tips for coping with horse hollowing and getting above the bit?

[Kezza]

I have a 20 yr old gelding who is very "hot" and strong. He has always been ridden in a french link dutch gag with reins on ring below snaffle ring and a running martingale.

I have managed to get him to engage and drop his head most of the time whilst walking and trotting but canter is still an issue.

However, I am riding him in a pelham with 2 reins for schooling as he is far lighter and doesn't cross his jaw so much but .... he will go nicely for half a circuit of the school and then have a paddy where he throws his head up and hollows and starts to jog.

I have tried the following to deal with it:

Sit still and ignore him and ride him through it - result is he eventually gets his stride back and relaxes down but this can take almost all of the other side of the school

Stop him in his tracks, rein back and ask him to drop his head before setting off again - result is he sometimes still won't drop his head and will sometimes start off in a mess again

Use one rein and turn a circle - result is this sometimes works but then I never get round the school where I wanted to go!

Now if I school in the gag, he doesn't do this but then I cannot get him round as he just pulls me in that and crosses his jaw even though he has a grackle.

Any help would be much appreciated. I do have lessons but not that often but am planning to have someone teach me who can also ride him to help me out but wondered if anyone had any tips in the meantime.

He is far happier when he can haul me along and seems to object to the fact that he can't in the pelham ...

 

[baybeejay01]

Have you had the usual back and teeth checks done? If not, that would be my first port of call to rule out the possibility of discomfort or pain. If these checks turn out to be negative then I would take him back to the basics and perhaps lunge him for a short while in a pessoa on the lowest setting to get him to work long and low. It sounds to me, if it isn't a pain thing, then it could be high spirits and tension - try to ride him in the safety of the school with a relaxed seat and a loose rein and try to slow him with your body. You are probably expecting him to misbehave and that is travelling down the rein to him, once you have got him working long and low pick him up gradually and rebuild yours and his confidence in each other.
You don't say whether you hack him out at all - if you have the same problems, just walk and bore him so he doesn't anticipate. Good luck, would def have lessons and help even if it is just for safety reasons when you ride in the school without a contact

 

[Kezza]

yep all usual checks done, he is 100% fit and healthy and mental. Cannot lunge him as he will gallop off from time to time round and round and I worry he will injur himself so we avoid it.

Yes we hack out and he is very highly strung so we spend a lot of time in the air.

I do ride him very quietly and do lots to calm him down and also try to ride with my seat rather than my hands but he is soooo used to hands and not seat it is very hard after all these years.

I can ride him with my seat now but when it comes to asking him to engage in the pelham he will get in a strop as I said after a few lovely paces, whereas if I allow him to go round fighting me in the gag we don't argue as he enjoys the struggle I swear!

I am going to try someone more experienced on him to see what they think but it may be a case of leaving things alone now he's getting on a bit... or doing lovely half circles!!

 

[baybeejay01]

It is difficult to advise when you can't see whats happening first hand! You may have more luck when you have someone with you that can see from the floor what you can't from the horse. It sounds like he may be set in his ways at his age but no horse is a lost cause - it just takes longer lol!!

 

[Kezza]

my friend's horse does it too but she used to throw her head up and bomb off, luckily mine just throws his head up ...