Well developed under neck muscle

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Walrus

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So pony has a very well developed under neck muscle (mainly due to my rubbish riding). I have a new instructor who is helping me change the way I ride him and we are progressing (slowly!). But has anyone totally re-worked their horses neck to remove a large under neck muscle and develop the neck properly - what did you do? what worked and what didn't? Do you try and get the horse to work properly out hacking or do you let them flop along on a long rein? Will I never get there, progress is painfully slow (but then again that's horses)?! Any tips or success stories are most welcome. :)
 
Used a horsevwalker as they can stretch down and encourages top line. Lots of schooling to. Plenty of different sized circles and changes of rein. Make sure use seat to encourage smirking from behind send don't pull head in from front Working in an outline will b difficult if built up muscle underneath so after a few circles give them a Kong rein and encourage them to stretch down then take up a light contact on reins again. Out hacking I would mix up light contact and stretching long sand low .
It takes time......
 
Lunging in a chambon can help horses stretch out and down over their neck and backs, but it will be very hard for them in the first place so take it slowly and introduce it for 5 minutes in walk. Build up the time before progressing on to trot, then canter etc. Let them have lots of breaks as he is not used to working this way so when he does it well, reward him and let him relax a bit. :)
Once they're comfortable in walk and trot using poles will help them pick their legs up and really use their back muscles, as i assume he is also quite hollow in his back if he's used to holding his neck "up"?
Walking out well on a long contact will also help.
Good luck! i'm sure you'll start noticing changes soon :)
 
Definitely hay off floor and lots and lots of long low stretching with the nose out in front. It takes time sadly, but it can be done.
 
Thanks everyone. It's my own fault for letting him get like this. :-( new instructor is fab and I am starting to see slight changes but he really uses the muscle under his neck to resist and argue as much as possible. I'll look into hay on the floor but he's a fatty so I like small holed haynets. He has a snack ball to encourage him to stretch.
 
I managed it with my fatty (couldn't feed from the floor with her) - took her about 2 years in total though and required change of saddle, lots of long and low work out hacking and schooling and just geneally learning to ride her properly and about a zillion experiments with bits and nosebands so she would accept the contact and relax down into it (instead of peeing off giraffe style).

Her muscle had developed before I had her, and I preferred to do it without any "gadgets" apart from martingales for fast work to prevent her taking her head so high I had no control at all.

Very rewarding though! I did see big improvements after about 6 months, but I would say it took 2 years before the bit underneath that was solid went nice and floppy. Because of her conformation it doesn't take much to build it the wrong way either (short backed uphill little coblet that likes to rush!) she is on box rest atm and I can see it going wrong already :(
 
acw295 - that is exactly my problem - pony has a very short thick-set neck anyway, combined with a huge attitiude that belies his short stature (small man syndrome!). Any questions asked that he doesn't like and the neck muscle pops out!

Can I ask what bit and noseband combination you have found works for your mare?
 
Walrus said:
acw295 - that is exactly my problem - pony has a very short thick-set neck anyway, combined with a huge attitiude that belies his short stature (small man syndrome!). Any questions asked that he doesn't like and the neck muscle pops out!

Can I ask what bit and noseband combination you have found works for your mare?
Click to expand...

Sounds similar - she is 14.2hh Welsh D unreg (probably some sort of cross)

For schooling/dressage - Neue Schule Trans angled lozenge baucher 14mm and drop noseband

For hacking - thin cambridge pelham with 2 reins, no noseband

For fast work/jumping when I don't want 2 reins - cambridge kimblewick and grackle

She has a huge tongue, low palette and is very sensitive to cavessons as she had a dodgy back molar which is fine now but she doesn't like anything on that part of her muzzle so only use them for showing.

This was us when I got her -
MollyMedium.jpg


This is more recent -
MKEC4.jpg


https://www.facebook.com/acw295/pho...50387775571592&set=t.557680848&type=3&theater
 
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