Yanking( rooting) on Hunter Pace

[Brigit]

I took my mare hunting a few years ago and she did the same thing. I made the mistake of taking her out in the snaffle we rode at home in. My normally super soft, supple, responsive horse turned into a running, pulling maniac. She was definitely having a good time and my efforts to rate her was getting in her way! lol She figured out that she could ROOT down and shake her head in an attempt to yank the reins out of my hands. My back and shoulders were SO sore for days afterwards from trying to sit up and keep her at a reasonable pace. There was no such thing as a half halt that day! lol

On thing that’ll help is bridging your reins so they can’t rip them out of your hands as easy or take their head down any further once the “bridge” hits their neck.

I also had to resort to a kimberwick. It honestly was the ONLY thing that worked. I did my best to school her a ton to try and fix the problem but it honestly went out the window when she got excited. And didn’t seem to tire either, she was as prancy and excited at the end as she was at the beginning, so sometimes more exercise isn’t necessarily the solution. The bit seemed to fix her little red wagon, she tried pulling a few times and then realized that the result wasn’t the same as with the other bit. It only took a couple of times for her to do that before she started listening, after that we had a fantastic time, no more rooting, much more control. She seemed to enjoy that I wasn’t bugging her non-stop and I was enjoying just riding.

Anyways, all in all, I think it depends on the horse.

[flash1]

Yes… teeth just done…

[flash1]

Havent ever used a kimberwick…might try that…did try the bridge which usually works…but he managed to figure out a way to yank up and out which dislodged my hands ( very clever one he is…) also…was yanking when I had no contact at all… as soon as he felt freedom he wanted to go go go…

[Vesper_Sparrow]

Sounds like the twin of my 26 OTTB ex-eventer, who had 10 years of experience of pulling kids around cross-country like a freight train before I got her.

Perfect angel in the dressage ring. Outside, when she gets in one of her moods, she just wants to be free… Jigger, rooter, sideways canterer extraordinaire… Mind you, when the chips are really down, I can usually get her to listen, but most of the time, everything is on her terms.

The only success I have had so far (other than just going along with it) is at the walk (she, too, will root even with a loop in the reins). When she starts to pull for no reason, I give her a sharp half-halt, then praise her like crazy when she responds and immediately give her lots of rein. Seems to be working somewhat. At the walk only. Next, for the trot/canter…

[wendy]

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.

problem with the “circle” method is you have to have room to circle. 90% of our out-of-arena rides are down narrow trails cut through the thorn bushes or farmer’s crops and you simple can’t “circle”. You can’t do anything but “go straight”.

[whicker]

Another viewpoint-

Have you had him checked for lymes or other tick born diseases?

Have you had him gone over by an osteopath to see if there is something not quite in the right place?

I wonder if he hurts and that is what is setting him off. The horses that I have had the hardest time with have had a physical underlying issue. They were in pain and tried to get away from it.

[Brigit]

[QUOTE=flash1;4834002]
Havent ever used a kimberwick…might try that…did try the bridge which usually works…but he managed to figure out a way to yank up and out which dislodged my hands ( very clever one he is…) also…was yanking when I had no contact at all… as soon as he felt freedom he wanted to go go go…[/QUOTE]

Sneaky guy! lol I really liked the kimberwick it’s not too much leverage and you can decide which slot to put your reins in and how tight you want to adjust the chain. It worked unbelievably for my mare. It was kind of like a mediator. You don’t pull and I won’t either. Once she kind of got out of the rooting/trying to run away mindset she realized that we actually COULD just go along with everybody else and have a nice time without the nutty-ness.

BTW she’s had her teeth/back etc checked and she’s fine and dandy, she just gets REALLY excited when out with other horses galloping & jumping.

@wendy;4834093

problem with the “circle” method is you have to have room to circle. 90% of our out-of-arena rides are down narrow trails cut through the thorn bushes or farmer’s crops and you simple can’t “circle”. You can’t do anything but “go straight”.

Plus if you’re out with a group hunting you’re either going to have to try and circle through/around people and will likely get in trouble for being disruptive (from what I’ve seen anyways).

[TBPNW]

How were the other team horses during the hunter pace? Does horse both root when you go out by self and school as a pair/team? We ride herdmates on hunter paces. Even when they’re fine individually or in large groups, certain pairings are more competitive with each other, has little to do with them wanting to ‘run off’. There have been few times a horse has rooted, mostly out of frustration. Our horses have egos, fragile ones, I had my husband take the lead away, and filed in behind as ‘punishment’.

[SmartAlex]

Well heck, even my mild mannered, on the buckle horse get’s to yanking and rooting when we get to one of the places where I sometimes let him gallop. He just wants to run.

Sometimes you get to gallop, sometimes we do serpentines… them’s the breaks buddy

[ButterflyIris]

The only way to level the playing field with my PerchX is to use a 3-ring pessoa bit when we do hunter paces.

It has a nice stop to it and makes an impression.

A pelham made his rooting MUCH worse.

[flash1]

He’s gets his " back cracked" by a chiropractor on a regular basis…so I dont think its pain…more impatience-…and a TB’s sensitivity to everything I do…I have used the 3 ring…will try that again as well…( my daughter had it on her TB that day) and I agree…sometimes ya just gotta let em go…he’s does have a 5th gear that we dont want to get to…only been there once…scary as hell…fortunately he’s not a dumb bunny and he slowed himself down as we came to a hairpin corner…

[Jynx]

I have a pommel strap on my saddle when I ride my old TB drssage. If he starts yanking I hook my thumbs on the strap & let him figure it out. I did have to retire him from hunting cuz he was too strong (e.i… I would always have a knot the size of a walnut in my right shoulder.) He CAN be a very good boy.

[Camstock]

[QUOTE=wendy;4834093]
problem with the “circle” method is you have to have room to circle. 90% of our out-of-arena rides are down narrow trails cut through the thorn bushes or farmer’s crops and you simple can’t “circle”. You can’t do anything but “go straight”.[/QUOTE]

Make the circle quite small. Your horse can turn around in about 3.5 feet.

[Equibrit]

@Camstock;4835850

Make the circle quite small. Your horse can turn around in about 3.5 feet.

Do that at speed and you’re eating dirt!

[jawa]

I rode a bad snatcher for a while. Also really sneaky and creative at finding ways to get the reins away from me. Here’s another tack to take…put a knot in a set of reins you don’t care about at the same distance on both sides at about the point where you would normally keep a medium contact. Once the knots are there you can ride them with just your picky on them (good boy), in the middle of your palm (bad boy), or with your hand on the other side of the knot, closer to your thumb (very bad boy). This knot will give you a little extra to hold onto without overstressing your muscles or the carpal tunnel syndrome!! When he yanks, roots or pulls, kick him in the side. DO NOT YANK BACK!! Keep elbows locked at your side. This way he is more fighting himself and the punishment is coming from himself fighting and you kicking, not pulling. He’ll begin to not get anything out of the rooting/pulling/snatching behavior. When he’s good ride him on the buckle or as loose as he can be trusted. Reward early and often and for the smallest try. You may have to take your reins up again and start again with holding the knot, but if you don’t reward, there is no reason for him to try to behave.

[Acertainsmile]

[QUOTE=flash1;4833083]
Actually used a gag…used to ride him in an happy mouth elevator…thought I might try that again…[/QUOTE]

Exactly the bit I used last season for a horse that started to do the same thing your horse did… worked like a charm!

[flash1]

Had a wonderful time in CT this past week…no yanking…jumped everything I asked nice and quiet…got to gallop a bit…maybe he was just trying to tell me something…

[Camstock]

[QUOTE=Equibrit;4836020]
Do that at speed and you’re eating dirt![/QUOTE]

Of course that is true Equibrit, and neither of us condones it. The idea is to address the small infractions before the horse is seriously out of control. A horse can be way out in front of the bit (better known as running off with his rider) in walk. Address that early, and the chances of him running off in canter approach zero.

[system]

[QUOTE=flash1;4828827]
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…[/QUOTE]

Rooting place?

[anon68314200]

OP

I think all he was telling you was that he was tired…

First pace of the season,

He used up energy in the beginning with his excess ‘enthusiasm,’

Then towards the end he was getting pooped and tired of holding himself up when you wanted to rate his speed.

Sounds like a tired horse to me.