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| Getting behind the bit....an update | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Sep 10 2007, 01:32 PM (909 Views) | |
| OpticalIllusion | Sep 17 2007, 04:05 AM Post #16 |
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It doesnt look as bad as it feels either. It varies though, some days he is good, some days he is worse. The more energy he has, the worse it is. Rein length is my nemesis. He has incredible transitions. He will halt completely off my seat, sometimes even before I ask him. He was supposed to be my moms reining horse, but he forgot to stop growing, so he works beautifully off my leg and seat, however he braces into the bit when I take contact. I recently have started sitting his canter to try to get him to lengthen his stride and it has helped some. |
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| Brydelle Farm | Sep 17 2007, 06:23 AM Post #17 |
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Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back.
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If his jaw gets stiff when you take a feel, you may want to try playing around with some bits. He may do better in a waterford or a mikmar snaffle. But I am thinking it may be the level of feel you think he needs right now. You can have contact w/o putting him on the bit (in the traditional sense of the term). I would go back to a light contact, nose out, moving forward, keeping consistent pace with your seat (controlling the post at the trot and sitting or half-seat at the canter or as needed). Also, work with cavaletti would be helpful, it would give him something to "look" at (he has to lift his head some to do this) and help him place his feet. |
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| OpticalIllusion | Sep 17 2007, 07:06 AM Post #18 |
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I had him in a plain snaffle for the longest time, had a ton of problems with him not paying any attention to me, so I switched him to a dr bristol which he loves. I have a waterford and might try that. Ive schooled him some in a three ring bit and he goes much better in that, I really have the ability to lift him and when I do he lifts instead of tucking. I wonder if sticking him in a hackamore temporarily would help. |
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| Delia | Sep 17 2007, 11:50 AM Post #19 |
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OI -- Your boy carries himself very similar to mine. It's hard when they're very forward like that, but mine improved alot when I started sitting the canter and trying to let go of the front end as much as possible so that he had to carry himself. We definitely careened around the ring for a while, but since yours responds well to your seat you should be in better control than we were at first. I definitely cleared the ring more than once! But when he started to figure things out and get stronger/more confident, he relaxed, slowed way down and stopped curling into his chest.
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| OpticalIllusion | Sep 17 2007, 12:11 PM Post #20 |
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I thought about this the other day. Wonder what would happen if I just let him canter any way he pleases if he would eventually just chill out, slow down, and level out. I mean, he has to get tired at some point right? |
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| Delia | Sep 17 2007, 12:36 PM Post #21 |
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I think you said that you and/or your mom ride Western too? What if you throw a western saddle on him, sit deep and hang on for the ride while he figures out how to canter slowly? :lol: Actually, I'm only half kidding!! |
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| OpticalIllusion | Sep 17 2007, 01:08 PM Post #22 |
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We do both ride western too. He will lope, but again, in this little tiny ball. He looks like Pepe Le Peu hopping across the ground. Its been years since he's gone western though. Its a good thought though. |
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| Brydelle Farm | Sep 17 2007, 06:18 PM Post #23 |
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Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back.
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There will be an "adjustment" period for both you and the horse. Don't think of it as slowing him down, as you want a nice, long, flowing stride, but rather harnessing and controlling his ENGERY (aka impulsion) to avoid that up and down stuff you are getting by holding with your hand. You also may need to develop a feel for what his canter will feel like, you may be wanting him to be too "slow" for his natural stride, just a thought. If he is responsive to your seat and leg for all your transitions, how is he not listening your hand in the snaffle? You can always go to a full cheek snaffle if you need a little more assistance with lateral movements. |
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| OpticalIllusion | Sep 18 2007, 04:01 AM Post #24 |
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He is super responsive to my aides, unless Im just half halting. Then we get laying in the hand. If I sit and say whoa, its a dead stop. If Im hacking around and just say easy, I get what you can kind of see in the video. I have no problem with him cantering around the ring at warp speeds right now if he would just canter level-ish. Im going to work with the suggestions you guys have given me. Thanks! |
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| OpticalIllusion | Sep 19 2007, 11:02 AM Post #25 |
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Just wanted to do a little update. Yesterday I got on and cantered and cantered and cantered, didnt half halt, so we started by kind of cantering very forward, and gradually he slowed down and stuck his nose out and leveled his back out some. So there is already some improvement. Now if I can just get him over his large fear of astro turf which Ive been dealing with for the past 3 weeks. I love my pony, I love my pony, I love my pony. |
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| Delia | Sep 19 2007, 11:13 AM Post #26 |
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Oh good!! Glad that he leveled out a little bit for you and started to relax. Hopefully each time you get on him it will take a little bit less time for him to relax and start stretching. Definitely keep on updating us! |
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| Brydelle Farm | Sep 19 2007, 07:34 PM Post #27 |
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Off visiting Candy Cave, be right back.
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Glad to hear you had a good ride today!
Keep up the great work!
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| Petstorejunkie | Sep 21 2007, 06:30 AM Post #28 |
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Weanling
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Glad to hear things are going better for you two. The big things i noticed had to do with your upper body. You are pitched forward with your shoulder in front of your toe. your upper torso is completly collapsed and you are staring at his face the whole time. hands are WAY too low and reins are too long (as mentioned before) all these are ingredients that make for a horse with his symptoms. He's not bad but i think you will get his shoulder lifted and his head and neck willing to work with you once you correct some of your equitational setbacks. Think about sitting TALL with eyes really high on the horizon. Overcompensate and think of yourself as a snooty princess. Focus on even weight distribution thru your seat bones and contact with your pubic bone. open up your shoulder ALOT and let the air in your lungs and breathe. Lift your hands with the visualization that each hand has a tiny string attached to his shoulder and as you lift your hands you pull his shoulders up (this one REALLY helps me) keep your elbows bent and thumbs on top. I can't wait to see vids in 2 weeks! |
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| Delia | Sep 24 2007, 08:18 AM Post #29 |
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Hey OI -- My darling behind-the-bit gelding was extremely fresh this weekend, and as we started out zipping around the ring at the canter, I was reminded of one more tip I've got for encouraging them to slow down, relax and carry themselves on light contact, instead of curling up into a ball. Rather than half-halting at the canter, I try to take a light feel for one stride and release the next stride, and keep doing it until we're at the pace I want. Arms are way out in front of me, and when I "take", it's really more on the order of closing my fingers tightly than taking back. On a scale of 1-10 in terms of how much I take, with 10 being a halt and 5 being a half-halt, this would be about a 2.5. The key thing is that it doesn't give him anything to lean against and it forces me to keep my elbows elastic with a following hand. |
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But when he started to figure things out and get stronger/more confident, he relaxed, slowed way down and stopped curling into his chest.
Keep up the great work!
11:54 AM Jul 11