tips to stop nose poking out

scribble

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I have a 4yr old who is 16.2 TBxoldenburg good dressage bloodlines, has done Walk and trot tests and a couple of rpelims where we get 60% mark, done hunter trials and been x-couthry shccoling up to 3ft at Gt witchingham. I have a good instructor who teaches and judges dressage but i and she arestruggling with her nose poking out. she gets lovely comments apart from needs to work in more of an outline now and nose poking out.

she is ridden in a neue shcule tranz lozenge, has had teeth, back, Mctimmony , physio etc saddle all done so nothing wrong with her. I lunge her in side reins and she drops onto bit sraight away but not riding. She has a naturally high head carriage but with her nose out in front. I have tried asking and asking and asking and we get a few seconds of outline then no more and she argues then. I tried bungee reins this weekend and she now goes sideways although they brought her head down. she does long and low to the extent that my insructor asks why she has sand on her nose.

any tips.
 

Jesstickle

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Is she truly off your leg? I say this because BH took a long time to come round too. I never ask for it mind you. I just had to work really, really hard at making sure he was actually moving off my leg aids rather than making a half arsed pretence of doing it! I won't pull in a head if it isn't ready to come so lots of transitions, lots of leg yielding, making sure our half halts were working really well. Eventually when he was really swinging through his back it finally dropped into place. He'll still pop his head up and come hollow even now but half halt with lots of leg usually gets him back.

So to summarise- more leg basically!
 

Crazydancer

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I agree with Jesstinsel, I have a young mare, and she nose-pokes. It's a balancing thing, so you need to ask her to carry herself and you more in balance. That's why she's fine on the lunge, as she only has to balance herself, and she will be used to that. Add a human into the equation, and the easiest way to balance is to poke your nose.....
So lots of work off the leg, transistions, leg yielding etc, and once she is stepping through and really carrying herself and working from behind, then you will be a balanced unit.
Don't fight, you won't win! (I know from experience!!) :eek:
 

maresmaid

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I wholeheartedly agree with the above posts. Your mare is only 4 and it will take time to strengthen her muscles so she can carry herself in balance, work correctly through, and therefore come into a rounder outline. Transitions, leg yeild, and also some regular hill work (start in an active walk and slowly build up to doing this in a slow trot) will all build up the correct muscles - my mare was at just this stage 12 months ago & I have ignored the head carriage and concentrated on the afore mentioned work over the past year, slowly but surely she has gradually taken up a softer outline, initially for a few steps then for longer and longer periods, she is fairly consistant in walk and trot now, but the canter is very much work in progress and I'm expecting that it will take more of the same work over the winter to really make her strong enough to stay consistantly round in all paces. Be patient, and resist the urge to use shortcuts, I am sure with correct training you will get there.
 

scribble

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thanks for the info, she is off the leg although she can get stuffy in that she comes off the leg when she gets bored and tries to go really slowly and you have to get after her (she can be lazy), she leg yeilds, does shoulder fore, transitions etc but i know what you mean you cant just pull the head in it has to come from the backend, she is so damn intelligent that things very quickly bore her or she finds a way out of it so any tips greatly recievdd. we dont have any hills really either.
 

maresmaid

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I forgot to mention pole work! My physio recommended some pole work including raised poles, and also said some jumping would help. I don't jump myself and don't know much about it but my friend is currently doing a bit of that for me, and she is planning to introduce a bit of gymnastic jumping soon as she thinks that will also help strengthen the back end. I think variety is the key if your horse is stuffy, my mare can be a bit like that but if she popping a few jumps (only baby ones right now) she forgets that she's actually going forward and just gets stuck in, and I've found that the next day when I do flat work she's always much more active and freely forward.
 

Pearlsasinger

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When the horse is truly working from behind, the nose will stop poking out. As others have said, the way to achieve this is to use more leg than hand, lots of transitions, polework, hill work and TIME. Your horse is only 4, so please don't try to rush her into a false outline by messing around with her mouth.
 
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Jesstickle

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but if she popping a few jumps (only baby ones right now) she forgets that she's actually going forward and just gets stuck in, and I've found that the next day when I do flat work she's always much more active and freely forward.

Yep, I found this too when BH was younger :) Well, still do actually but that is because he finds circles booooring! He's nearly 7 now and he still goes all stuffy and backwards if I school too much.
 

Tnavas

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In an outline comes from sending the horse forward into a consistant contact - sounds to me that you have not yet got the contact sorted out between you - especially as you say she drops her head when in side reins.

Have someone video you and then carefully watch what is happening with your reins - especially the outside rein - most often its because the rider is dropping the contact inadvertantly, usually caused by 'slippery rein disease' or stiffness in riders elbows.

To help keep hands still put a loose neckstrap around the horses neck and hook your little fingers in it, keep a gentle pull on it as you rise and feel what is happening to your elbows. As for 'Slippery rein Disease' make sure that you have your fingers closed around your reins, with finger tips touching your palms and thumbs are placed on top of the reins.
 
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