Just to keep you updated on where I'm going with Wish right now - backward!!!!
I had a second lesson with my dressage instructor, and she decided that Wish is doing a total evasion of the bit. She said we will never get him to drop his head, bend at the poll, and use his hindquarters if he doesn't give to the bit. So, we are going back to ground zero - literally.
She gave me exercises to do from the ground to teach him to give to the bit. We started them last night, and he was initially confused but seemed to be starting to get it. I'm going back to the barn tomorrow and then again Saturday and Sunday. In the meantime, I can ride him, but we are not doing any real schooling under saddle. My riding will be on a somewhat loose rein with little bit contact. She doesn't want me to take up the bit contact until he gives immediately to pressure on the bit.
We're fairly sure he will pick it up pretty quickly, since he really isn't a novice - having been under saddle for almost 2 years now. Once he understands give to the bit, we are going to lunge him in side reins - very loosely at first with a gradual tightening until we can get him to start to carry himself in a frame. I am hoping we can start lunging him on Sunday.
She was very thrilled that I had taught him to drop his head on poll pressure. She told me that I had to teach him that, and I said - oh, he does that already - look. And like a good boy he dropped his head immediately when asked! I was very proud. Thanks to all of you who pointed out the importance of this exercise. And thanks to Clinton Anderson for the free article on his website that described how to teach this. All of my work this winter paid off!
I'll post an update for you when more progress has been made. My instructor warned me that it took her 2 years to get her horse carrying himself properly. However, she was aiming for dressage shows, which I am not, and her horse had had two years of bad training to unlearn. I don't think Wish has had bad training - just a lack of any real training. And he does gait - I have seen it. So hopefully, all of this will eventually lead to him forgetting the pace and starting to rack.
You'll get him to give in no time! He already has the concept of giving to pressure since you taught him to drop his head to poll pressure. So this is just one more exercise. Does he do lateral flexions? That is another way to give to pressure, and once they get the idea, it doesn't take long. Then it's just a matter of enough repetitions to get it into an automatic response each and every time. He shouldn't even think about it - when you pick up on the reins, the head tucks in. Then once he learns it from the ground, you just sit in the saddle and do the same thing, without moving. Once that is down, you've got it made. You are teaching him a really important exercise, so don't get discouraged. The head-don cue (calm-down cue) from the saddle is similar, and once you get the vertical flexion down really well, you can teach the head-down cue as well, which adds such a HUGE tool to your tool kit. Hang in there. It sounds like your instructor knows what she is doing, and it's good she recognized the problem before it got to be a bad habit. Our 12 year old mare still doesn't do vertical flexions well, and I can't get my daughter to be patient enough to teach her through enough repetitions. Head tossing and jigging are the result. Keep us posted on your progress! I bet Wish will be tucking his chin in no time flat! ----------
Dixie Mom
"The art of riding: Keeping a horse between you and the ground!"
I'm so excited to hear what you are doing, especially since we are having a pace problem with Holly, too. Please give me as many details as possible about what your instructor tells you. I've decided to look into dressage myself. Although I don't have anyone to teach it to me right now, I ordered a book that should arrive any day now.
Sounds like you've made a really good start. Please keep me posted!
He will drop his head on a verbal command from the saddle. However, being young, he doesn't always keep it down as long as I would like - he gets distracted. But we're working on it.
I guess the lateral flexion is the other thing she mentioned that I forgot when I originally posted. That is getting him to bring his head around to the side, right?
Right now we are more concerned with giving to the bit, but she said I could start that from the ground as well.
She said the same thing as you, DixieMom, that it needs to be an automatic, no questions asked kind of move. And that requires repetition, repetition, repetition.
I'm heading to the barn tonight - going to do the ground work in the stall. If it doesn't rain, I'll take him out for a short, relaxed trail ride. The plan is to do the same thing on Saturday. Then, I'm hoping to get together with my instructor on Sunday. At that point, she can evaluate our progress on the giving to the bit and we can go from there. If he is progressing as we hope, she will then lunge him with the side reins fitted very loosely.
I'll definitely keep you all posted. I'm very excited about learning all of this myself and watching Wish progress. I'm really hoping to have a really smooth gaited horse in the end.
Let's see if I can describe the exercise she has me doing...
Horse is in a stall backed into a corner, so that they cannot back up or step sideways. Stand at the left shoulder. Right hand under the neck holding the reins firm but not pulling. Left hand gives a steady pull. Hands are held up (so that the reins are in the same basic position as they would be if you were in the saddle). The very instant he relaxes the jaw and drops his head, even if it is just a small give, both reins are immediately released. As in all things, the timing of the release is very important as that is his reward for doing as asked. As long as he is resisting and trying to put his nose up or out, the pressure remains steady. The pressure is also not released if he turns his head to the side to escape the pressure. He must relax the jaw and bend at the poll in order to obtain release. I have a very mild snaffle on Wish - I wouldn't imagine you would want to do this in a curb because I don't think the effect would be the same.
The lateral flexions are easy to teach. Put a finger under the nose part of the halter, near the place where the headstall joins the nose band part. (You should be using a rope halter that has better pressure sensation than a web halter.) Pull with a little steady pressure. Just hold the pressure until he gives. Reward with immediate release - even just a try. In no time he'll start giving to the side. Then you ask for a little more flexion and gradually he should work to fully flexed to the stirrup position and hold it lightly until you give release. Of course, both sides. The one thing I would suggest right off, from the very first try, however, is to ask for true lateral flexion, not just tipping his head cock-eyed with his nose pointed back. The way you can tell is to watch the poll. The poll should also bend around with the nose. If he tries to point his poll away from you and just tip his nose over, it isn't really a true give - more of "Oh if I HAVE to, this is what I'll do instead." Have some other horse owners show you their lateral flexions. You'll see what I mean. Some will be nicely curved necks with polls also curving. Other will just have crooked necks with noses pointing in.
So when you start, have in mind what you want and only reward that. The horse will try all sorts of things to figure out what you want: raising head, lowering head, resisting, tipping nose but not poll, etc. Just hold pressure until you get a little try of the right movement. That's the hardest part - once he knows what you are asking for, the rest is just a matter of repetitions.
Lateral flexions are wonderful warm ups. They can also test your horse's attitude for the day, and are also another "tool" to use in gaining control over trail monsters.
Dixie Mom
"The art of riding: Keeping a horse between you and the ground!"
He's real good at bending around BUT it is with the nose pointed and not bending at the poll.
I've been doing some ground exercises with him for a while now that consist of putting my hand flat on his neck just behind the poll, grasping the halter with the other hand and pulling his head around just a bit - hold for 5 seconds and release. Then slowly work my hand down the neck until I reach the withers. Mostly he does it well, but sometimes he still tries to cheat by giving with his nose but not the poll. I'm short, so it is hard for me to hold his head in the proper position when he does this. I need to remember to climb up on the mounting block to do it.
I'll have to try your exercise as well. Mine is more to stretch the muscles in the neck, while yours is teaching to give to pressure.
One of the first things that I taught Holly to do was bend at the poll and touch my foot in the stirrup. I just learned that it was good for the horse and taught her to do it while I was in the saddle. Its a great bending exercize that gives me confidense that she is flexible.
Determined, how goes it with Wish? I got the dressage book I referenced in my earlier post. It has helped me so much! For the first time in my life, I feel like I actually have my seat and legs figured out! And, believe it or not, Curly has been gaiting up a storm - it was me all the time! Okay, she's not perfect, but the change is amazing. I rode today and, as we travelled around the arena, could imagine myself in a big KMSHA show. Hardly any trotting and no putting her head down! I have a horse that racks!
Oh wow, brewbren, that's fantastic! Good for you!!!!
I'm sure Wish's problem is really me also, since the trainer had him gaiting before I got him. The thing is that I never really rode gaited horses before. I had some lessons before and after I bought him. But I really didn't have enough experience with gaiting to buy a horse that wasn't set in his gait. Now, he has almost 2 years of pacing under his belt, so it won't be a quick fix for me.
I've been lunging him in side reins, and he is doing quite well. He is really learning to give to the bit. I can even see the muscles developing along the crest of his neck down by the withers. He is using his hind end better now also.
As far as the under saddle work, that has been on hold for a few weeks because my instructor had surgery. She didn't really want me to do a lot of under saddle work with him in her absence because the longer he gets away with avoiding the bit and avoiding using his hind end, the harder it is going to be to correct. So, all I've been doing under saddle are some large circles, backing, turns on the forehand, etc. And of course trail riding. I'm keeping the counter bending and figure-eights for my instructor's return.
I have been working with him on the ground in a halter and in a bridle on lateral and vertical flexion using a lighter touch (as I learned on my Larry Whitesell DVD). Some days I stand there forever waiting for him to give until I want to scream. Then, other days (like yesterday), just a touch and he bends beautifully. So, it's there, and we are making progress in the usual way - one step forward and two back!!
One night last week I was just dying to go faster, so after I worked him in the round penn with the side reins I pushed him up to see what would happen. In the round pen a lot of times I can make him switch from pace to trot with a firm "NO" and a crack of the lunge whip. So I thought I'd try it under saddle. I did get a gait twice down one side of the ring. Then the rest of the time it was all pace. I know I really shouldn't have pushed him up because we're not really ready for it, but I have done nothing but walk for practially 2 years now, and I got a bit impatient! It wasn't a total loss since we did gait a little bit and this is an improvement over last year when I couldn't get him to gait in the ring at all. Hopefully, I got it out of my system, and will now be content to work my way through the steps.
Just curious, does he go from a walk to a REALLY FAST pace? That's what Holly does. On Saturday, I rode her for the first time since we brought her home. She just doesn't have any intermediate speed at all. Walk to fast pace. Anyway, I am going to have my daughter work on speeding up her walk without going into a pace. She will also be doing some work with ground poles. I think that will be a good way to work up to the rack. I also told her that speed-demon pacing was out of the question from now on! We'll see how it goes.
Like my mom, I'd say that Holly was never brought really slowly through her paces, just suddenly pushed into the faster gait to get the tape of her gaiting before registry time. I'll be trying to ride slowly and also work on my seat and legs to produce nice, full gaits instead of the knock-you-into-the-50th-century pace, I can't even breathe while she's doing it! We have GOT to work on that!
I don't know that Wish's pace is quite as fast as that. I guess it would be if I would allow him to go on. He does have several speeds of walk. Last year I tried doing the really fast walk (just shy of breaking into a gait). My trainer recommended it as does Brenda Imus. However, no matter how much walking I have done, he still paces when asked to speed up - sigh...
Actually, his pace isn't really bad. I had a friend that had a part Standardbred that would pace on occasion. She could even sit to it. Wish's pace is pretty smooth (for a pace). It's just that the rack is soooo much smoother. And pacing is so very bad for his body.
Last year, my instructor told me that he was doing a stepping pace, which is slower than a hard pace. She encouraged that, but I have since read that a stepping pace is also hard on the back, stifles, and hocks. So I'm trying to bypass that one.
Well, we'll be working with Holly and we'll let you know if we find anything that works well. If you come up with any insights, please let us know, too.
