I think this is a common problem for many people. My observation is that if the rider tries too hard, he will overwhelm the horse. Everything you do needs to be comfortable for your horse.
So maybe you can try once in a while while riding to simply relax on your horse and feel how your horse is moving. You need to get the feeling that your horse is cuddling along while you sit on him everything needs to be round and elastic.
When I try to do everything my trainer wants me to do, I do use my core a lot in the beginning ad then I try to loosen up in order to give my horse the chance to move freely.
It probably sounds very confusing but IMO riding is a mixture of trying hard and still being relaxed… it’s not easy because it involves a huge animal…
DO NOT EVER PULL BACK. Period. End of story. Ever. A horse that’s “heavy on the forehand” and not so due to conformation, is a horse that does not have the hind end engaged. So in this instance, you would neither give nor pull back. You would rev up the hind end. That’s the only fix. If the horse is actually stationary and you think the front end is “stuck”, then do some turns on the haunches or send her sideways, anything to get her unstuck. But again, it’s the hind legs that have to move to get a horse to go forward.
Do NOT get lunged on a horse by an instructor who does not know what they are doing. Your life is in their hands. It is very scary.
HA! yes…this is what happens to me too. What i do when i feel myself tense is close my eyes and find that peace. And breathe. And concentrate on just me and my horse. And that’s when the magic happens. My coach always recognizes how our way of going instantly improved and how relaxed my horse has become…she’ll say: THERE!!! That’s IT…keep her going that way…and some string of compliments/comments about how her neck is/how she’s reaching for the bit, how her legs are making perfect triangles or that she’s stepping over her footfalls…or that she’s swinging… Not all at once but a few of these comments. That’s what i get from my coach when i give in and turn quiet inside. Now…how to keep that tranquility, this i do not know. I know how to get it, but not how to keep it. Because almost as soon and i’m ‘there’ it starts going away again! i do not feel it going away…and when i’m tense again i have to search my memory to figure out what to do. Closing eyes and giving in…finding that peace, well, that is not an instant reaction! I have to think: Now, what is it i have to do to fix this tense now that i see it’s there. Over and over again. So strange…
Hello all, following this thread with interest as I have had a similar issue with my new-to-me Andalusian who appeared to lack a ‘go’ button. In his case, if the rider is at all tense or holding the core/butt it says to him ‘there’s a problem up there’ and he is very sticky.
solution for a more than middle-aged re-rider is to be really relaxed in walk work for the first 10-15 minutes of the ride. Like taking a walk in the park. the first couple of rides not much happened. now, he knows it is going to be a while so he has a forward, swinging walk. Also note this is going around the arena long side-short side-long side-short side, just straight all the way around 2x in each direction, then some large-ish circles with contact to start bending.
For those of us who are not as fit as we (I) would like one of my older coaches had me work in patterns to ‘explain’ to the horse. For a behind-the-leg horse you might again go around the arena with encouragement to move out on the long sides. My guy ‘got it’ for the long sides and spiffed up his trot, and now also knows the same for a diagonal change of direction.
You need to ride the pattern repeatedly to ‘explain’ it to the horse so they can anticipate. maybe first in the walk, then in the trot. If you get so far, then in the canter.
When you are starting out, each positive reaction from the horse should get exuberant praise, so she knows she has done the right thing. And maybe stop the ride there, or switch to easy walk as a reward as well. DO NOT DRILL
From the sidelines on the internet it sounds like you and your trainer are pushing this mare to be doing lateral work (that usually requires some degree of collection) without the basic forward. And many warmbloods ‘shut down’ when they do not understand.
Lots of other good advice above, just wanted to contribute my $0.02.
@BigMama1 - my horse took me water skiing last night! It was so cool, he pulled me all the way across the diagonal, really pushing behind and taking the contact.
To keep it do it at the letters. To start with it might have to be every fourth or fifth letter and work up to every letter and then all the time,
great idea!
