Straighter horse, now on forehand... next set of exercises to do?

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maya2008

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You were all so helpful last time I asked for help...!

I now have a coblet who goes forward in all paces and is straight (well as straight as your average 4yo can be) once we have done our warm-up. Problem is, this creates lots more power behind, and he just doesn’t know what to do with it! It ends up pushing him on his forehand. In trot, if I let him stretch his neck more, he can find his own balance (but I would be stuffed if he spooked!). In canter we are struggling.

I don’t remember this stage with my others, but then they were never so obviously crooked as he was. Exercises to help him find his new balance/ direct the power in the right direction please!
 
A 4 year old cob will be on the forehand to an extent and I would accept that for now, work on keeping him straight, slowing down the rhythm, let him find his own balance on a long not loose rein, if you have the right contact and balance spooking should not be an issue unless he is known to drop his shoulder and buck, most take time to to learn how to go in self carriage and often go too fast at this stage almost in a bit of a panic, simple lateral work may help but can create more power than they can cope with, transitions and hacking up hills may prove more beneficial.
 
My cob was pretty downhill until he was about 6. I think, to some degree, they are built that way until they level out and often have so much power behind that the front end is too slow to get out of the way. Mine was too weak to back at 4 so I waited another year. At 5 he was still downhill and we worked on a very gentle (but consistent) contact to encourage softness and flexions with tons of hacking across all terrain, including loads of hillwork - up and down - interval training, etc. At 6 he had the strength to pick himself up (and then promptly had mega temper tantrums for a few months!) .... from then on he school very nicely. Did all the same exercises as with my warmblood - lots of flexions, all forms of lateral work, and most importantly varied terrains!
 
Thanks - will carry on with the lateral work we do. Transitions (and pole work maybe?) can always be done more! Hacking is all hills.

That said, he's the only 4yo I have ever had who will come back to me after being overtaken by a panicked, galloping loose horse. So I can't really complain about the 'different' schooling challenges!
 
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