Training aids for a 'hollow' horse...

Does William Fox-Pitt look like an alpaca?

  • Total voters
    0
M

MizElz

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 July 2007
Messages
6,295
Visit site
...with quite high head carriage, and a tendency to become evasive in canter (and for whom lunging is not an option)?
 
I would be tempted to try a pessoa - for a really short period of time - no more than 5 mins at a time to start with, set low. Don't force the head just encourage to work long and low and use poles on the ground to encourage him to look down and work through his back. Check why he is hollow, has he got back pain, has he got an over developed under neck muscle. If yes then leave off the saddle and don't give him a hay net, make him eat off the ground to encourage th muscle under his neck to reduce.
 
My horse is like you describe - we've put no gadgets on her other than a martingale when jumping, and now that the correct muscles are building in her, she is dropping her head and going into a long and low outline that can be built on
smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
I would be tempted to try a pessoa - for a really short period of time - no more than 5 mins at a time to start with, set low. Don't force the head just encourage to work long and low and use poles on the ground to encourage him to look down and work through his back. Check why he is hollow, has he got back pain, has he got an over developed under neck muscle. If yes then leave off the saddle and don't give him a hay net, make him eat off the ground to encourage th muscle under his neck to reduce.

[/ QUOTE ]

Lungeing not an option though.
 
QR - Time and schooling so the horse works from behind and uses his back properly.

IMO training aids are no substitute for patience and correct schooling

(tho' I do own and use a pessoa
blush.gif
)
 
Completly agree with kerelli, gadgets arent the way to go at all
frown.gif


Save the money and invest in lessons with a good dressage trainer who will help you and the horse to learn together.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I would be tempted to try a pessoa - for a really short period of time - no more than 5 mins at a time to start with, set low. Don't force the head just encourage to work long and low and use poles on the ground to encourage him to look down and work through his back. Check why he is hollow, has he got back pain, has he got an over developed under neck muscle. If yes then leave off the saddle and don't give him a hay net, make him eat off the ground to encourage th muscle under his neck to reduce.

[/ QUOTE ]

First of all, thanks to everyone for your advice! Hmmm, thing is with the Pessoa, it can only be used on the lunge, can't it? And Ellie had very bad experiences on the lunge as a youngster, which although we are trying to help her work through, means she is not the easiest horse to lunge - she has what I would describe as a mini panic attack everytime you move her out of walk!
frown.gif


I wouldn't say she is overly muscular on the underside of her neck; that said, she is by no means cresty! and we have always fed hay from the floor anyway! And don't think there are any back problems to speak of.
confused.gif
 
I used a Harbridge on mine and when he started to get the idea I worked without it - I found it gave me a help to get him started and then hard work and patience for the rest.
 
Actually - you don't NEED to lunge with a pessoa. You Long rein all over the place in straight lines up hills if possible and over poles. And it doesn't half get you fit as well. A friend of mine had an ex racer - seriously hollow - back too bad to wear a saddle, mad on the lunge - he walked that horse up a seriously steep hill to his yard every day in a pessoa. within 2 months the horse was rounded, muscled up and following back therapy was able to take a saddle and compete at dressage.
 
Will she long rein? - I find that two reins are much better than one as you can control both sides. I have used a Pessoa with long reins to good effect. It is hard work though so short periods at a time only.
 
Longreining, unfortunately, is also not an option. We have always longreined our youngsters and I am completely in favour of this method; however, I dont know whether it is linked to her fear of the lunge - god only knows what happened to her - but if she panics, she will run backwards at great speed. Again, we have tried to work through this, and I have managed to stop her doing it under saddle. But I wouldnt want to take the risk again on the ground!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I used a Harbridge on mine and when he started to get the idea I worked without it - I found it gave me a help to get him started and then hard work and patience for the rest.

[/ QUOTE ]

There you see! Great minds think alike!
 
Try the invisible lunge/long lines... I know it sounds like something from a Terry Prachett novel... but it works.

Firstly, get the horse on the voice. You can do this when riding and on the ground, woah, walk on, trot, canter etc. You can even teach them left and right.

Then take the horse in hand on a lead rope and get it to move its quarters away from you... refine this so you simply need to point at the quaters, or even just stare at them.

You need a small school, or part of a school sectioned off with jumps. Then simply use vocal commands and body language/eye contact and the lack of it to make the horse go where you want and at the speed you want. Only difference between trad long lining and lunging is that there is no lines other than the ones that exist in your mind. You can work the horse in collection and extension in this way, and do plenty of changes of direction. This will give the horse self carriage and stop it hollowing.

After a while you will be doing figures of 8 serpantines and reinback, you can work the horse on the bit or long and low.... and all your mates will think you have magical powers because you will have stopped needing to run about and simply point at, look at or talk to the horse to control it.

Ultimately, lines, bits etc work on pressure, you are still using pressure but it is the pressure of body language and the voice that the horse is responding to... just different types of pressure.

No reason why you can't use a pessoa once you have the horse working with you.
 
kind hands and strong legs - and lots of patience and back to basics schooling!
Also I'd get the horse checked out for soundness - it may be an evasion to work due to pain.
Kate x
 
Another vote for a Harbridge. I had lessons, saddle/back/teeth checked etc. In the end we used a Harbridge for half an hour to persuade her that she didn't have to go every where with her head in the air. It was slowly slackened off as the lesson progressed until -voila - the lesson sank in and we never used it again.
 
De Gogue?

Or a Market Harborough at least that only works when they put their head up and is ineffective otherwise.

I had the same problem with my horse and I used to ride him in Draw reins, however I am now having lessons from a Classical dressage instructor and she has taught me how to stop him doing it
 
My pony is like this.

the only thing I do is to sometimes use a harbridge on her when we are hacking. I put it on the loosest setting but it just stops her putting her head right up (I really mean vertical) which she has a tendancy to do out on hacks.

otherwise the only real solution (I believe) is schooling schooling schooling - however as the correct muscles start to develop, it does get easier.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top