Someone help me explain to my horse that i've never wanted to ride a motorbike?

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QueenDee_

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After having a bit of fun hacking around and jumping in the back field I decided its time to crack down on the schooling. But apparently my Thoroughbred, Comet, has no interest in this circling and going around at something near a steady pace, and feels the need to 'motor bike' round corners & on circles... having never had any intention of owning or buying a motorbike i'd like some advice as to how to steady her and teach her to bend not lean...

Shes okay in trot and walk, however in canter she seems to go into TB mode, head up, jaw locked, GOGOGO :o she isn't in any discomfort of any kind, saddle fits, teeth okay so I know this isn't a reason. However she seems worse on the right rein, and appears stiffer through her right side than the left. Whether this is just because in the past 8 years she hasn't done any schooling, my Mom's just hacked her about and she had last year off to foal, bit I was debating getting physio out just to see if she is all she should be.

In the mean time, how can I get her more balanced and accepting with the contact, lowering the head and generally not being such a stiff necked, thin legged, speed demon of a Thoroughbred :D

Cake and coffee for reading this ;)
 
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I would love to know too! - Mine was stiff on the right hand side, with physio and chiro and saddle fitting later - its a case of teaching her that its ok to do Big circle, not 5m Polo Pony style loops!
 
Lunge her quietly, every day, keep adjusting the radius of the circles and use different paces, do not concentrate on the canter, she needs to build and stretch muscles on both sides evenly. She is unbalanced and that is why she is motoring round the corners.
You can also put single poles in the corners so she has to look where she is placing her feet.
Use lots of grid work and tiny pop fences in a row so she knows she needs to think about things, and get used to turning.
101 jumping exercises is the best book for all groundwork of this type, and guess what, there are 25 exercises where you do not leave the ground!
Handle her on the offside, and ask her to bend round you, when you put her in her stable
 
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Definatly physio or mctimoney. Then just work on it. Carrot stretches are good. Get her to stand still then interest her in a carrot and move it to her side, get her to bend round and reach for it. Start gently and get her bending further gradually. But definatly physio or similar. They will help u with the stretches also.
 
Hi, I would suggest work in the walk and move up to the trot when she is balanced, forward, stretchy (both front to back and also her sides).

The racing about can be lack of balance, lack of education etc...

Check her back, teeth and saddle/tack out if not already.

I have owned motorbikes and getting your knee down is great fun, but motoring around on the horse is simply dangerous and puts massive pressure on the horse in all the wrong places - take your time and work through each pace thoroughly.

If she can't maintain softness, submissive and supple frame in the walk, then you will just be magnifying the situation more each time you go up a pace.

Patience is a key here.
Good luck!
 
I did the lunging route, it took time but seems to be worth it now as he doesn't motorbike. Oddly enough he has always had the most beautiful balanced canter when ridden but never when lunged...

He used to go a bit loopy at first and motorbike and I used to try and stop him and calm him down, which took at lot of effort and harrasement! Then I let him get on with it and wear himself out and he learnt of his own accord he didn't need to do it and then settled better into working on the lunge and he will now happily lunge himself to a point :)
 
The canter is always the most difficult pace to balance. Your horse needs to be strong enough to take the weight back onto her hocks in order to canter sensibly with correct lateral bend.

So, yes, this may all be down to schooling, but also, I have to warn you that it can also be down to physical problems. My own ex racer had exactly this problem. He could do fabulous work in walk and trot but in canter he would motorbike round and throw his head up in the air. It was worse on the lunge, as when I rode him, I was able to balance his canter more. However, I have recently had him checked over by a vet as I could tell he was still not happy and very reluctant to canter. He has been diagnosed with marked hock arthritis in both hinds. He is not at all lame or unlevel as his problem is bilateral. Flexion tests showed only slight lameness, but the arthritic changes are severe and are obviously interfering with his ability to canter properly. If your mare does not quickly respond to effective schooling, then I would urge you to get her hocks and back checked by the vet.
 
I would also turn her head ever so slightly to the outside, get true straightness like this before you ask for a very slight inside flexion. double check your position in the saddle too :D
 
Difificult to advise without knowing your horse- just a quick reply with things i have come accross and been taught!may or may not be of help!!- but if it were mine I'd try riding in square shapes and diamond shapes- this will help you control the outside shoulder and get him connected from inside leg to outside hand. Lots of transitions and transitions in the paces will get the hind leg active, half halts before a corner, if he goes to run through it stop him in the corner and then turn, leg yieding, the more active they are in the hindleg, the rounder and lighter they will be in front. Make sure the rythm is the same, and contact constant and elastic, allowing when he is soft, if he goes to run i'd sit deep and slow with seat so the hand can't become a handbrake! I'd think about "breaking" down the aids and keeping them minimal so it is all black and white i.e if he is forwards then legs slightly way from sides and still with loose knee so he can't get tense in back, if he rushes use seat to slow. Also on the straight sides: forward and straight, and use corners to get bend in the body and active behind, are you straight as well and sitting evenly on both seatbones?

Leg yielding and spirralling in and out on a circle may be useful and thinking shoulder fore when he goes to run on.

gd luck!

To get more suppleness with one of my horses i do loads of work in walk before i do anything else, walking random circles shapes and leg yielding etc.
 
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K27 said:
Difificult to advise without knowing your horse- just a quick reply with things i have come accross and been taught!may or may not be of help!!- but if it were mine I'd try riding in square shapes and diamond shapes- this will help you control the outside shoulder and get him connected from inside leg to outside hand. Lots of transitions and transitions in the paces will get the hind leg active, half halts before a corner, if he goes to run through it stop him in the corner and then turn, leg yieding, the more active they are in the hindleg, the rounder and lighter they will be in front. Make sure the rythm is the same, and contact constant and elastic, allowing when he is soft, if he goes to run i'd sit deep and slow with seat so the hand can't become a handbrake! I'd think about "breaking" down the aids and keeping them minimal so it is all black and white i.e if he is forwards then legs slightly way from sides and still with loose knee so he can't get tense in back, if he rushes use seat to slow. Also on the straight sides: forward and straight, and use corners to get bend in the body and active behind, are you straight as well and sitting evenly on both seatbones?

Leg yielding and spirralling in and out on a circle may be useful and thinking shoulder fore when he goes to run on.

gd luck!

To get more suppleness with one of my horses i do loads of work in walk before i do anything else, walking random circles shapes and leg yielding etc.
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This is EXACTLY what I've been doing with my new loan horse who thinks that the school is a place to do the wall of death!! She uses it as a way of evading work. Its good to read someone else's explanation so thanks K27 :), the parts about loose knees and not having handbrake hands are definitely something for me to remember!!

A typical session will involve walk, trot and canter on each rein without asking for much more than her attention - she is SO nosey and wants to look over the hedge the whole time. Its her first level evasion. Then we'll progress to some walk work and if tht goes ok will go on to trot but with the idea of coming back to walk if she get above herself. My aim at the moment is to finish on a good trot exercise of some sort and the canter can come later. Oddly she has a much more balanced canter than trot.

I find there are certain places in the school that she tries to rush (its not flat), so use lots of half halts, transitions or changes of direction in those places more than others. The bottom corner is particularly bad so we do lots of circles/diamonds there if she tries to rush and once she has settled then I'll leg yeild onto the straight side. Mine is a toad for falling in through her inside shoulder, but as soon as you correct it, she swings her quarters out. She is very different to my previous horse and at the moment she thinks she is one step ahead of me but hopefully as our relationship develops I will be able to set her right before she has even thought about the next evasion. I love getting into their heads!!
 
Wobblywibble said:
This is EXACTLY what I've been doing with my new loan horse who thinks that the school is a place to do the wall of death!! She uses it as a way of evading work. Its good to read someone else's explanation so thanks K27 :), the parts about loose knees and not having handbrake hands are definitely something for me to remember!!

A typical session will involve walk, trot and canter on each rein without asking for much more than her attention - she is SO nosey and wants to look over the hedge the whole time. Its her first level evasion. Then we'll progress to some walk work and if tht goes ok will go on to trot but with the idea of coming back to walk if she get above herself. My aim at the moment is to finish on a good trot exercise of some sort and the canter can come later. Oddly she has a much more balanced canter than trot.

I find there are certain places in the school that she tries to rush (its not flat), so use lots of half halts, transitions or changes of direction in those places more than others. The bottom corner is particularly bad so we do lots of circles/diamonds there if she tries to rush and once she has settled then I'll leg yeild onto the straight side. Mine is a toad for falling in through her inside shoulder, but as soon as you correct it, she swings her quarters out. She is very different to my previous horse and at the moment she thinks she is one step ahead of me but hopefully as our relationship develops I will be able to set her right before she has even thought about the next evasion. I love getting into their heads!!
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Ha ha i just typed out quickly my thoughts and what i've been taught over the years with my horses- didn't know how useful it would actually be- but you're welcome anyway!!

Good luck with your mare- i have a cheeky chappy too who because he's waay taller than the arena fence thinks its his excuse to look around at the scenery rather than working!

one of my horses used to try to fall in thru inside shoulder so i had to counter flex him to the outside which helps, and also taught him haunches in and haunches out, even now he occasionally will try to drop his inside rib cage and fall out thru outside so i have to keep outside contact and he gets a pony kick with inside leg as a reminder! - sort one thing out and they try something else! they're not silly! :)
 
Thanks for all the replies! :D Whenever I have problems you folks always seem to be able to come up with a range of things to help ;)
 
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