strong horse

[Crazycob06]

feeling a bit miserable tonight. i love my girl to bits, she still has so much to learn and so do i and she is really putting in a lot of effort bless her but i am struggling with how strong she can be.
its mainly when cantering or jumping (we only pop a little jump in the school) but some times even trotting.
she is a heavy welsh cob and im worried she is too much for me.
i feel like i am always fighting with her and i am worried that she wont progress any further than a happy hacker with me riding her.
i know i am being silly and i still have so much to learn. luckily i have an awesome instructor. i would just like to enjoy working with her more.

any tips out there on how to handle a strong horse and if they get any better?

 

[Devonshire dumpling]

I find with my strong cobs if you give them the reins they don't really go any faster, they just stop pulling/leaning, then you can get them back again, ie give and take with the reins, and get them working from behind, so you need good strong seat and legs xx

 

[Fimbacob]

I can totally relate to this. Dont despair! I also have a cob and what makes it worse is that everyone thinks hes a hairy cob so butter wouldnt melt, when actually he can tank with the best of them!
Im assuming all health checks have been done,

 

[Fimbacob]

Stupid phone... Bear with me!

 

[Fimbacob]

Agree with dev.d post, I found my nervousness meant I hung onto the reins which made it worse. It takes some bottle but releasing the contact did help.

 

[Simbacat]

How's about trying a different bit, I have just posted about how much happier I am now I have made the switch to a Neue Schule Tranz Angled Universal

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I hack my Draft horse in a NS Universal with 2 reins, so that if I need to, I can just remind her of her manners with the curb rein. She schools in a snaffle but likes hacking better.

 

[texel]

Strong horses can be improved there is no doubt, some folk grab a more severe bit but this is not the answer; education and experience is. If you just use pain to control your cob, not only will she be miserable and potentially dangerous, you will have to keep stepping up to more severe headgear until you run out of options, at which time she will most likely be ruined and unsalvageable. You need to control her mind to control her body.

as a matter of interest what has your awesome instructor suggested so far ?

 

[Crazycob06]

I find with my strong cobs if you give them the reins they don't really go any faster, they just stop pulling/leaning, then you can get them back again, ie give and take with the reins, and get them working from behind, so you need good strong seat and legs xx

unfortunately if i give with the reins she would try and tank off! i know what you mean about the seat and legs and my seat is improving a lot but i am struggling with my legs! i will try the giving and taking again and see, thanks for the reply.x

 

[Crazycob06]

I can totally relate to this. Dont despair! I also have a cob and what makes it worse is that everyone thinks hes a hairy cob so butter wouldnt melt, when actually he can tank with the best of them!
Im assuming all health checks have been done,

yes, she has just always been strong and strong willed too!

 

[Crazycob06]

Agree with dev.d post, I found my nervousness meant I hung onto the reins which made it worse. It takes some bottle but releasing the contact did help.

thats a good point, i do that a bit too...

 

[Crazycob06]

How's about trying a different bit, I have just posted about how much happier I am now I have made the switch to a Neue Schule Tranz Angled Universal

i put her in a dutch gag on the second ring a while back and it made a big difference! i was advised it by my instructor and another. and i am careful with it but that doesnt seem to be helping at the minute and i dont really want to go down to the third ring.

 

[Rhodders]

find somewhere safe to "tank off" then let go, when your horse wants to wrap in the towel push some more. Sometimes our idea of what tanking off is, doesn't match what our horses idea of it is. Sometimes it's better to just let go and see just how truly awful it is or if it's just a spin in the park?

 

[Pearlsasinger]

i put her in a dutch gag on the second ring a while back and it made a big difference! i was advised it by my instructor and another. and i am careful with it but that doesnt seem to be helping at the minute and i dont really want to go down to the third ring.

I suggest that you use 2 reins with your gag, one on the snaffle ring and one on either the 2nd or 3rd, use the snaffle rein most of the time but if she starts leaning/pulling, use the curb rein to reminder to behave.

 

[RaYandFinn]

I can totally relate to this. My cob was exactly the same... To the point where I had no control and wanted to sell him. I was frightened if I have the reins he would tank off (as he had done previously) and we just ended up in a constant battle.

Deep down, I knew I couldn't sell him, he'd been badly mistreated and I promised that he would have a forever home with me.

So what did I do... Bluntly, 3 years of bloody hard work! I found an awesome instructor who literally saved us. Changed his bit from a Sam Marsh Pelham to a myler ported snaffle, and started schooling.

Lots of transitions, half halts using my seat, and building confidence to let him 'run on' before asking him to listen. I find I have to work him really hard to get him warmed up and listening and I can't emphasise enough, what a long, hard road it's been.

There are no quick fixes and bitting up will achieve nothing.

My boy is still far from perfect but he has come miles from where he was and is heading in the right direction. From this...

To this...

Feel free to PM me if you want to

 

[Crazycob06]

Strong horses can be improved there is no doubt, some folk grab a more severe bit but this is not the answer; education and experience is. If you just use pain to control your cob, not only will she be miserable and potentially dangerous, you will have to keep stepping up to more severe headgear until you run out of options, at which time she will most likely be ruined and unsalvageable. You need to control her mind to control her body.

as a matter of interest what has your awesome instructor suggested so far ?

i completely agree with you, as i said i have already put her in a dutch gag but i dont really want to keep trying stronger bits.

at the minute we are mainly working with her in trot and when she gets strong, mainly on the bends, i am giving half halts which does help but i feel i am constantly having to do it and not little half halts either. the canter work i have done so far with my instructor is mainly just encouraging her to go into canter and praising after as we have had a lot of issues with the canter transition. my instructor seems to think she has had bad experiences with it before i got her as she just panics and takes off. although that said, she will come back to trot as soon as asked.

 

[Crazycob06]

I can totally relate to this. My cob was exactly the same... To the point where I had no control and wanted to sell him. I was frightened if I have the reins he would tank off (as he had done previously) and we just ended up in a constant battle.

Deep down, I knew I couldn't sell him, he'd been badly mistreated and I promised that he would have a forever home with me.

So what did I do... Bluntly, 3 years of bloody hard work! I found an awesome instructor who literally saved us. Changed his bit from a Sam Marsh Pelham to a myler ported snaffle, and started schooling.

Lots of transitions, half halts using my seat, and building confidence to let him 'run on' before asking him to listen. I find I have to work him really hard to get him warmed up and listening and I can't emphasise enough, what a long, hard road it's been.

There are no quick fixes and bitting up will achieve nothing.

My boy is still far from perfect but he has come miles from where he was and is heading in the right direction. From this...

To this...

Feel free to PM me if you want to

thank you! and well done for all your hard work! your boy looks lovely!

 

[LizzieRC1313]

I empathise with this as my horse is seriously strong too. If he wants to go he will go and I have no say in the matter. We have decided it's time for a new horse with better 'brakes' although in reality (with mine at least) this means something that is more balanced, with better established flatwork and something much less on the forehand. What we will do with my current horse is undecided, he may stay with us as an incredibly expensive pet. However, I would say what I have learnt from my experience is that some people don't mind a horse that takes a strong hold and living life in the fast lane and some people do, mainly depending on your experience and confidence. It might be worth thinking about and discussing with people you trust whether you think horse will improve if a lot of hard work and patience or if she may be better off with someone who will enjoy that out of control feeling!! ( I know it well!) This is the decision we have had to make and although horrible and stressful, we finally decided that there was little chance of making a huge amount of improvement to my boy due to his age etc and that there was a strong risk of us losing confidence with him tanking off with us which may put us off riding for life. I hope this helps, if only to make you realise you aren't the only one!!

 

[Crazycob06]

I empathise with this as my horse is seriously strong too. If he wants to go he will go and I have no say in the matter. We have decided it's time for a new horse with better 'brakes' although in reality (with mine at least) this means something that is more balanced, with better established flatwork and something much less on the forehand. What we will do with my current horse is undecided, he may stay with us as an incredibly expensive pet. However, I would say what I have learnt from my experience is that some people don't mind a horse that takes a strong hold and living life in the fast lane and some people do, mainly depending on your experience and confidence. It might be worth thinking about and discussing with people you trust whether you think horse will improve if a lot of hard work and patience or if she may be better off with someone who will enjoy that out of control feeling!! ( I know it well!) This is the decision we have had to make and although horrible and stressful, we finally decided that there was little chance of making a huge amount of improvement to my boy due to his age etc and that there was a strong risk of us losing confidence with him tanking off with us which may put us off riding for life. I hope this helps, if only to make you realise you aren't the only one!!

thank you for your honesty, and i must admit i was thinking along those lines this evening. she is however only 7 and was not broken until last year. and i do trust her not to take off (well keep going anyway ) i just dont want to feel i am fighting with her all the time. i am going to preserver, if nothing else i am far too attached to her and cant afford another but i can totally see where your coming from and hope you find a great new horse.

sorry meant persevere! haha!

 

[spotty_pony]

As others have said, it's all about giving an taking the reins and not giving them anything to be able to hold and lean on. Checking with one rein and then the other is also a lot more affective than using both reins at the same time. If you are looking for a bit change then I would suggest a Waterford snaffle as this will prevent him from being able to grab the bit/lean on it. I ride a Trakehner who can be very strong at times (also due to leaning on the bit) but since I changed his bit to a Waterford he has been a different horse to ride - a lot lighter and more responsive (and a lot kinder to my arms and back!)

Good luck!

 

[Pale Rider]

Horses are strong, because basically they are not taking any notice of you.

You need to be confident, and you need to be the leader.

This business of messing about with stronger and stronger bits is a waste of time. It may give you confidence that you can stop, but it's really false. The horse can pull you and the barn if it takes the bit in its teeth. (Hence the old saying).

Bits are not brakes, so stop pretending they are. Ride the horse not his head. Learn to use your seat.

A good instructor who would insist you don't use a bridle would be a start.

 

[ridefast]

I find with my strong cobs if you give them the reins they don't really go any faster, they just stop pulling/leaning, then you can get them back again, ie give and take with the reins, and get them working from behind, so you need good strong seat and legs xx

This, try to get her working from behind and lifting in front. You can do this on the ground, lunging over raised trotting poles, turn on the haunches, turn on the forehand, back up, shoulder in 3 track and 4 track (which can then lead on to half pass, travers etc, how exciting!) Try to ride in a way so that if the horse is doing what you're asking then you don't do anything, english riding is all about nagging, but if your horse is trotting, relax the reins and let her trot, she'll find her own balance and rhythm that way. It's so tempting to interfere and control horses all the time but as DD said,, mine will only ever get strong if I'm holding on to her, and I haven't held onto her since I first backed her at 3 and worked it out. She's 7 and we can hack out alone, in company, on a loose rein, she doesn't get worked up when other horses are being silly etc

 

[ridefast]

i completely agree with you, as i said i have already put her in a dutch gag but i dont really want to keep trying stronger bits.

at the minute we are mainly working with her in trot and when she gets strong, mainly on the bends, i am giving half halts which does help but i feel i am constantly having to do it and not little half halts either. the canter work i have done so far with my instructor is mainly just encouraging her to go into canter and praising after as we have had a lot of issues with the canter transition. my instructor seems to think she has had bad experiences with it before i got her as she just panics and takes off. although that said, she will come back to trot as soon as asked.

Getting strong on the bends says to me that she's unbalanced. How much ground work has she done prior to being ridden? How old is she? Is she still growing?
As for canter, again she could simply be unbalanced. Mine was the same to begin with, lots of lunging, loose schooling, in hand work has got her now balanced and in control of her body. You could try when riding doing lots of transitions, such as trot to halt then ask to back up a stride (this will help shift weight onto the back end and lift front end) then forward into trot and give her the reins to really go forward and not lean on your hands, trot to halt, back up etc
You could try setting out patterns with cones and weave in and out so your horse has to learn how to balance herself and push with different hind legs

 

[NaeNae87]

My gelding is really strong.

His saddle fits awesomely, there are no pain issues, his teeth are done regularly, he gets massaged at least 2 times a month, his feet are fine and to school on the flat he is lovely and soft. He responds to light aids, really responsive to your seat and can be ridden without a bridle....
As soon as you get him to go faster than a trot out in the open or put a jump in front of him, all his good schooling and manners go out the window and he grows horns and a forked tail. He will pull like a freight train, take off and not stop.

I have worked with various re-educators, had him remouthed and both my instructors have taken the pair of us for "boot camp" to get him out of this behaviour and see if it is me and my position causing it, nothing has worked. His striding and impulsion have improved and that is about it. The only thing that has helped is a different bit and believe me, it was my very, very last resort.

I have him in a Stubben EZ Control Pelham and he is awesome in it. I can let him go, not touch his mouth at all until I need to adjust the speed or direction and he responds to the lightest of touches and my seat which is exactly how he is when he is being schooled on the flat. The majority of horses can be worked with and they improve to no end where as otheres like my boy, well it's just how they are.