Working on the bit

[Ladybird]

As title, I'm struggling to get my mare working on the bit.
I'm not the most experienced of riders and am looking to restart lessons, but after seeing a friend have my mare going really well effortlessly I was just looking for some hints and tips from you helpful HHOer's!

She works quite well from behind and we have a fair bit of impulsion, but she's very hollow and her heads in the air, and when asked for the contact she leans on the bit.
Now my more experienced friend can get her through this and into a lovely light contact, I however end up riding a giraffe...

(Teeth, back etc done. Few issues soon to be resolved with saddle.)

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance

 

[JessPickle]

I'd get said friend up the yard, video her riding then get her to video yourself. It does help to see what your doing wrong/differently I have found it helpful in the past

Or ask friend if she has any tips/hints on how your horse best works, one thing I'd say is make sure when asking for her to work that you keep your leg on, it was a huge fault of mine so I ended up with a horse with a bent neck and no implulsion!

 

[Flint12]

Start lessons is all i can say really. . .

My lad will now work on the bit, but i know when im not doing it right. . . you have to use alot of leg. . .well you do with my lad anyway. . .

Lessons helped me no end

 

[Gorgeous George]

I had / have this problem and I got so hung up about what his head was doing that I stopped riding him forwards much like Jesspickle says. So with my instructor's help I stopped worrying about his head and neck and really worked him forwards and slowly but surely it is coming together.

 

[LauraWinter]

Someone gave me a good analogy once which certainly helped me when I was learning- he said you have to think like you are holding a car on a clutch at the top of a hill, ie it is most important that you are going forward and the hands are used as a kind of balance to that energy..... its not about forcing the head/neck into a shape, its about pushing forward into a firm contact and then opening the hand when the time is right. I hope that makes sense? There is no substitute for someone actually explaining as you ride though and they can help correct your particular way of going