Supplening up a horse and getting them to bend around inside leg?

Perfect_Pirouette

Perfect_Pirouette

Well-Known Member
Joined
15 February 2009
Messages
4,437
Visit site
Okay, so had new horse for a month, had him for 3 weeks and then went on holiday for a week last week. Got back last night and rode him this morning.

I did post a vid of him a few weeks ago when I first got him, he is lovely but needs some work. Here it is again, although not sure it'll tell you much

http://s748.photobucket.com/albums/xx121/horsemadme/?action=view&current=Picture186.mp4

The main issue is his lack of suppleness. He just doesn't seem to get the concept of bending around your inside leg on a circle and either falls out OR in but sort of whilst remaining straight? I know I'm sounding like a complete idiot lol :o

He just seems stiff and unyielding. He is unfit and overweight which really doesn't help, he is on a diet and is now being ridden 5-6 x a week so I'm hoping he'll drop the weight and fitten up in a reasonable amount of time which should help.

I tend to start our schooling sessions off with lots of long and low, really making sure he's working over his back and swinging through. I then ask for flexion on both reins, with straightness in between and he DOES loosen up. However we then go into trot and he stiffens again, so again I repeat it in trot and again he loosens, however then when I start a circle he just doesn't follow me lol, I make the shape with my eyeline and probably hint at it with my body lol but he just seems to stay straight, I have to really ASK for flexion and put my inside leg slightly behind the girth to get any degree of bend around it. I have been doing some leg yield, shoulder inn with him to try and supple him up more and get him moving away from and around my leg.

He is getting better but I am wondering whether there are any exercises I can do? I normally have weekly lessons but TBH, after only 30 mins in school atm he is knackered and now that I have him at home I am going to have to pay my trainer petrol on top of lesson which will make it quite expensive, not a problem but would rather wait another few weeks before I start up the lessons when he's slightly fitter and could probably cope more easily with 45-60 mins.
 
try some of the following, shallow loops in walk then trot, turn on the forehand, good one is to ride a 10m circle and really push the back end out as much as you can but keeping the front end on the circle, squares instead of circles, serpentines but from both 3/4 lines so only 10m width.
It will be hard to start with but will improve with time and effort, good luck.
 
from the vid: that looks a nice tempo, i wouldn't go any quicker. think 'heavy elbows' because your elbows look rather locked which locks your hands down and wide when they could do with being a bit more up and together, i think. also, draw yourself up and be proud, you look a bit slouchy (could just be the effect of what you're wearing though, sorry if so!) if he's idle off the leg try not to flap your leg at him as you did in the vid towards the end, either give him a flick with schooling whip, or a single poke with spur, or 1 big pony-club kick (and be careful not to catch him in the mouth if he does as he's told and jumps forward!) he has to be in front of the leg as well as accepting it...

i'd get his back checked if you haven't already, sometimes there's a physical reason for a horse being unwilling to give at the ribs, not just cluelessness.
i would do a lot of work in walk, he won't get exhausted then and you can feel instantly if he starts escaping, losing his balance etc. small circle spiralling out, shoulder-fore, leg yielding from 2nd to 1st track, then 3rd to first, etc etc. when he really gets that idea, leg yield zig-zags down the track is a good one. walk serpentine, 10m loops, with a 10m walk circle every time you cross the centre line, is also very good. make sure you don't compromise your position to try to 'help' him - check you're central etc etc. you shouldn't need to put your inside leg behind the girth to get bend, as you say up there... you're more likely to get the 1/4s swinging out... think of inside leg on the girth like a pole to bend the horse around, maybe? make sure his neck stays central between his shoulders, that he doesn't cheat by giving you too much neck bend and falling onto his outside shoulder when you ask. you only want enough bend through neck to see the inside eye shining. contrabend is useful too once he starts to get the idea.
hope that helps a bit.
 
You just need to do plenty of walk pirouettes (half) and leg yielding. One squeeze/tap with your outside leg a little behind the girth and he should respond immediately and move away. If not,back up with a schooling whip/good boot with foot. Then let legs hang lightly. Once he's moving his back away from leg also flex the neck-quite long reins and open inside hand- he'll brace against you then soften- as soon as he does that,soften hand immediately.
Just loads of work in walk like this to get him give with his body & become bendy in body/neck, counter flexion of the neck, leg yielding etc, then move up to trot. Always go back to walk if he falls onto your inside leg on a circle, give him a kick with inside leg, open inside rein, as soon as he,s bending correctly you can then move back up to trot. Be carefull not to nag the whole time tho-it will be really hard for him and will take a while for him to supple up-so only short 10/15 min sessions to start with.
 
My boy is stiff on one side so on one rein I have to use outside rein to support him, on the other rein he tends to lean on one's leg when on a bend, every day he gets long reining on the bridle , mostly trotting and transitions, this [ ten to fifteen minutes] has been the best thing for him. I takes time and I try to think more long term, how I want him to look in two months, then work back from there. Use gridwork to give him a bit of variety.
 
I would focus on the lateral work - especially spiral circles on both reins, really helps my boy to bend around my leg. once he's comfortably spiralling in and out (leg yielding in and out), then i work roughly on an 18 m circle and work on an exercise first basically doing shoulder in and shoulder out (so his hindlegs stay on the 18m circle but his front end is flexed), then the opposite with his hindquarters, so doing quarters in and out wiht front legs staying on the 18 m circle. Obviously to start with just very little flexion, building up over sessions, really really good exercise.

Another really good suppling exercise is figures of eight degrading in size, just focussing on the temp and rhythm trying to get really calm quiet swinging strides particularly of course on the change of direction in the middle - flexing to the inside if need be to really get the stretch across the outside longitudinal muscles in the back (again of course start off really gently!).
 
Apologies, have only just seen these replies! Thanks for them.

I am going to get the physio out next month (this month is dentist and can't really justify both in one month, particularly as my long boots broke yesterday so that's yet another purchase :( ) I don't think there is anything physically wrong with him (although I'm far from an expert let's face it)

I schooled him again this morning and did lots of leg yield, flexing etc in walk and he did soften, never thought about walk pirouettes, will try those thanks.

I also did carrot stretches with him this evening (was going to do it before I rode this morning and forgot doh) and he doesn't seem to have any trouble at all bending and stretching for the carrots funnily enough :D

We'll get there, it's just going to take a bit of time
 
kerilli said:
from the vid: that looks a nice tempo, i wouldn't go any quicker. think 'heavy elbows' because your elbows look rather locked which locks your hands down and wide when they could do with being a bit more up and together, i think. also, draw yourself up and be proud, you look a bit slouchy (could just be the effect of what you're wearing though, sorry if so!) if he's idle off the leg try not to flap your leg at him as you did in the vid towards the end, either give him a flick with schooling whip, or a single poke with spur, or 1 big pony-club kick (and be careful not to catch him in the mouth if he does as he's told and jumps forward!) he has to be in front of the leg as well as accepting it...

i'd get his back checked if you haven't already, sometimes there's a physical reason for a horse being unwilling to give at the ribs, not just cluelessness.
i would do a lot of work in walk, he won't get exhausted then and you can feel instantly if he starts escaping, losing his balance etc. small circle spiralling out, shoulder-fore, leg yielding from 2nd to 1st track, then 3rd to first, etc etc. when he really gets that idea, leg yield zig-zags down the track is a good one. walk serpentine, 10m loops, with a 10m walk circle every time you cross the centre line, is also very good. make sure you don't compromise your position to try to 'help' him - check you're central etc etc. you shouldn't need to put your inside leg behind the girth to get bend, as you say up there... you're more likely to get the 1/4s swinging out... think of inside leg on the girth like a pole to bend the horse around, maybe? make sure his neck stays central between his shoulders, that he doesn't cheat by giving you too much neck bend and falling onto his outside shoulder when you ask. you only want enough bend through neck to see the inside eye shining. contrabend is useful too once he starts to get the idea.
hope that helps a bit.
Click to expand...

Lol, I'll be honest, I was riding like a complete numpty in that vid, I think I was so excited/nervous about riding him for the first time that I completely didn't think about my riding at all, plus you're right I look very flappy (no excuse I was) and hunched, although that bloody gillet always makes me look like I'm hunching :mad: I promise I do sit tall and upright normally lol.

Today I was doing the 'pony club kick' technique, legs away, kick, legs relax and then as soon as he started to get behind my leg again, repeated. I have become concious the last few times I've ridden him that I'm nagging too much and don't want a dead to the leg horse, so will continue to keep myself in check there.

Yes, I have been very reluctantly altering my position slightly to 'help him out' but in today's session didn't and won't anymore. So long as I take it slowly he should be fine with all I'm asking him to do so long as there are no physical issues.

And yes also the putting my inside leg slightly behind the girth, naughty I know as we get slightly swinging out quatres, I just find he does give a bit more bend that way, but again, it's altering something to help him out when really he should be able to bend around my inside leg (however small the bend) without me doing that.

We are a work in progress :D thanks for the advice, some good exercises there that i'll try
 
Morgan123 said:
I would focus on the lateral work - especially spiral circles on both reins, really helps my boy to bend around my leg. once he's comfortably spiralling in and out (leg yielding in and out), then i work roughly on an 18 m circle and work on an exercise first basically doing shoulder in and shoulder out (so his hindlegs stay on the 18m circle but his front end is flexed), then the opposite with his hindquarters, so doing quarters in and out wiht front legs staying on the 18 m circle. Obviously to start with just very little flexion, building up over sessions, really really good exercise.

Another really good suppling exercise is figures of eight degrading in size, just focussing on the temp and rhythm trying to get really calm quiet swinging strides particularly of course on the change of direction in the middle - flexing to the inside if need be to really get the stretch across the outside longitudinal muscles in the back (again of course start off really gently!).
Click to expand...

Good advice above, also when doing your leg yield spirals & Shoulder in you can exaggerate the bend. So basically your SI is a lot more bent through the neck than you would ever want in competition.
I would possibly slow him down a touch.

He's really lovely, look forward to hearing more.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top