Straightness, I feel like giving up sometimes! Help!

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Kacey88

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I've been schooling Milly lightly over the past four weeks. Maybe 3/4 times a week, out in a big field (nowhere else to ride at the moment). Our biggest problem is straightness, and its so frustrating. Sometimes she just decides to walk/trot completely sideways, especially if she's excited or in an odd mood. It takes about half an hour to get her to start working properly and stop wriggling like a worm! Its worse in certain directions, and if we ride by the gate its really bad, she always swings towards it. She's only 5/6 and was never schooled properly at all. I use a de gogue sometimes which I find helps, but don't want to rely on it. I feel like I'll never get her going properly sometimes!

Advice and reassurance needed!
 
Try squares, keeping well away from the gate. You don't want to make them too big, 15m is plenty to start with so you almost think pirouette on the corners, then walk straight away and before she has a chance to go sideways you're turning the next corner. As you find it easier to catch her on those very short sides you can build up the length of them.
 
IF she's still being awkward and you have access to trotting poles lay out four at each corner two on the inside and two on the outside so she has something to look at and aim at getting through as well as guide her.
 
quirky said:
How do you try to correct her?

You have to make sure she is straight in the shoulders.
Click to expand...

If she's quite bad I tend to bring her back to walk/halt. I also put pressure on her with my leg on which side she's leaning towards. Its as if she doesn't want to go in a particular direction so just won't go forwards straight. My instructor also told me to hold the rein in which ever direction she's leaning towards nice and steady and open up the other rein. So frustrating :(
 
have you tried bareback? I had exactly the same problem with my mare, although she was fine in walk, she would literally set off at 45degrees everytime i asked for trot - and not always in the same direction. Couldn't for the life of me figure it out, was tearing my hair out, having people watch me to see if i was doing something weird, other people ride her, tried poles to keep her straight, nothing worked!
....until I discovered my saddle was slipping/twisting at the back and so inadvertantly I must have been putting more weight on one side and it turns out she is massively sensitive to this!
saddle off = 100x straighter!
 
I had this problem with my forester (AND STILL DO!) corners & squares work really well for me, they really get him thinking!

When he was really bad my trainer used to make me take him through the centre of trotting poles as fast as necessary until he was straight...Was pretty much a gallop! By the end of the session I could walk through them in a straight line!

I always use poles to take his mind off things, and they give me something to aim at, as well as keeping to circles, rather than using a big area all the time.

I hope you find something that works for you! It takes a lot of time, I have had pony 6 years and he still does it when he gets fidgety!
 
If she is swinging her quarters, trying to push her back with your leg is fine. If she is falling out through her shoulder, trying to push her quarters back will not achieve much.
I wouldn't be asking for any type of bend at this point, I would want her straight in her neck and body.

If you are unsure if it is her shoulders (my guess it is, typical young horse evasion), pop your whip in your outside hands and place it on her shoulder. You might feel/see a difference in her front end. If you do, you have something to work on :)

Obviously, don't try this if she is whip shy!

Alternatively, do you lunge her? If you do, try doing her with 2 lines so you can control her shoulder more.
 
If she is swinging her quarters, trying to push her back with your leg is fine. If she is falling out through her shoulder, trying to push her quarters back will not achieve much.
I wouldn't be asking for any type of bend at this point, I would want her straight in her neck and body.

If you are unsure if it is her shoulders (my guess it is, typical young horse evasion), pop your whip in your outside hands and place it on her shoulder. You might feel/see a difference in her front end. If you do, you have something to work on

Obviously, don't try this if she is whip shy!

Alternatively, do you lunge her? If you do, try doing her with 2 lines so you can control her shoulder more
Click to expand...

Agree with this totally :) I had to strip right back to the basics!
 
quirky said:
If she is swinging her quarters, trying to push her back with your leg is fine. If she is falling out through her shoulder, trying to push her quarters back will not achieve much.
I wouldn't be asking for any type of bend at this point, I would want her straight in her neck and body.

If you are unsure if it is her shoulders (my guess it is, typical young horse evasion), pop your whip in your outside hands and place it on her shoulder. You might feel/see a difference in her front end. If you do, you have something to work on :)

Obviously, don't try this if she is whip shy!

Alternatively, do you lunge her? If you do, try doing her with 2 lines so you can control her shoulder more.
Click to expand...

She's worse with a whip, she gets a bit worried. Which I think is the problem. She's much better in places she's well used to. I'm pretty sure its her quarters she's swinging out. She's much better with the de gogue, or without when she's listening to me and is on the bit. So, maybe my problem is getting her working properly consistently? She is at her worse when she just won't accept the bit and is distracted by everything!
 
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