two questions :D

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GoodysMummy

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can you ride in both a martingale and side reigns or is it best to ride in one or another? :) my man wears a martingale whilst schooling but lately he needs work on his outline so i bought some side reigns to aid me more than anything as he throws his head up and down.

second...

he is also getting very excited when being turned out, i wouldnt mind this normally if he wasnt 16.2hh and liked to throw his weight around and threaten to rear :/ i dont want to resort to turning him out in a chiffney but even a controlling headcollar doesnt work on him he just acts up more to try and get it off his head. can anyone suggest any ways to stop this? :)

GM
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You should never ride in side reins, not exactly a poster ad for health & safety myself but it is something I consider dangerous. Maybe find a good instructor, side reins are there to imitate a contact when lunging, not to get an outline, that comes from working correctly.
Secondly, can the behavior be explained by limited turnout causing him to be over excited? If so more turnouts the answer. If he's being rude then maybe do some groundwork with him.
 
Pretty sure you should never ride in side reins, only use them for ground work. How old is your horse? Has he had his back, teeth, saddle checked? I wouldnt be adding anything until these had all been done. I think it may benefit you to do lots of groundwork with him, teach him to respect your space etc. Although again, I would check him for pain, as if he is threatening to rear it may be that something is genuinely upsetting him. I'm no expert, and I'm sure there are many others here who could give you lots of fantastic advice, these are just my initial thoughts
 
he has a large field that is seperated into 4 and he shares his paddock with 2 other horses and its very nice grass so turn out in my oppinion isnt that much of an issue :) ah ok! theres a girl on our yard that rides in what looks like side reigns and it keeps her horses head down and round i assumed they where side reigns :)
 
Have to agree with Littlelegs, side reins are not to force a horse into an outline, rather to give a feel of contact when lungeing or long reining. An outline will come when the horse can go forward in balance, working from his back end through to the bit. Perhaps your boy is throwing his head if you are trying to hold him in an outline that is uncomfortable for him?
 
I agree with above, you should never ride in side reins and I'm personally very reluctant to use anything which would force a horse to bring its head down. They need to be working long and low before you can ask them to work through successfully, and although it's hard work I think you'd be better off with a good instructor than a gadget.

My youngster will occasionally rear in hand if she gets over excited and doesn't know what else to do, never turns on you or tries to hurt anyone just can't seem to keep calm, usually with her the weather sets it off but I have found that carrying treats can be helpful as it does distract her. However I won't give her any treats if she does actually go up. I'm sure lots of people will say I'm wrong to use treats but since I know she's just excited I don't want to punish her and risk making the situation worse. For what it's worth this approach has helped me. :)
 
I meant with the turnout how often & how long for? For instance if its only a few times a week, unless you're used to fit competition horses its always going to be an issue till he's out regularly. Or if he's out all day everyday, its just groundwork that's needed.
And a good rule is never to use any tack without knowing its exact use & why, never copy, what is fine on one horse can be wrong for another.
 
littlelegs said:
I meant with the turnout how often & how long for? For instance if its only a few times a week, unless you're used to fit competition horses its always going to be an issue till he's out regularly. Or if he's out all day everyday, its just groundwork that's needed.
And a good rule is never to use any tack without knowing its exact use & why, never copy, what is fine on one horse can be wrong for another.
Click to expand...

hes out during the day and in during the night everyday from around 10-4.30 and hes fine coming in just going out :confused:
 
GoodysMummy said:
hes out during the day and in during the night everyday from around 10-4.30 and hes fine coming in just going out :confused:
Click to expand...

are his fieldmates out before him? Is he standing in his stable watching others going out? At work I have a set routine of who goes out first, one horse gets really wound up when he sees the others going out, and will not stand politely to be released. Solution is, he goes out first, the others don't care, so everyones happy!
 
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