Too light in the contact

[Charla]

My 4 year old is so light in the contact that you feel nothing at all in your hands. She started off stuffy to ride, so I left her mouth alone as I wanted to encourage her to go forwards. She’s now started being more forward in the walk and trot, and sometimes when she spooks she shoots and there’s nothing in front to control this. I’m still reluctant to ask for any contact yet as I lose the enthusiastic forwardness very quickly. She’s highly sensitive in the mouth. She used to rear long reining at the start of her education with the slightest of pressure, however she did over come this. I’ve changed her from a NS team up lozenge to a rubber straight bar in the hope that it would encourage her to pull a little or stick her nose out, but there has been little change.
Her teeth have been checked recently and rasped and I’ve been told there is nothing there to upset her. She’s also had physio lately, all good. New saddle fitted. Any one dealt with a youngster like this?

 

[be positive]

I would be hacking her out as much as possible, ideally in company and using that to get her more accepting of the contact, the few I have had did get better once they were thinking about things around them, going really forward and I could pick them up as and when they felt ready to do a little more.
The most sensitive ones may benefit from some in hand work so they learn to trust the feel of the hand without the pressure of having a rider on I did a lot of messing about in hand with a young stallion that had been badly started and was really scared of his mouth being touched or think outside the box and do some polework/ jumping loose in a bridle so they just get on with it and have to stretch out, there may be no weight on the bit but if she is that sensitive it may not matter and could be just what she needs to stretch forward.

 

[DabDab]

Yes, I've know a few youngsters who are just very light in the hand. I've found the best approach is just not to worry - just concentrate on and ride what their body is doing as you would a horse that is stronger in the hand.

With the scooting off, you shouldn't really need a strong general contact to stop them doing that. A horse can be connected, responsive and concentrating on your commands even with a very light contact. If you see what I mean?

My 9yo has a butter mouth, he always has had, but if you look at video of him being ridden you can't really tell. You can use the full vocabulary of rein commands still, just lightly

 

[Pinkvboots]

Both of my Arabs are very sensitive in the mouth and ride off a very light contact, in the early days one of them just didn't truly accept a contact and someone suggested using a magic snaffle they are extremely mild bits it's a straight bar with a port with loose snaffle rings, and he was immediately better and seemed to be more confident in the contact so we stuck with that for about a year and then I moved onto a loose ring lozenge snaffle and then eventually a Pelham as I show him, his 14 now and although still light in the hand he accepts a contact in various different bits, I would give it a try they are only about £10, I think you need to get there confidence in something then often they will accept other bits in time.

 

[Cortez]

<<<<See that horse there in my profile? He's 16 now and you still have to ride him with a feather in your hand: he has taught me to be a better rider, NEVER to grab, be heavy or ungenerous on the rein, and ride the horse, not the head. Some horses are just like that (in fact that's how it's supposed to be); you should really just learn enjoy it, not try to "fix" it.

 

[paddi22]

Is she behind the vertical when she is light?

 

[Charla]

Is she behind the vertical when she is light?

Yes she naturally wants to carry her head behind the vertical. Always has done since day one. I’m trying to encourage her to poke her nose out and stretch down, which has started to come a little more with the forwardness, but not enough.

 

[Pinkvboots]

<<<<See that horse there in my profile? He's 16 now and you still have to ride him with a feather in your hand: he has taught me to be a better rider, NEVER to grab, be heavy or ungenerous on the rein, and ride the horse, not the head. Some horses are just like that (in fact that's how it's supposed to be); you should really just learn enjoy it, not try to "fix" it.

My instructor loves riding my Arab because he is so light, I prefer a lighter in the hand horse any day, have ridden a few that lean and are heavy and it's horrible.