Which training aid for the correct outline/self-carriage?

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aradiagreen

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Hi,

I am a novice rider - years of experience but mainly hacking. I have a 4yr old green cob. I'm currently enlisting the help of an instructor to help us both progress. I only ride for pleasure: hacking with a little schooling and hopefully jumping.

At the moment Ozzy has a nice walk and trot but will not work in an outline. I see riders 'fiddling' with their hands,giving and taking contact...am I supposed to do this (whilst using seat and leg)??? Obviously my instructor will help enormously! I feel like I'm nagging him and then he throws his head about trying to evade my hands.

Is there a training aid I could use just to give him an idea of what I want and to help him gradually build up the muscles? I could use it while lunging perhaps? There are so many different types on the market I'm at a loss!

Obviously I really need lessons and will have but do you think a training aid might be useful??

He also struggles to canter and just trots faster but that's a problem for another day I suppose! ;-)

Thanks for taking the time to read this and perhaps reply,
 
No to training aid, and definite no to fiddling with the reins. If he's young and green, he needs to learn to balance and carry himself - so just a soft, supportive contact to work into and let his head be where he needs it for now. The most important things are that his working forward, in front of your leg and over his back. Head carriage and outline will come naturally when he's balanced and correct.

Definitely an instructor's guidance would be useful - though not one who advocates fiddling or training aids, imho.
 
I'm sure others will expand on this, but at 4, if he's also green, he's probably still learning how to balance himself and he will need to get the hang of this first.
 
Your cob is only four. Forget the outline for now, work with your instructor to get him moving forwards and listening to your aids.

I'd much rather see a young horse happy in his mouth and above the bit, but in a steady, gentle contact. Remember - you need the horse to move from the leg and into the hands. So step one (for getting him properly 'on the bit' in the future, rather than just yanking his head in) is training him to be light, forwards and responsive to your leg aids.

ETA
He also struggles to canter and just trots faster but that's a problem for another day I suppose! ;-)
Click to expand...

He's really not ready for working on the bit.
 
No, no, no!

Focus on getting him to move forward off your leg in a nice, relaxed rhythm, whilst maintaining an 'elastic' contact with your hand (you should be able to feel his mouth, but he shouldn't be leaning on it or pulling you).

Do lots of transitions and make sure they are sharp rather than sloppy. This will encourage him to start to carry his weight on his hindquarters, as he will need to do so.

Gradually, he will strengthen, and as you start to do some more with him (such as lateral work, bending etc) he will now be strong enough to lift his shoulder a little, which will in turn drop his head into the outline you are looking for.

Fiddling, messing and tying heads down with 'training' aids will only serve to make him uncomfortable and put his head behind your hands, just to stop you from irritating him. However, this seems to be all too common practice nowadays, which is why you have seen it so much. :(

I'm sure the Pessoa brigade will be here in a moment to tell you to use this when lunging. The Pessoa also see-saws at the mouth, encouraging the horse behind the bit, but some think this is 'self carriage'.

Good luck, and try not to focus too much on where his head is - it is the last piece of the balance puzzle, not the first :)

ETA: Just seen the other responses submitted as I was typing and am glad to see we are all on the same page!
 
Stick to the scales of training- working in a rhythm, with suppleness into a steady contact (not'on the bit' at this stage, just accepting a quiet hand just in front of the vertical).

This then leads on to straightness, impulsion (forwardness in balance- not going faster) and collection (the baby stage is 'taking weight behind' enough to do what you are asking him.) Teach your horse correct transitions- start with halt-walk-halt, then walk-trot-walk, and so on.

The only 'gadget' under saddle is a good rider!!

Make sure you allow him to stretch forwards, downwards (this does NOT mean over-bent and looking at his knees)

Training takes time and you should both enjoy it :)
 
Transitions, half halt, soft hand and plenty of patience = nice balanced horse as a 5 year old.

Have fun taking him through his lessons.
 
I wholeheartedly second everything above - you don't need training aids, you need time, patience, advice from a good instructor who can explain the scales of training, and lots more time and patience on top of that. Aim to enjoy the journey rather than to focus on the destination!
 
I wouldn't put any sort of training aids on a 4 year old. As others have said, he will be green and unbalanced. Any kind of aids such as draw reins etc will more than likely teach him to work on the forehand then you will be spending years trying to get him off the forehand and wishing you never used them in the first place. Don't fiddle with the reins or try and pull his head in, when he is comfortable and balanced enough he will accept the bit and drop his head. You just keep a nice steady rein contact and ride him forwards.

I would get lessons, I'm sure as your riding improves it will help him greatly.
 
Best training aids
1your balance
2 your rhythm
3 your seat
4 your hands
please dont take that as a critism - the more you learn about horses and the more you enjoy riding , the more you ll be able to help with horse without artificial aids. For a 4 yr old nothing beats quiet hacking - with a natural head carriage. aged 5 you can begin to school more.
 
I agree with all advice above. Can't stand draw reins and glad not everyone is using pessoa as I was starting to think maybe I should see what the fuss was about but don't like the look of it! I am pretty rusty with schooling these days and relearning, its just good to remember that it is all about his back really not about his head, so hacking and light work in the school will help make sure he has a nice strong back which will all follow on with your lessons and canter he probably needs a bit more strength in back and hindquarters to find it easier. I ride an ex racer who can only manage about 4 or 5 steps of canter while schooling without bucking and getting frustrated but that is an improvement on where we started :-)
 
I LOVE all the great responses here!

This advice also works on older horses who have been wrestled into an outline by heavy handed use of various training aids. The best advice I got on the subject for my not so young horse who had been subjected to various devices before I owned her was from a good trainer who encouraged me to ride her forward with a loose supple contact instead of attempting to wrestle her into an outline.

It worked. If I rode her forward and gave her a lighter supple rein, she actually reached down into the contact.

My instructor was yelling, "She's GIVING it to you!"
 
How refreshing to see all these replies bead on proper schooling techniques. To give you some idea of timescale - i bought my horse when she was 5. she had been backed and lightly hacked at that point but her owner had little opportunity to use formal schooling facilities. When i first had her the canter was not pretty, steering was far from refined, we have worked consistently following the German scales of training, and it has taken 18 months to get to the point where the canter is round, once it became forward and energetic the soundness happened all by itself - starting with just a few steps at a time and slowly increasing as time went by and her muscles got stronger.
 
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