Schooling probs

[toomanyhorses26]

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I have a couple of schooling issues with two of my neddies and was hoping for a bit of advice. My 18-20 year old welsh x irish draught x arab mare works quite nicely into an outline and tracks up but never seems to put any muscle onto her hind quarters as you can see from the picture. We seem to spend our lives doing transitions and lateral work but never any real results. Could this just be her or am I missing something really obvious?? Then I have a big gangley tb out of racing about 6 months who has been chilling out but now I am wanting to start getting him working correctly. He understands the aids pretty well with not too many crossed wires but he has the opposite problem in the fact that his hind quarters are quite well developed but he has a very long weak neck and the power from behind tends to put him off balance. Any thoughts on this one as well (sorry no pictures of tb being ridden but thought the ones posted might give an idea of his confirmation

 

[Daisychain]

Your older mare is unlikely to change much at her age, and i personally wouldnt worry to much, Love your chestnut horse, looks a promising eventer sort to me... would do lots of longreining with transitions so he starts to learn to carry himself, lots of transitions on the flat so he starts to pick his front end up. It will take you a good six months at least i should think.

 

[Partoow]

Your older horse does not work from behind by the looks of things. She gives the impression of being in 'an outline' but she is not truely too the hand. You can see this in the photo by the slack rein, she hides in it rather than connects with it and this is why she has not built up behind.
As for your TB you need to make sure that you really concentrate on the rhythm of the trot and not to cofuse forward with speed this is something he will find difficult. he needs to learn to lift from within the shoulders by carrying more under from behind. To acheive this you need to make sure that you work on staightness and the balance between the inside rein and the outside shoulder. Think of it like you are carrying a tray of drinks , not only that but you need to keep all those drinks on that tray in all the paces and through turns and circles.
Using squares not circles in the begining is also good as he needs to learn that 'one leg at the girth is connect, not go faster. Two legs is go' Make sure that he understands that the rein provides the limits and that he must be on the end of that rein and that you the rider keep that line of communication open and straight , remembering you are holding the bit rings this will help you understand the message you are giving down the rein to the bit. the connection is required in both reins and is from him learning that he carries from behind to the hand not running against it.
This probably sounds all very complicated but its not. Start with rhythm and relaxation. Keep that in all movements. no mattter what you are asking the rhythm should be the same and that the transitiions go from walk to trot, not walk.... speeding up..... running to trot. You need the smallest most light in balance transition so that he learns to balance his power and not collide with the hand by being 'fired ' into trot.so that your inside leg talks dirrectly to his inside leg.All transitions start and finish on the hindleg Therefore you need to pay attension to the timing of the touch with the inside leg and the feel in the outside rein.
Oh goodness me i could go on.... probably have too much already....
Good luck

 

[BethFoley]

Hi, I disagree with the comment saying an older horse is unlikely to change, it just takes hard work. Try doing smallish circles like 10m circles in each corner of the school, but make sure she is felxxing properly, it shoulf feel as though her whole body is curving inwards, but make sure to use a lot of leg. This could possile help with the ex-race horse you have, or you could try training aids such as bungees.

 

[toomanyhorses26]

Thanks for all the comments excercied them both today concentratign on what has been said above v v hard wok on the mare as she is the master of evasions but hopefully we will get somewhere!! TB was very well behaved today on the lunge with his bungee on. Wasn't very sure to begin with but ended working really nicely very soft through his neck and back and the back end started to work properly. Eventing was my plan for him as he has really good paces even though they aren't always very well controlled at the mo but the potential is there and he was bsja by his trainers before he came to me it's just the xc part we need to work on now as he isn't the bravest of animals - thought about hunting him a couple of times to see how we got on