Some CC please on my 4yo (and me!)

[somethingorother]

I disagree. That's called nagging and it's no wonder a horse will switch off.

What's the Einstein quote 'Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results'

Not that I like schooling whips anyway

No horse has ever switched off using this method, one of my biggest priorities after a relaxed horse is to also have a responsive horse. It's all about timing

 

[ausipaliboi]

Hi there, some great replies that make for interesting reading!

What I am going to say will probably contridict most of the posts but this is the way I handle horses.

Focus on hacking, the school doesn't look like an inviting place to learn and without an instructor guiding you motiviation will be low. You have said you were going lenient on her (prior to checkups) but is it also partly laziness on your behalf? Are you mentally expecting her not to go forward and are riding defensively to fight her forward?

Not knowing you or anything about your situation I would say 2 parts of focus are required. First is you need to loosen yourself up and focus on exactly what you want to ask of her. Pilates and also yoga are great for riders. When you are riding her are you mentally preparing for what you are asking? Generally I have found that if you focus on your riding and thinking forward your body follows your mind and your horse follows your body.

Second is your horse, she is young and seems to have had a lot asked of her from previous owner (if I am reading that right). Back off what you are asking of her for a bit while you sort the instructor situation. Take her hacking, expose her to the world so to say and ask very little of her. It seems she is being constantly "told" in an uninviting situation (muddy windy icky poo weather doesn't help!) so until you can have correct training with an instructor work with her to feel her out. I am not saying to let her do what she wants but you need to get to know each other and create a partnership first.

 

[cob&onion]

Its definitely worth getting a second opinion on her saddle, when i backed my mare last summer i used a synthetic saddle for a few weeks, like your horse she wasn't very forward and seemed stuffy through the shoulders. Had a straight cut saddle fitted properly and wow she felt like a different horse, much more responsive and forward going, turns out the other saddle was restricting her through the shoulders. My mare is rising 4 and has been turned away since october and won't be coming back into work till end Feb. Have you though about turning yours away for 6 weeks or so? sometimes it does babies good to have a bit of time off, they often come back much better

 

[Kat]

My mare is 4 and I would also suggest lots of hacking and very little school work.

I spent pretty much April - September of her 4yr old year hacking. It did her lots of good building strength, gaining experience and learning the aids in an easy low pressure way.

It is so important to get them hacking, it keeps them fresh engaged and forward. It gets them seeing life, it gets them strong and fit, and it is a vital skill.

I would back off the school work for now. Build your relationship and her strength and come back to the school when you can get lessons from someone decent.

And consider moving to a yard where you can bring on your own instructor.

 

[Chloe..x]

From the sounds of it, she's done alot at a young age and still looks very young in her conformation. I'd be tempted to turn her away till April/May then introduce things slowly, lots of hacking and school once a week. Some horses are ready quicker than others and your wee youngster does still look very young for her age

 

[AmyMay]

Go out an have some fun on her. Leave the schooling out until she's a bit more switched on, and you're a little more confident on her (you look rather tense). Give her a contact, pop your stirrups up one hole, and get your leg on her.

She's a lovely little horse, just don't rush her.

A good instructor will do wonders for both of you. Where are you liveried? (pm me if you prefer....)

 

[TigerTail]

Give her a contact, pop your stirrups up one hole, and get your leg on her.

No no no no!!!!

Give her a contact = make reins shorter and pull harder on her mouth. Rider is already tipping forward slightly, this will only exacerbate that as well as making the mare uncomfortable in the mouth and confused by mixed signals.

Pop your stirrups up one hole - Rider is already slightly perched, and tipping, to make the stirrups shorter will increase this and lesson the amount of leg around the sides of the horse. Using both legs together blocks the swing of the belly and therefore arrests movement. You would be winching her in at the front then kicking on from behind - awful advice.

Get your leg on her - again, contradictory to the suggestion of more contact and if its kick kick kick you will make her wooden and less responsive to the aids, aside from confused as to why you are kicking with your legs, blocking with your seat and pulling with your hands!

 

[AmyMay]

Give her a contact = make reins shorter and pull harder on her mouth. Rider is already tipping forward slightly, this will only exacerbate that as well as making the mare uncomfortable in the mouth and confused by mixed signals.

I did not say make the reins shorter, just give a contact. OP will do this by bending her elbows. She is perching because she is unbalanced. She needs to sit on her bum, popping her stirrups up one hole will allow her to do this. She will not be able to effectively use her legs until she is in a more balanced position.

Using both legs together blocks the swing of the belly and therefore arrests movement. You would be winching her in at the front then kicking on from behind - awful advice.

I have not said anything about winching the horse in or blocking the movement. The leg should support, not block.

Get your leg on her - again, contradictory to the suggestion of more contact and if its kick kick kick you will make her wooden and less responsive to the aids, aside from confused as to why you are kicking with your legs, blocking with your seat and pulling with your hands!

I have not mentioned anywhere that the OP should kick, kick, kick. I can only surmise that you don't understand the principle of 'leg on'.

 

[Wagtail]

I think your mare is lovely. I can see why her head carriage is so high though. Your hands are way too fixed and high. Try really relaxing your shoulders and allow your elbows to fall at your waist. Sit up straighter and lengthen your reins (still keeping a gentle and flexible contact) and lower your hands. The way you are riding at the moment is actually preventing her from being able to relax at her wither and drop her head. All the softness in your hands should come right from your relaxed shoulders. Concentrate on trying to keep the bit still in her mouth by following each tiny movement she makes with your hands and maintain a soft contact at all times not allowing the reins to go in loops or the strength of the contact to change. You will find that by doing this your hands are not fixed in one position but that they move with the horse.

 

[Kat]

I think OP you should be aiming for a relaxed contact, so you aren't throwing the reins at her in great loops but aren't really asking much of her either. You absolutely do not want to be restrictive, you want her to feel able to relax her head down as if riding a free walk. Aim to hack out with her neck straight out from her withers rather than stuck up giraffe style.

If you do spend time in the school (I appreciate it is a difficult time of year with limited light) then I would be working on absolute basics. Walking, turning, stopping, being able to do basic shapes in the school in walk with a relaxed frame moving forward. Take your time and only move up to trot gradually then work on doing the same things in trot. Babies are wobbly, mine struggled to stay on the track down the longside at one point, she is now trotting big circles and figures of eight as well as doing more transitions. Canter is still a work in progress and whilst I understand she has done a tiny bit of jumping I haven't asked her to do more than trotting poles since I've had her and I won't be jumping until the canter is more balanced and consistant. Try to make it more focussed and interesting by using things like poles on the ground to turn around or walk over, we have cones or skittles out to weave around sometimes.

 

[Ranyhyn]

I have that Pippa Funnell DVD if you'd like a lend EF?

 

[EquestrianFairy]

I have that Pippa Funnell DVD if you'd like a lend EF?

Yes please.

Thanks for all your comments also, they are being taken on onboard hugely.
Im currently looking for a 2nd opinion on a saddler as well.

 

[Bikerchickone]

I agree with the majority saying get out hacking. My 4 year old (5 in June) WBxID does very little in the school and hasn't even seen a jump yet. She's not particularly forward in the school but enjoys hacking and is starting to work 'long and low' as I call it of her own accord whilst out. She enjoys looking around and it's good for her to see the world a bit. She's lunged once or twice a week as she can react badly to wind /rain but other than that school work is mostly a bit of walk and trot with circles, serpentines etc thrown in, and she's coming along nicely. I would say she's slightly more mature looking than your horse too so in your position I'd be inclined to go really slowly to give her a chance to mature. Good luck getting another saddler out, I don;t think that one looks right either.