Ziggy_
Well-Known Member
I've been having the same problem with my mare's schooling since I bought her 9 months ago and I really needs some ideas.
She moves forward nicely, goes in a correct outline, bends left and right although she is much stiffer to the right, does basic lateral work etc. I'm 99% certain is a true outline, not just holding her head in, as you can see her muscles along her neck and back and belly working, and she always tracks up in trot and over tracks in walk, and her topline is developing albeit slowly. She can work long and low when asked or more 'up and together'.
I lunge her regularly and she is the same , I alternate between using a chambon or side reins, or 2 lines.
Now the problem -
No matter what I ask her to do, no matter how much schooling we do or what exercises we try, she always feels like a bomb waiting to go off. She has this constant desire to go up a gear, whatever pace we are in. Other horses will feel really light and responsive, like you could put the reins down and they would carry on in the same outline in the same rhythm. She always feels like shes about to explode. She accepts the contact when my hands are still - but fights downwards transitions and half halts.
The only time I have truely felt like we weren't fighting was one time out hacking, we galloped a good 1-2miles and when i finally started to pull up she rounded up and cantered along for a bit really nicely, neck arched, back working, before dropping back into a big springy trot without any resistance at all.
Its like no matter how much you work her, it will never be enough and I really need some advice.
She lives out 24/7 on moderate grass, no hard feed except a handful of chaff containing garlic and a joint supplement.
She is worked every day, either schooling, lungeing, hacking or jumping if I'm feeling brave! In theory she isn't fit as I don't work her hard, but that said she rarely breaks a sweat or gets out of breath regardless of what you do with her.
Her teeth and back have both been checked since i moved yards 10 days ago and were fine - her teeth are being rasped next month but the vet said they are not bad and it shouldn't affect riding her.
I ride her in a dutch gag and running martingale. I believe the bit may well be too strong for her as she fights it less when i put the reins up a ring, although then it literally takes me three or four laps of the school to pull up from a canter!
I am intending to start having lessons on her in the next few weeks which hopefully will shed some light on the source of the problem.
Shes come such a long way since I bought her, from bombing off in canter within 5 minutes of you getting on and refusing to stop unless you ran her into a fence, but although she doesn't physically pretend to be a racehorse any more, in her head her attitude doesn't seem to have changed.
She is a 16.2 TB, 11 years old. She was bred to event and is not an ex racehorse (well, apparently!). I am at a loss as to the source of the problem, if its down to my riding, her schooling, the bit, or whatever, I've been battling for 9 months and I just want some ideas.
Cookies for getting this far.... any suggestions (literally any!) will be greatly welcomed.
She moves forward nicely, goes in a correct outline, bends left and right although she is much stiffer to the right, does basic lateral work etc. I'm 99% certain is a true outline, not just holding her head in, as you can see her muscles along her neck and back and belly working, and she always tracks up in trot and over tracks in walk, and her topline is developing albeit slowly. She can work long and low when asked or more 'up and together'.
I lunge her regularly and she is the same , I alternate between using a chambon or side reins, or 2 lines.
Now the problem -
No matter what I ask her to do, no matter how much schooling we do or what exercises we try, she always feels like a bomb waiting to go off. She has this constant desire to go up a gear, whatever pace we are in. Other horses will feel really light and responsive, like you could put the reins down and they would carry on in the same outline in the same rhythm. She always feels like shes about to explode. She accepts the contact when my hands are still - but fights downwards transitions and half halts.
The only time I have truely felt like we weren't fighting was one time out hacking, we galloped a good 1-2miles and when i finally started to pull up she rounded up and cantered along for a bit really nicely, neck arched, back working, before dropping back into a big springy trot without any resistance at all.
Its like no matter how much you work her, it will never be enough and I really need some advice.
She lives out 24/7 on moderate grass, no hard feed except a handful of chaff containing garlic and a joint supplement.
She is worked every day, either schooling, lungeing, hacking or jumping if I'm feeling brave! In theory she isn't fit as I don't work her hard, but that said she rarely breaks a sweat or gets out of breath regardless of what you do with her.
Her teeth and back have both been checked since i moved yards 10 days ago and were fine - her teeth are being rasped next month but the vet said they are not bad and it shouldn't affect riding her.
I ride her in a dutch gag and running martingale. I believe the bit may well be too strong for her as she fights it less when i put the reins up a ring, although then it literally takes me three or four laps of the school to pull up from a canter!
I am intending to start having lessons on her in the next few weeks which hopefully will shed some light on the source of the problem.
Shes come such a long way since I bought her, from bombing off in canter within 5 minutes of you getting on and refusing to stop unless you ran her into a fence, but although she doesn't physically pretend to be a racehorse any more, in her head her attitude doesn't seem to have changed.
She is a 16.2 TB, 11 years old. She was bred to event and is not an ex racehorse (well, apparently!). I am at a loss as to the source of the problem, if its down to my riding, her schooling, the bit, or whatever, I've been battling for 9 months and I just want some ideas.
Cookies for getting this far.... any suggestions (literally any!) will be greatly welcomed.
