Schooling a MotorBiking Giraffe - Help Needed!!

3Beasties

3Beasties

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I have just got back from TRYING to school Charlie. It was pants
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Here are my two main problems (there are many more but these were the ones that were really bugging me today!
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)

He goes around like a giraffe 99.9% of the time - Head in the air refusing to accept the bit.

AND

On a Circle he goes around like a motorbike going round a corner.

Any ideas to help with either of these problems?

I was schooling him for over 45 minutes and I really didn't achieve anything
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I know it's more likely to be me rather then him so am after some help on how to improve.
 
You need him working forward with impulsion, not speed.
You need to be rhythmical with your seat, have an effective half halt and work him forwards with your legs into the contact but without speed.
 
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What Bit is he in? Have you tried any other different Bits?

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He is in a copper tom thumb at the moment, he has been in it for about 6 months as he is strong to hack. I am going to change the bit I used for schooling to see if that helps, I was thinking of trying a cherry roller or a hanging cheek?
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It depends on his history/age ect, for us to say what to try RE the working on the bit.
Try leg yielding, turns on the fore hand, and lots of turns and circles to get him off your leg to get his balance right,
RE bit, I would take him back to a french link snaffle or something similar. Maybe a hanging cheek would be good!
I think you need to get him going forward, if he's going forward and working from behind, he should come in to a nice outline
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mine used to be like this... with ALOT of schooling from my instructor and countless lessons, we have now achevied a good outline, which has started to be more consistent..... it has taken the best part of 2 years.... a lot of bit changes and alot of work from both me and my instructor....
when i got him, i would preety much gallop round the arena, no inside bend whatsoever... he carried himself... but the wrong way up
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i now ride him in a flash with a straight bar snaffle.... and it has just taken loads of transitions, to slow him down, and a lot of tweeking on the rein and sqeeuzing with legs, i ahve no built up a lot of muscle on both me and him... i find it just takes time, but you can get there in the end.. not much help i know, but it is time, it wont be solved tommorow..... but you can solve it, just keep doing transitions to slow him down, LOTS of inside leg to push him out, and although not correct and will help for a bit until he strengthens up, pull your inside rein up and across.... i know not correct but helps with getting inside bend....
good luck! remeber it will take time..... hopefully it wont take 2 years, but it will take time...
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My mare is ex-polo and she is exactly the same. After 18 months we are finally getting there. I have her in a sweet iron snaffle and drop noseband. I hate to say it but I have literally just done transition after transition. Lots of inside leg and circles of different sizes and leg yielding back and forward from the track. It was so frustrating since I felt like we weren't making progress but she eventuallly got the hang of it.
 
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