Getting a green OTTB started over fences

[Mcl1]

@Bristol_Bay Thank you! I figured something like that had to exist. It looks like they don’t allow trials on plastic/rubber but definitely something I will keep in mind for the future.

@beowulf Great advice, I have ridden him in it a few times now and his canter is SO much more settled and open, which makes finding the jumps 1000x easier - but, it definitely has its downsides for him as well so I will keep it in the rotation (with some kind of rigged up strap) but probably keep trying new things as well before buying a different hackamore.

Just for fun - here’s a picture of my first ride on him and him now (I didn’t realize I was wearing the same shirt until I put them together) - he has gone up a girth size .

[ZuzusPetals]

Yeah, let me just take off this bridle WHILE MOUNTED. Your talents amaze me.

[glitterless]

No advice from me, but I have to chime in and add what a fun horse you have! He’s adorable and looks like he could entertain himself all day. Your mustang must have a ton of patience with him lol

[Mcl1]

@glitterless Thank you! They a quite the pair. The mustang is unquestionably the dominant one and it is so funny to see the TB follow his tiny little boss around. I was hoping that the calm, patient demeanor of the mustang would help the TB but instead the TB has brought out the playful side of the mustang….so now I just have two troublemakers .

[Live_Wire]

It is very clear how much you love your horse (rightfully so, he’s a handsome chunk!) so am confident saying you will not mess him up. Based off the videos you’ve shared, you’re doing a bang up job and you look to have a very good feel of him.

I don’t have a one size fits all approach to how I produce my horses but I will rattle off a few things I do that seems to benefit them all one way or another.

*I prefer to start everything in a cross country field - the spooky ones I’ll try to find a lead if I can to give them a little extra confidence. I feel like solid jumps etc are easier for them to digest when they’re green and it’s easier for them to find their rhythm

*I don’t drill small cross rails. Once they understand there is something there to go over, I bump them up to big X’s - it promotes a better shape and keeps them a little straighter

*I love a ground pole two or three strides after the fence. It teaches them how to rate themselves naturally without being overwhelming

*i really like jumping towards a the wall/fence and using that to encourage downward transitions

*if i do grid work, i usually do more ground poles than fences. I try to keep it to a minimum of two fences, never a vertical

*i prefer to encourage them to get the correct lead on landing rather than schooling a change when they’re green. If you have a wide enough arena to get straight before the fence (at a trot), I love setting a big X up parallel to the long side being mindful to weight my new outside heel on landing. If they get the right lead, I let them carry on for a 20m circle or until they’ve really settled into their stride. If they do not, no big deal, I do a slow transition to a halt on the long side letting them have a few steps at the trot, a few at the walk, and really letting my seat do the work. <-- hopefully that makes sense?

*I knot my reins so I’m not inclined to pull on their face and make it miserable for them

The long of the short: I try to do exercises that naturally allow them to pick the right answer.

FWIW - I like a flexible mullen with a D for the greenies. It’s soft, I’ve found most Thoroughbreds like a mullen, and the D helps with steering

[sassy]

Your horse is super cute! He’s a bit of a different type than my OTTB, but I have had great luck with a nathe full check snaffle on mine. I use the Trust Inno Sense flexi soft one in particular. I had been using a plain metal three piece snaffle, but I switched to the Trust bit and he’s been much more willing to come onto contact and not get so stuck behind the bit. So far it’s held up really well to being a pacifier too I am pretty sure they make a Pelham or something with some leverage.

The hunter princes side of me wishes it didn’t have the logo on the outside of the cheek piece but alas…

[Mcl1]

@Live_Wire Thank you for all the great suggestions! I did the landing on the lead exercise last night and it was super helpful! I have a perfect property to set up a cool little cross country course - if only the neighbors feral broodmares would stop running the fence line and inciting chaos when I ride out there.

@sassy Your guy is so handsome! I looked up that bit and they do make a Pelham version (although, fun fact - it costs more than both of my horses did combined ). But it looks like there are some knock off type ones as well that I could try first.

I think I’m going to try some kind of Mullen flexible or happy mouth D and go from there. He has still been going great in the hackamore for now, honestly it is like jumping a totally different horse.

[jvanrens]

A great ride agreed! I’ve done that before, but it’s a lot easier with a western bridle and I used the rein around the horse’s neck as a neck rope.

[dogsbody1]

@EventerAJ

This 15.2 Storm Cat grandson could be a little bit hot, but melted like butter when I trusted him enough to take the bridle off. He had been off the track for a little under a year in this video.

What an incredibly cool video!! Thanks for sharing