Tips for getting horsey sharper off the leg please?

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pipper

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As in title please,
All ok - saddle back and teeth ect all checked. Horse nice and fit.
I just cant get her sharper off my leg, regular lessons, can do it then, but alone its rubbish!
Tried spurs and stick behind the leg and on the bum - horse doesnt react at all. Canter is soooo slow.
I do loads and loads of transitions and it gets better but once we stop doing them and get on with 'normal' riding it goes back to sluggish transitions again.
do you have any 'quick fix' tips i could borrow please?? am all out of ideas. We do a variety of things - hacking, shows, schooling, ect ect - only school a couple of times a week and try to make it fun and interesting...
any ideas??
 
I used to have the same problem with my old pony. Okay, very unstylish technique but it works! I'd ask for the transition, and as soon as she didn't react I'd impersonate a jockeys actions coming out the starting stools - she soon learnt that I meant go!
 
You single out canter in particular as being slow - i would guess you are blocking her with your seat, depressing her back and preventing her going any faster!

Being slow in a gait is different to not going off the leg, thats if they dont respond IMMEDIATELY to a leg aid.

Suggest you look for an enlightened equitation teacher near you :D

http://www.enlightenedequitation.com/teacher_find.htm
 
Is it that your transitions need to be sharper or that the pace is laboured? Each situation would require a different remedy - can you give a bit more detail about the problem?
 
Herpesas said:
Is it that your transitions need to be sharper or that the pace is laboured? Each situation would require a different remedy - can you give a bit more detail about the problem?
Click to expand...

Both really! Ebony is not forward going in the canter at all - trot is fine as is walk. But she is slow off the leg too. If i am blocking with the seat as the previous poster suggests what is the answer to stopping it?
thanks
 
Agree with what's already been said, however I would suggest for the transition and moving off your leg to do your best thelwell style pony club kick of she dies not move off IMMEDIATELY!

For a faster canter, try using gears... Really leg on and gee her up down the long side and then collect for the corners. A lot if horses enjoy this 'game'!
 
If you are blocking with your seat then your horse will canter slowly ALL the time you ride, so how is the horse when cantering in the open? Is the canter still very slow when you canter in the field or on a bridleway?
If your horse is cantering nicely forward outside of the school then it is a schooling issue. You need to ask sharply, if horse isn't sharp then flick with the schooling whip then leg OFF. NEVER kick-kick-kick, it teaches them to ignore you. I went through this with mine, he is a lazy whatsit and I have to make myself keep legs still until he slows down - then sharp kick or flick. My instructor says you need them going slightly faster than you would actually want - then you can collect them up and hey presto.
If your horse still canters very slowly when hacking too, try cantering in a light, forward seat (almost jumping position) to see if that helps- if horse goes faster then it's your seat slowing horsey down. You will need to get some lessons to sort that.
 
I seem to have found an answer - a tickling stick !! It started when Shy wasn't giving enough energy in the school ( a form of napping imho), so I grabbed the lunge whip and gently "whoooshed it" - bloomin heck, he was off like a new pony !So I have now added a length of baler twine to both my schooling and normal whip - I never touch him with it at all, and it is working a treat.

I often ride out with TB's, and towards the end of a ride he played dead...but today he kept up brilliantly, and we have perfected a "jog", rather than a slow walk - not ideal, but we're both happy :)

btw, health warning on the baler twine option, lol. I have thought that if he every tries it on again, I'll tie keys on to the twine or something.
 
pipper said:
Both really! Ebony is not forward going in the canter at all - trot is fine as is walk. But she is slow off the leg too. If i am blocking with the seat as the previous poster suggests what is the answer to stopping it?
thanks
Click to expand...

As I said a lesson with an EE instructor, as we are trained to get a rider using biomechanics to work with the horse not against.

Do NOT give your horse a 'thelwell kick' sheesh :eek: That is the best way to block its rib cage being able to swing and hence any forward movement! You ask once with your legs if no response, immediately ask again but smack your BOOT with your stick. This usually has the desired effect. Make sure you havnt got a strangle hold on her head as well. Also what aids specifically are u using for canter? As I said a lesson would be best!!!!
 
I had this problem with Ruby. Turns out I was blocking her and I was nagging too much. Got an instructor and she sorted out my position. Plus told me not to nag. I ask once, if she doesn't listen she gets 2 taps with the schooling whip. Has worked really well and now don't ride with a whip at all.
 
pipper said:
As in title please,
All ok - saddle back and teeth ect all checked. Horse nice and fit.
I just cant get her sharper off my leg, regular lessons, can do it then, but alone its rubbish!
Tried spurs and stick behind the leg and on the bum - horse doesnt react at all. Canter is soooo slow.
I do loads and loads of transitions and it gets better but once we stop doing them and get on with 'normal' riding it goes back to sluggish transitions again.
do you have any 'quick fix' tips i could borrow please?? am all out of ideas. We do a variety of things - hacking, shows, schooling, ect ect - only school a couple of times a week and try to make it fun and interesting...
any ideas??
Click to expand...

As others have suggested, and without seeing you ride, I would wonder if you are blocking her with your seat. I found I was doing this today with Kal . . . when I engaged my core by really sitting up and back and kept my legs on, I tensed my bum (i.e., seat). I am not a competent enough rider to do the independent seat thing automatically, I really have to think about it and almost do a mental checklist . . . stomach engaged - check, legs on - check, hips soft - check, lower back doing what it's supposed to - check, bum unclenched - check . . . hope that makes sense?

P
 
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