Echo all the comments about being gentle. I’m on a pretty sensitive OTTB right now, and typically I find he is so willing to please and any objections on his part can be remedied almost immediately with a gentle, more tactful ride on my part.
That being said, I found recently that he is MUCH happier in a french link with a rubber mouth.
[QUOTE=Atlas Shrugged;8690150]
This[/QUOTE]
^^^ Awesome. Reminds me of when my trainer had me just hack around the ring, slowly flexing and bending and encouraging stretching of the neck and back. We did that for weeks without even thinking of doing anything more put together, just so the horse could learn that the ride was supposed to be enjoyable for everyone.
[QUOTE=mg;8686735]
Sensitive horses often hold a lot of tension. With horses like that, you need to be careful to not overpace them when trying to get them connected or else they will never give over their back. Be mindful of the training scale and work your way up from the bottom: rhythm, relaxation, suppleness. Focus on getting a quiet trot with a consistent rhythm and then slowly work on asking the horse to bend more around circles and serpentines while keeping that same trot. When in doubt, go a bit slower and allow the head to go lower than you would think to encourage the horse to give and work over the back. Remember, you want the horse to seek the bit, not be trapped by it.[/QUOTE]
^^^ Awesome. Reminds me of when my trainer had me just hack around the ring, slowly flexing and bending and encouraging stretching of the neck and back. We did that for weeks without even thinking of doing anything more put together, just so the horse could learn that the ride was supposed to be enjoyable for everyone
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