A few thoughts from a fellow ammy who could never afford a made horse, so has spent close on 40 years turning green beans into push-button A circuit hunters. OTTBs, ponies, my own homebred WBs.
None of this is meant to be harsh! I’m just a bit blunt.
Less is more. Always.
Less bit. What I see in the first video with the stop is a horse that is not only not “running away” he is not “taking you” anywhere. Even hunters need to take you to the base and beyond, through the standards and up the lines. They just do it softly, which is all from timing and balance and very solid flatwork.
He goes from curled with a short neck to above and hollow and spends little time reaching down and out, including at the base. We also have the combination of a mild leverage (raising) bit and a loose standing martingale. Which one do you actually need? Worry less about his head and more about his back end.
Couple that mild leverage bit with a lack of release (you even pull back on take off a few times) and you’re actually giving him very mixed signals of “go” and “don’t go” and not allowing the stretch, so he lands shallow and his stride is short. He can’t get out of trouble because he’s in a small box. I would think about shortening your reins and pressing on his neck (without tipping your shoulders) through the entire jumping effort to break that muscle memory.
I try to ride in the “least bit possible” on the young/green ones as well (OK, the mildest bit possible for each individual horse), because you will inevitably get into trouble at some point and, as an ammy, need to throw a bit of eq to the wind to get it done (heck, sometimes it’s OK to totally cowboy up to get one to the other side). A softer bit prevents unintended punishment from our out-of-balance hands in these moments.
Less complication. I see an exercise that is too much for the horse’s current skills and strength. There are poles EVERYWHERE in that small ring. Placing rails. Landing rails. Rails in the corners that disrupt the rhythm. Every. Time. You. Go. By. as he tries to either step over or skip past them.
A very good pro up here in Canada, with a very long record of fixing other pro’s problem horses, once put it to me in a very simple way that has stayed with me for years: a rider’s job is to manage straightness and pace, but at the end of the day, the horse has to manage his own feet.
Your horse is still learning where to put his feet and he’s being asked to tap dance on live television.
Couple that with the distance into the triple combo not being adjusted for the height of jump or skill set of horse and I have to wonder if your trainer built that exercise for the lesson prior that was more advanced and just couldn’t be arsed to change it for your lesson.
It also makes me question why this horse is being tossed into the jumper ring because he “can’t make the lines” in the hunter ring. He cannot master a simple course in comfort, so you throw a complicated one at him? Screw being competitive. Heck, screw horse showing at this point in his development! If a horse cannot comfortably canter up a 5-stride on a 12-foot step, it’s just not ready. Go ticket and train instead.
Less repetition in a single session. This one is really hard for us ammies who only get one lesson a week. We want to get the most out of it, and our coaches often want us to feel we “got our money’s worth” out of that hour.
An hour, ore even 45 minutes, can be too much for a green horse. And gymnastics are particularly draining, both mentally and physically—even for the experienced and fully fit ones, both horse and rider!
In the first video, we see you jump the two diagonals (gymnastic and single) a bunch of times. Then introduce a triple when he’s already a bit tired and losing straightness and focus from bouncing off the random rails on the short ends.
I like to pick an exercise, do it well a few times, and be done. Reward the try. He did the first combination on the diagonal really well a bunch of times. So did you. Hooray! Let’s go have a treat and a good curry and save the more complicated and imposing exercise for the next lesson.
OR, focus on the triple from the start if that is the goal of the day. Start with one element. Add the second element when he’s confident. Add the third when he’s confident with that. Maybe even put it up a bit if all is going well and he’s not mentally or physically tired.
If he gets it all right the first time, fantastic! Short lesson, but worth every penny.
A few other thoughts:
Does your saddle fit both of you? I see your foot well out in front instead of heel under point of hip. This has you posting out of the back of the saddle with your reins longer than ideal. This same mechanics can cause us to tip the shoulder on take off in an attempt to stay with the push, but then snap back a bit on the downward arc. This can also cause your horse to land shallow and shorten his step. Or it can cause one to rush take off. Or it can throw off their balance and prevent them from saving you in a not-ideal distance, causing a stop.
Try trotting in two-point with your heel under your hip, without using your hands to balance. If you tip backwards, try lengthening your stirrup a hole. If you tip forwards, try shortening your stirrup a hole. Still can’t do it? Get the saddle fitter out.
Also, I can say that a saddle can be a great fit for you on your older guy and not a great fit for you on the younger guy. Confirmation and movement of horse and rider in combination are a thing!
Piano hands make tight elbows. Yours are slight, but there is a break in the line between bit and elbow, which may be causing the tight elbow issue. To break the muscle memory, flip your reins to “driving rein” position, so the part coming from the bit passes between your forefinger and thumb. Do that for a couple of flat rides, or for a few minutes whenever you feel your elbows getting tight.
I love your guy! He’s a quality dude with what seems to be a good brain. Agree with the others to take a look at front rads. I have a 1/2TB who can win the hack but still be “footy” on the landing side due to thin soles. Simple front shoes with pads are all it takes to keep her happy and winning. She turns 20 this year and is still showing (albeit cross rail division with kids now).
Or it could be that mild “footiness” some of us see in the video is actually hiding from too much bit and a saddle that doesn’t fit. Or a combination. But better to know for sure!
