We went on our first Hunter Pace of the season yesterday…and for the most part my guy ( 13 yr TB) was good…he wanted to " go"…which was fine…but towards the end it was rocky and when I tried to slow down…he jigged, went sideways, yanked my arms out of the sockets…Any suggestions to get him to knock that off?? I am majorly sore this am from all the yanking…not pleasant…
Dressage.
I probably should have said…this guy goes wonderfully in a snaffle in a ring with no yanking… decent transisitions…very little arguing about anything… We do lesson with a dressage trainer…he only does this when we’re out and about…He apparently forgets his " lessons"…
That’s why the almighty gave us half-halts!
The only other suggestion I have is to GALLOP the snot out of the little darling regularly!
You may want to try this in a somewhat controlled environment, but this is the only way I have seen yanking corrected.
AS SOON as they yank, give them the biggest kick of their life. And I don’t mean squeeze, I mean KICK (like, heels going East/West… with spurs is best). You may have to hang on for a few strides (bucking strap is recommended) but DO NOT pull on the reins in the first few strides (forward is what you want- even if its too forward). The object is to make them feel that yanking is much more unpleasant than just being polite.
I like this idea…definately in a controlled environment…this boy has a lot of get up and go…I’ll give that a shot in the indoor…
just a bit of background…this guy is an ex-eventer and my hunt horse…( OTTB) …who was injured 2 years ago…( tendon) we have brought him back slowly…lots of dressage ( vet said no jumping) and he’s quite good at that ( doesnt like it a whole lot but good mover) He’s been sound for a while now…so we hunted a bit last season…so figured we’d try a hunter pace…he’s used to moving out…and has always had decent brakes…we’ll try the controlled environment thing…
Horses without riders do not run around sticking their noses out and pushing forcefully down. Therefore, we can assume that there is something the riders are doing that is causing horses to act in this way. It can be a bitter pill to swallow that is almost always the rider at fault when horses “misbehave”, but once you swallow the pill, things get immediately smoother for horses and riders.
Riders pull, so horses push. A rider’s perception is that the horse is yanking or pulling, but the horse is merely pushing in response to the rider’s pulling. One proof of this is that most horses do not start out the day yanking (pushing), but as the day goes on and horses are forced to tolerate a rider’s locked-elbow pulling, horses start to yank (push).
The solution is to rethink your technique. Do not hang on the horse’s mouth. Ask the horse to slow down by using your body (see dressage comment above) and when the horse complies, relax your aids, allow in your elbow, seek elastic connection. This means, get off his mouth. If a horse is ridden so that when he is going appropriately he has no one pulling on him, no pain in his mouth, he will spend his time figuring out how to go appropriately. If, on the other hand, he is constantly punished in the mouth even when he is going appropriately (locked elbow, pulling rider), he will spend his time trying to avoid unending mouth pain by rooting. Find a time to release the rein and release it.
If you own your part in creating this situation, you can fix it very easily with help from a good instructor. If it remains in your mind only the horse’s bad behaviour, it will be a long road to improvement, if at all.
I live in a lovely flame suit, no worries.
That’s why I mentioned more dressage. Because of the half halt. I had the same problem you seem to have.
Nice in the ring - but out hunting I’m like - whoa dammit!!! :lol: half halt excuse me pardon me we’re new (obviously) half halt half halt excuse me pardon me oh my oh dear God half halt half halt pulley rein excuse me pardon me I’m trying to keep to the rear of the field oh dear oh my half halt half halt yes maybe I should take up golf instead half halt…
Ha ha ha! JSwan!
Circle, stop, back up, release, pet. Repeat as needed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by flash1
He apparently forgets his " lessons"…
That’s why I mentioned more dressage. Because of the half halt. I had the same problem you seem to have.
Nice in the ring - but out hunting I’m like - whoa dammit!!! half halt excuse me pardon me we’re new (obviously) half halt half halt excuse me pardon me oh my oh dear God half halt half halt pulley rein excuse me pardon me I’m trying to keep to the rear of the field oh dear oh my half halt half halt yes maybe I should take up golf instead half halt…
yeah, been there. Get a pelham with double reins or a bubble jumping bit with double reins, and use the leverage rein if you need it. FAR better to use more bit once or twice than to have to pull pull yank yank and have the horse pull pull yank yank back in disgust.
If you observe the really successful riders in your hunt, they get results with very little bit and very little fuss. That can be learned by horse and rider. Education and training, not gadgets.
Perceiving a horse as a combatant that you have to subdue with bits is way less satisfying than having fun with a horse as a partner. A good trainer can show you the way.
As Camstock says, “Circle, stop, back up, release, pet. Repeat as needed.”
You may have to circle for a while, but don’t go straight until you have gotten your stop or slower pace. If you do this consistently, they will learn that they will have to work harder ( circles are harder on them than straight ) or slow down. One day you will move your rein to circle and horsey will immediately slow down and you won’t have to complete the exercise!!! What an aha moment!!!
It takes dedication and persistence, one time pulling will set you back to square one pretty quick!!!
I probably should have said…this is a new behavior for him…We hunted 5 years… and once he got the hang of it ( first few he learned he didnt have to be first…and he could stand still) he was a real gentleman in the field… even last season the few times we went out he was fine…no yanking no fuss…and I have had him for 7 years…this yanking stuff is new…and while its possible I dont think I have changed the way I ride him…(I dont pull on his face…)
Try a gag.
Worked like a dream for me.
Find a racecourse and give him a good gallop - REGULARLY !
Have you had his teeth done recently?
He’s had time off, remember that. He could be getting excited since it was your first pace back. I would just take things in stride, and go ahead and work him regularly in the arena.
Practicing an elastic, soft-handed approach is never bad. I believe as riders we should use as little non-natural aid as possible, and you can never stop learning or working to try to be comfortable. A dressage re-school is never a bad idea, really!
Is there any chance you could head out and school some? If it is because he’s gotten more excited, he could just forget his lessons, and schooling before your next outing could help give both of you a chance to work this out. The way you described his “jigging”… I’m not sure where you live, but even in Florida my winter was not full of long schools (lots of rain!) and I know even just north of me they had snow. This longer/colder/wetter winter could have just made him ready to GO GO GO. The yanking might not be from your hands or your ride, but him just letting you know that he wants to run.
I agree with above, make sure his teeth are OK too!
Wow, 2 clear camps…
- Training
2)More bit
I have used both, but would prefer to be able to work with the horse as a team, so I think its not all black or white.
I don’t know your riding experience, I am gonna assume its at least a bit different than mine. So what I’d do if Lad did this may not apply. But here it is anyway.
I’d lunge his ass a bit before our daily rides, using side reins to help him remember to submit to the bit I choose to ride in. (French link snaffle) After 10-15 mins of asking him to warm up I ask for 10-15 of lengthen, shorten at the trot and canter on the lunge. And when I ask I mean respond NOW. Not fifteen strides later.
After all this I get on and ride like normal but I make sure that on most days lengthening and shortening with half halts is a part of our daily ride.
So that if/when we get to a situation away from home in a show or hunt enviornment the half halt I need in a more extreme situation is right on the surface where I need it.
I wouldn’t be afraid to put a stronger bit on to correct him IF he continued to ignore me away from home. But it’d have to be a temporary thing and nothing that punished his mouth when I used more force, ie a bit without a chain.
But at all costs I’d try to keep him focused on moving away from any continued disobedience and moving towards successful training.
~Emily
Actually used a gag…used to ride him in an happy mouth elevator…thought I might try that again…
We are going to CT this weekend to school over a really nice X-country course…I’m only going to jump a few things…but there are lots of nice hills…and places to gallop…We hunt there as well so he knows the country…should be a good place to let him go a bit…
