Helping a friend

[ezduzit]

A friend has a 3 y/o Morgan who she sent to a NH trainer for a few months. Gelding is broke to ride, goes over or thru any obstacle, has a good mind and is sweet.

He’s also young, physically immature and mentally immature. My friend has ridden only dead broke horses, she is my age so her younger days of flying around on horse back are long over.

She asked for help today so I went to watch. I’m a good teacher. Those who can do, those who can’t teach…I’m good from the ground, not so much on the horse.

So, I think the saddle pinches…in fact kind of KNOW it does. She’s riding in a bosal and he’s tossing his head and fussing all the way from down at his knees to way above the bit. Steers okay when he wants to.

NH told her to mount up and immediately back up. Bring his head around to the boot toe both ways. This on a cold horse. I’m aghast that anyone would want to back up a horse right away. He told her this sets the routine in his head.

I suggested, tactfully, that she ride around both directions a couple of times before working on flexing. She has lots of obstacles in the ring, cones, poles a bridge. I suggested instead of riding him on the rail, she can keep his mind busy by riding the obstacles and use the rail just for warm up and cool down. She’s w/j with him so far. Also suggested that she go back to her hunt saddle…he didn’t toss his head when she was riding in that.

Also suggested a French link snaffle. And some lunge lessons in a Vienna rein or donut rein.

She not an effective rider…mostly says no to him and they keep on going. He eventually comes back to her, mentally and physically. He’s just turned 3 so all of this is to be expected.

Any other suggestions to help her? NH is great but Morgans need more than that. They are naturally built to be collected and forward.

[SouthernYankee]

1. turn him out and let him mentally and physically mature
2. the horse needs more ground work (roundpen, long line, etc) to learn to respect her and her cues. He may be fine but does not know how to read her cues.
3. She needs to get a handle on the horse now or its going to get dangerous for her and the horse. And when she says ‘no’ she means it. Horses aren’t dogs and there is no grey area. It’s black and white. If she says ‘no’ then the horse needs to respect it and stop.
4. can she take lessons with the trainer?

I’ve started a few horses and I always make them flex at the beginning. Flex, roundpen/longe, flex, get on while horse is flexed to the left, then do it again before we ever move a foot.(I’m only talking about the first 30-60 days of riding, once they are in the habit of giving me their attention I’ll work a little then stop and flex.) I don’t over flex as it can ruin a horse but use it as a soften and get your attention on me aid. My 3 month old filly is learning to flex, it will help me when I start her and it will help her learn to tie and give to pressure. Getting on and walking around before asking for any work sets in the horses mind that they get to go to play before going to work, you are teaching work ethic at this point… I hate to get on a horse that knows better but insists that they get to play for a few minutes before going to work. It works for older horses but working with a very green baby is 90% mental and 10% physical. You have to keep their mind thinking on what you want them doing.

[ezduzit]

Good point about going to work right away. I like the idea of incorporating the flexing into the lesson.

I really like this woman, she’s sweet and kind. A great deal of her ineffectiveness is that “I don’t want to teach him the wrong thing” and in doing so is teaching him the wrong thing. I want to gently steer her towards more success. He’s a real cutie.

Thank you.

[vtdobes]

My Morgan mare is 9 this year and we get on and walk. She’s not lolly-gagging though…she’s walking forward and stretching down to the ground to get loosened up.
I probably wouldn’t do that with my dopey 4 yr old…he’s still immature in body/mind so I’m not getting on him and giving him free rein! In fact we are still longing and long lining. Everytime I think he’s ready to get on…he goes and does some stupid thing on the long lines…ugh!