Need some suppling help..

[LivviesMom]

I have a 5 year old mare who really just started her undersaddle training.
At the walk she bends and is responsive to my leg, starting to seek out the contact and is pretty good at accepting it for small amounts of time. She’s getting stronger everyday.

At the trot she is good to her right, but horrid to her left… it is definitely her weaker side and she knows it… I can feel her tense up and get choppy. I stay as quiet as I can and use my posting to control her speed… I find that its hard for her to relax going to her left. On the longe she is fine actually… oddly enough it is her stronger side.
Last night I had a good ride… lots of walk work to get her relaxed.Direction changes, figure eights, and serpentines. She was a little dull to my leg at the trot and we had a little remedial session about that, and she was actually much better about softening and bending to the left.

She honestly feels “locked” ( for lack of better term)in the jaw/poll and stiff/worried… but her left side only. I’ve tried to be very aware of my own body and staying centered and balanced for her but was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for exercises?
I’m in the process of trying to find a new coach. I’m a hunter rider but I like a strong dressage foundation for myself and the horse. I know what we really need is a coach but just looking for suggestions until I find the right one…

Tack fits well, she likes and accepts her bit. She has regualar chiro work, no lameness or teeth issues.

Thanks all!

[ThreeFigs]

Does this stiffness improve at all after Chiropractic work?

What about YOU? Are you sitting squarely? Which side is your weak or stiff side? Horses reflect their rider’s own issues. Frustrating, but the better I get in terms of balance, strength and symmetry, the better my horse gets, too.

She sounds very green. Much of what you describe may resolve as she gets strength and balance. Just keep working her on straight lines, large circles only and just ask her to go forward (but not running off her feet and over-tempo), seeking the bit. Half-halts are your friend. Concentrate more on longitudinal flexion, rather than lateral flexion for now.

She may only need a little more time.

[LivviesMom]

I cant say I notice a difference after chiro work to be honest. It feels more like a balance/confidence issue.

The first thing I thought of was me, and whether it was me putting her off balance, soI had some one watch me to make sure I wasnt collapsing. I cant say with 100% certainty its not me,but I am trying to be very aware of how I am sitting on her. The person watching me was a vet and didnt feel it was completely to do with me, but I’m more than likely influencing her either because shes trying to maintain her balance with me on her or I’m shifting slightly and not realising it.

She gets herself a little worked upand quickens her pace, slowing my posting seems to help her find her rhythm again and she settles down. My priority is relaxation right now, if she relaxes enought to start looking for the contact, great, if not its not a big deal right at this moment.
She still is quite green. You can feel the difference when she “gets” something.

I avoid circle work when she gets quick or upset and go back to track work and relaxing.

I generally stick to large circles ( for her balance) and figure 8’s/ BIG sepentines to keep her mind occupied and focused on me. She seemd to get it a littler better last night, so I think shes starting to come around.

Other than that she feels pretty confident in herself. She likes to try and tell me what she thinks we should be doing lol.

Should also add, I am doing zero canter work right now with this issue at the trot.

[inca]

Have you tried a small, gentle, open leading rein when going to the left and then use your inside leg at the same time to encourage the bend?

My 5-yr-old can be stiff to the left and this really seems to help her. Just be sure to use leg at the same time so you don’t get only neck bend. But, the open leading rein can help if they are stiff in their neck/poll. And don’t hold it forever. Maybe do it for 1/4 circle, then ride “normal” then if she stiffens, use the open leading rein for another few strides. Keep repeating.

I also try to think about the tiniest shoulder fore, although I am sure we don’t get it at all. But, thinking about it helps me get the correct bend. I will think “slightly smaller circle with the shoulders” just to get the inside hind stepping under a bit more and to get the bend.

And as weird as it might sound, be sure she doesn’t OVERBEND going to the right. If she bends almost too easily to the right, concentrate on straightness going to the right and that will help build up her 2 sides more evenly.

She is young and most of them start out very one-sided. You just have to slowly work on making it more even.

Keep longeing her in side reins - that has helped my mare more than anything.

[LivviesMom]

Inca. yes… opening rein and inside leg… that seemed to help last night actually. Alot of it is just her inexperiance and one sidedness, but I thought I’d see if there were any other suggestions out there to help kind of unlock her a bit. She needs time and patience for sure… Lord knows I’ve waited this long! She took her time maturing mentally, and physically.

I do longe in a bungee which she does well in. I know she can bend there. but its a different ball game when you add in a human to balance aswell.

[inca]

If you can, I would longe in side reins instead of the bungee. That will give her more of the feel of going to BOTH reins, like when you ride her. You don’t need them to be short, start with them plenty long so as not to worry her. But, honestly, longeing in side reins is what has helped my mare the most.

She also has been a “late bloomer” and wasn’t started until she was 4. We tried at 3 but she was so tall and gangly that she literally could NOT figure out how to move (even walk!) with a rider. I did a lot of longeing the winter of her 3-yr-old year and then she was much more ready for riding at 4. Mentally she has been fine but physically it has just taken her a long time to mature. It wasn’t until this fall that she started looking like a “real” horse instead of a very immature baby.

Also, instead of just trotting and trotting and trotting, do short sets of trot. One circle, then walk. Reestablish the bend and connection at the walk and then back up to trot. The transitions will build strength and the shorter bits of trot will help her not to get anxious.

[LivviesMom]

Ince I think your mare and my mare might have been twins lol… they sound exactly the same. You make a good poitn about the side reins and going to both reins… I hadnt thought of that.

I loveee transitions… I use them alot, if for nothing else than to keep her focus but they are a great tool…

[ThreeFigs]

Excellent advice from inca!

I like Vienna Reins, especially if the horse has a tendency to invert. However, if the problem is contact, regular side reins are better.

Ditto limiting overbend. My gelding loves to overbend to the left, throwing the right shoulder out. Concentrate for now on riding into even contact. Bend will come in time.

My mare, when she was young (rising 4 and fewer than 20 rides on her) had a disconcerting kink in her neck near the poll. Don’t know what caused it, but eventually it straightened out.

[sunhawk]

Sounds like the standard ‘crooked’ horse. I find most horses bend easier to the right than left. A balance issue because they weight the left shoulder more than the right, a contact issue, because they are avoiding acceptance of contact on the right rein, a respect for leg issue because they don’t move well off the left leg, and tend to push into the leg, plus they are tense and anxious about all of the above.

Break it down into easy sections. Get ‘give’ to the right small circles at the walk, once you have bend to the left, get leg yield off your left leg, they move the right shoulder over, fill your right rein, and start to accept contact, then in your transition into trot from walk, build energy softly while keeping them into your outside rein, no holding with left rein, just give and take to maintain left bend. You’ll find it easier to maintain contact on your right rein if you maintain and ‘outside’ opening rein also. You may need to use a tap with a whip behind your inside leg. You may also find it easier to get thru to her by doing some exercises on the ground sort of ground driving but holding the reins while you walk at the shoulder, and using the whip where you leg belongs .

[BayHorseUK]

I agree with Inca. Ride straight lines as if you are riding a baby shoulder fore, and aside from that just give her time. It’s quite normal for her stage of development. Don’t neglect the bends and turns as it will help straighten her, so really work on keeping a steady rhythm and tempo through serpentines etc. If she gets rushy or tense you can also do a lot of work at walk, as I suspect she’s not as straight in that gait as she may feel to you.

[inca]

Yes, when I read your post, I thought “wow, she owns my mare’s long lost sister!” LOL Honestly, EVERYTHING you are going thru, I have been going thru and still am but it is getting SO much better.

Time and patience are definitely your best friend. And I just ignore everyone else that has 5-yr-olds that have already been showing successfully and ready to do first level!!! It’s hard sometimes not to feel my mare is “behind” but I just remind myself that every horse is an individual and rushing her now will just make it worse.

My mare’s mother was the very first horse I ever bred and raised. That mare was a prodigy and showing first level (and winning) the fall of her 4-yr-old year. We did 2 shows at training level and then it was very obvious that was way too easy. My next youngster (by the same stallion) was a mental case and she was 5 1/2 before we could canter on both leads. I was constantly thinking “your half sister was schooling 2nd level when she was 5 1/2 and we are struggling to canter” and now I know how silly it was to put these artifical time tables on her training. Once she figured out the basics and trusted me and knew what was going to be expected of her, she caught up in her training easily. So, with the current coming 5-yr-old, I am just having fun and taking note of the little bit of progress she makes every week. (Of course, it helps that I have other more advanced horses to ride and show.)

[LivviesMom]

I’ll keep all of this in mind when I ride next. You’ve all given me alot to think about and try.

BayHorse… I know for fact she isn’t 100 percent straight, but it is way worse when she is going to her left. we’re workign on it… I suspect its always going to take her a “few tries” at most things… Thats just the way she is, but when she gets something, she feels great.

Inca… I feel for you! lol. I have friends with horses the same age and I always get… “you arent showing yet?!?”… “what do you mean you havent cantered YET?!.. she’s 5!!” ( I did ask her for it last week… just to introduce the idea/aids to her and she nailed it both leads… no fuss. like she’d done it a million times. And she maintained the rhythm, a bit on the forehand but not bad for a first try at it)
I try to ignore it… she’s a tough nut and its taken time, but my god when she’s good and she is confident… Look Out!

Her Dam was a difficult mare. Liv is not quite so bad but she is opinionated. I try to be fair with her and not overface her. If you push, she will definitely take 2 steps back. When she gets upset I go back to what I was last doing to boost her confidence and try again… she needs to think about things lol.

[angel]

Your mare is pretty typical for a hollow right horse. She is not straight in either direction…it is just that you can better feel it when going to the left. To help her when you are traveling left, and she feels blocked, release the right rein momentarily. Use your left groin area to push her side toward her right shoulder. As you feel her become more straight, take back your right rein, and try to sustain the straightness. At first, you might have to release that rein for a couple of strides. But, over time, you will find that you only have to momentarily release it and take it back.

Several other things are probably contributing to her problem. On a left circle, your weight needs to be greater on your left stirrup, and your foot in that stirrup needs to be heel down, not toe down. In addition, you are losing her right hind. Carry your whip on the right side, and keep that right hind tracking forward.

Your correction for the other direction will be exactly the same, even though the rotation of your circle is different.