Teaching old ponies new tricks?

[[112277]]

So my lovely mare is 19 years old and stands at 13.1hh. She was bought as a riding school pony but could never be used as she evaded the bit and knapped. That was 10 years ago..
I've owned her nearly 2 years ago now and a few months ago i put her in a hackamore. She loves it and i so more relaxed and calm now, she doesn't knapp at all and goes lovely and steady when i ask.
So now i'm confident with her pace and i trust her not to bolt etc i'd love to try get her working in an outline and putting more effort in as she is similar to me, puts in the least amount of effort but still doing what asked!
She's never been taught anything proper, just walk trot canter jump(she doesnt even gallop&#128514 and as shes getting old id like to slow down the jumping but i know i'll get bored just trotting round the school with her going like a motor bike with her head like a giraffe!
She's really stubborn to learn things, if i ask her using my leg she'll just assume im asking her to go faster so she will, if i ask using my hands lightly she wont respond, if i ask with everything she gets confused and just carries on!
How can i go about asking her or teaching her this? I'm outgrowing her fast and i want to make the most out of her if we don't get to jump! Please help thankyou! x

 

[[112277]]

Bump! X

 

[ZondaR]

I started to teach my dressage when he was 15. I had never previously worked him in an outline and let him ponce around with a hollow back and a giraffe head. He had no clue how to move correctly and did not understand what correct aids were. 3 years on and he is now doing nice dressage, not brilliant but way better than I thought he could ever do. When he is turned out, he has a lot of moments where he floats along so he clearly likes what he has been learning.

I did it by loads of lunging with side reins and I rode him with draw reins under the tutelage of a highly regarded dressage instructor. Before anyone yells at me, he responds well to the draw reins. They were only ever used when he thew his head up and when he stretched his top line, they went slack so his head was never pulled down into place. When he worked properly only the snaffle rein was used. If draw reins were not effective I would not have persisted in using them.

I don't use the draw reins anymore but he is difficult to work. It takes at least 30 minutes before he stops fighting me and submits and relaxes and starts to work properly. This is because he is used to having his own way and has a dominant personality and thinks he should be in charge.

What I am saying is it can be done but it's not easy and probably won't be as successful as if he had been started younger. The change in my horse is dramatic and wonderful and worth the blood, sweat and tears we both shed.

 

[Luck of the devil]

Im currently reschooling a 20yr old so is it definitely possible.
I would probably get you instructor to have a sit on her and get a feel for how she moves, reacts etc as every horse works differently. You will need to build up the work very slowly as she will have a lot of habits built up that need to come undone etc.