Recently, I’ve taken one of the new horses at my barn under my wing as a sort of project. He’s the sweetest thing, but I’ve been having some issues with him under saddle.
The first time I got on him, he had this strange habit of bending the wrong way and side stepping away from the fence on the right hand side of the area. This was particularly bad at the canter. At first we thought he was afraid of something (there’s a lot of bushes and trees around that particular portion), but he only did this going to the left and was perfectly fine going to the right. Since then, he’s been getting much better about this and I can generally keep him on the rail with a lot of inside leg, he still does this on bad days, and will often do it going through the outside line along the same side of the ring. However, he’s developed a new “problem” and this time it’s when he’s going to the right (at least I notice it much more in this direction). He’s generally fine as I’m warming him up through the walk and trot, but when I ask him to canter on the right lead he over bend and won’t turn the corners in the ring at least the two closest to the barn. He’ll sooner canter all the way up to the fence and stop than turn the corner. Once he does this at the canter he’ll continue to do it at the trot and (less so) at the walk.
I don’t know a whole lot about his past, from what I’ve been told he’s a quarter horse, somewhere between 8 and 10 years old, and his owner did mostly western and trail riding with him. I’ve been working with him for almost two months and I can’t seem to figure him out. My trainer and I think that there’s something bothering him in his mouth because he’s generally better at the beginning of the ride and will start with these things later in the ride (as if he’s getting sore) along with occasional head tossing depending on the bit. We’re currently in the process of trying different bits on him to see what works with no success. It would be greatly appreciated if I could get some suggestions as to what we can do. Thanks!
The first thing I would do is get an experienced saddle fitter to check and see if there are problems with the saddle and properly fitting his back. Also, when we’re his teeth last floated? Is it possible he needs his teeth done or a few sharp points removed?
Big big maybe here… maybe he has been trained to do sliding stops. that is how they train them when they start. they go right up to a wall and won’t let the horse go any direction but just stop when they see a wall. So that would be one thing I would think of…
The counter bending on one side from one direction could be vision problems in the one eye.
If he has been ridden mostly on trail, he may have had little or no serious arena schooling, and not have learned the balance needed for corners or going straight in the arena. How well does he work 20 metre circles, voltes, etc? Does he have any lateral movements, leg yield or shoulder-in? Does he move sideways off the leg at all? In addition to checking out vision, saddle fit, bit fit, etc., you might want to do some of the basic flat-work schooling with him and see if there are any holes in his arena work.
My current horse was trail broke but green in the arena when I started with her 5 years ago, and it really does take some time for them to get their balance on the figures and in the contained space. And if they are off balance or uncomfortable, then they will start evasive behavior.
It’s a bit hard to visualize what’s going on from your description, but some western trainers teach “stop” by tipping the nose into the fence and having the quarters then follow around (sort of like a turn on the forehand without ever really stopping). He’s not trying to do something like that is he?
A check of saddle and teeth does sound like a good start though.
I’m having a bit of trouble visualizing what the horse is doing as well. But I sounds like he is not straight and has problems with corners. it also sounds like you are riding the rail. I would suggest riding on quarter line and doing circles to see it this helps with straightness and to prevent the horse from using the rail to 'balance" himself.
I have had horses come to me from a background of trail, or a background of being soured in the ring and then turned to trail horse that would. not. turn. in one direction of the ring. The one I am thinking of in particular would take you right into the rail rather than turn to the right at the canter. She was horrid! It was a behavior issue, and we worked it out in a unique way–she loved to jump, but would not turn to the right. So we set up so that we would canter down the side, and turn right to a jump on the diagonal–she wouldn’t do the turn to start with, and it was a major fight, and she wouldn’t do it at a canter at all, you could only get her muscled around facing the jump at a slower gait, but once she got her eye on the jump, she was willing to go again. We repeated this process, trying it at a canter, but slowing and doing the turn at a slower gait if needed to get the turn, and through repetition she learned that if she wanted to jump, she had to turn the corner. After she could canter up the line, and turn and jump the jump, we just cantered up the line, turned, and cantered down the other side of the ring without the jump. It took all summer to straighten this horse out, but by fall she was riding in the ring like she was supposed to, turning anywhere, able to do circles, etc.
I have had other horses that would pick a corner and a direction and not turn, but rather take you right into the corner. These horses might start out a riding session fine, but end up not fine. Again, these were horses without much ring work behind them, or alternately, too much ring work and soured. Depending on the horse, we would do different things. For the worst cases that wouldn’t turn I would stand in the corner with a longe whip while the rider rode. Getting the horse in the habit of going around the rail was important, and after a while they would come along.
Assuming you don’t have a tooth problem or tack fit problem, it really sounds behavioral and training related, and something very common. The counterbending one way and the not turning are all related. I really am leaning toward behavoral because he is giving you a hard time turning in the corners near the barn. That is where the majority of the ones I am working have the issue. It is a “I don’t want to do this and I want to go back to the barn” response. You have to be careful that you don’t bore the horse with too much/too long sessions of the same thing in the ring, and besides that you need to convince them to go through the corners/ up the long side, etc. We carry a whip or crop, rotate it so the horse can see it in its outside eye to help with turning, we have a person stand in the corner with a longe whip, and in extreme cases like the first example we come up with a clever solution. Hope this helps. This is a very common problem I deal with.
I have had horses come to me from a background of trail, or a background of being soured in the ring and then turned to trail horse that would. not. turn. in one direction of the ring. The one I am thinking of in particular would take you right into the rail rather than turn to the right at the canter. She was horrid! It was a behavior issue, and we worked it out in a unique way–she loved to jump, but would not turn to the right. So we set up so that we would canter down the side, and turn right to a jump on the diagonal–she wouldn’t do the turn to start with, and it was a major fight, and she wouldn’t do it at a canter at all, you could only get her muscled around facing the jump at a slower gait, but once she got her eye on the jump, she was willing to go again. We repeated this process, trying it at a canter, but slowing and doing the turn at a slower gait if needed to get the turn, and through repetition she learned that if she wanted to jump, she had to turn the corner. After she could canter up the line, and turn and jump the jump, we just cantered up the line, turned, and cantered down the other side of the ring without the jump. It took all summer to straighten this horse out, but by fall she was riding in the ring like she was supposed to, turning anywhere, able to do circles, etc.
I have had other horses that would pick a corner and a direction and not turn, but rather take you right into the corner. These horses might start out a riding session fine, but end up not fine. Again, these were horses without much ring work behind them, or alternately, too much ring work and soured. Depending on the horse, we would do different things. For the worst cases that wouldn’t turn I would stand in the corner with a longe whip while the rider rode. Getting the horse in the habit of going around the rail was important, and after a while they would come along.
Assuming you don’t have a tooth problem or tack fit problem, it really sounds behavioral and training related, and something very common. The counterbending one way and the not turning are all related. I really am leaning toward behavoral because he is giving you a hard time turning in the corners near the barn. That is where the majority of the ones I am working have the issue. It is a “I don’t want to do this and I want to go back to the barn” response. You have to be careful that you don’t bore the horse with too much/too long sessions of the same thing in the ring, and besides that you need to convince them to go through the corners/ up the long side, etc. We carry a whip or crop, rotate it so the horse can see it in its outside eye to help with turning, we have a person stand in the corner with a longe whip, and in extreme cases like the first example we come up with a clever solution. Hope this helps. This is a very common problem I deal with.
I’d have his vision checked! As well as the tack fit and teeth. But, I’d start with the vision.
