Very strong horse help!

[Reacher]

Hi Red
You are entirely right that I do hang in unintentionally as a defence - RI has told me several times - it’s a habit I’m trying to unlearn . schooling to iron out my issue is no doubt the key to the problem to fix before bitting up - thankyou

I have a different perspective, I think you ride nicely, but I would say that even when he did slow down you kept 'hold' so he was not really rewarded for slowing. Eventually he just ran through the bridle.

I would do a lot of schooling before your next outing, but it would be asking him to slow, but then going back to a light contact so he knows he has done as requested. That is his release of pressure, his reward, the way he knows he has done the request. If he speeds up again then again check, but check well enough that you can resume a light contact.


I have no issue with a sharp stop aid if he ignores you, but he won't jump nicely until he can canter within himself without you needing to 'hold' him. In some ways it may be that you are unintentionally holding as a defence.


Some horses will react against being 'held' by pulling forwards, just to find the release and because they are frustrated.

While ever you are still holding even when he has slowed down I would not move to a stronger bit as this will frustrate him even more, and he could just learn to ignore the next bit upwards.

 

[Reacher]

Yeah, the previous riders were all kids so no wonder he bombs around !
All the advice on here makes me more confident we can fix this - especially if it’s stuff I’m doing that is making it worse so if I can fix myself it will go a long way toward fixing him - so thanks everyone one again
PS that is very ironic about ex racers as my retired mare and ex loan horse were both ex racers - I thought I’d left all that behind :lol:

Oh fab. Hope he can keep going in that vain and you can get out and about again before too long
Just keep plugging away and being very consistent in what you ask of him. Afterall, he's probably only behaving as he has been trained to - there are a fair amount of kids that love their ponies to bomb around a sj course like a loon, and it may just be that his previous child friend was like that. It's a bit like retraining an ex racer really