why won't he go on the bit?

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muddypony

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i have a 9yo ex racer who came out of racing aged 4 and wasn't retrained properly, just hacked. i got him a few months ago and we started off taking it quite easy, just hacking for a few weeks. when we started schooling he seemed to be progressing really well, learning to bend and stretch etc but now i feel like we've come to a dead end. he just always resists coming on the bit, even when i bring him onto a circle and really try, he gets a bit gobby and just resists it. i'm not the most experienced rider but my instructor is very encouraging, always saying i'm doing the right thing and we're improving with every lesson and i am probably just being impatient - there was a pic posted on here a few days ago of a lovely grey ex racer, i think the poster said he was literally just out of racing, and he looked like he was going so nicely. why won't mine do that?! since we started schooling all he seems to want to do is stretch right down.

he was quite tight in his back when i got him and has been completely sorted by the physio, and his teeth have been done too.

he is currently in a french link hanging cheek snaffle, before that he was in a plain eggbutt snaffle. i think i preferred him in that (although we hadn't done much work in it), but instructor seems to think hanging snaffle is working better. ought i try a change in bit? i've noticed a lot of people seem to like these neue schule bits for their ex racehorses. do we just need more time and schooling? or any exercises that might help get the penny to drop?
 
Give him some time, not all horses are the same and some pick it up a lot quicker because they are built in the correct way whereas other are slower.

Just keep at it, if your RI thinks your doing things right than keep going. Do you also lunge?
 
Something that 8 years to get wrong won't be corrected over night... If he leans or pulls let go... Always get the movement coming from behind and don't nag at the front... Try using shoulder in to get his inside hind coming underneath and loads of transitions will help. If you make it from a to c without doing a transition then you're not doing enough...
 
Have to agree with blitznbobs. I reschooled my ex racer, took about 3 months or so to get him going in a baby outline consistently at home. We bought him aged 4, he had been out of racing a few months. But as your lad is a bit longer in the tooth i would say it may take a bit longer for him to understand what you want from him. But it will come :)
 
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