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Ronelle
Member
Username: Rhoni
Post Number: 2
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Thursday, Oct 21, 2004 - 5:32 pm: |   |
I have a six year old warmblood mare that is in good health, ridden in proper fitting tack and as far as I know (purchased a month ago) has had good training techniques used on her. I have a good seat and am not leaning on the reins or bouncing on her back. My problem is my mare has begun to go behind the bit and I am at a loss of how to get her back up. I have spent a considerable amount of time stretching her long and low to get her to release her back but it seems once I ask her back into the riding position she immediately curls. I have tried: bumping her, all I get is faster forward, and lifting a rein, this worked for a few strides but not anymore. Anyone with exercises and/or advise would be greatly appreciated. |
Christos Axis
Member
Username: Christos
Post Number: 501
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Friday, Oct 22, 2004 - 5:03 pm: | |
Hi, Ronelle,
It sounds like you're in for some work, this is a difficult one to fix.
Working her long and low will have no effect. The problem is not in her back, it is behind her poll, in the third-fourth vertebrae. She has learned to "break" there, thus allowing all energy from behind to escape, never reaching her mouth. Like disengaging her whole head. By keeping her face behind the vertical and her jaw almost paralysed, she probably also evades any action from your hands.
See this as a game.
Try to visualise the reins as sticks. You want to push her nose forward with the reins. If they go slack or the contact is gone even for a splitsecond, you lose.
It takes a lot of time and patience...
Adding a short length of rubber between the reins and the bit adds some elasticity in the contact, which may help tremendously. A softer bit may also help some.
Horses go behind the bit when they do not trust the contact, ie the rider's hands. No matter how good your hands are, this horse says they're not good enough. Use it as a chance to improve them, I believe it will be the best lessons you ever had, as you can't improve your hands to this horse's standards without improving everything else.
I think you're really lucky this happens to you!
Christos
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Robert N. Oglesby DVM
Moderator
Username: Dro
Post Number: 11381
Registered: 1-1997
| | Posted on Saturday, Oct 23, 2004 - 9:07 am: | |
Does good health means you have had the mouth thoroughly checked?
DrO |
Kim Glaza
Member
Username: Kckohles
Post Number: 23
Registered: 7-2000
| | Posted on Sunday, Oct 24, 2004 - 12:16 pm: | |
I have a 7 year old gelding that was deformed when I got him because the previous owner put him in mouth-closer and rode him in draw reins constantly. What she didn't know was because his teeth needed dentistry really badly the hooks on his lower back teeth were preventing his lower jaw from releasing allowing him to break at the poll. With my horse if they didn't have the mouth closer on him he would have been at least able to open his mouth and get those hooks past the upper teeth. But instead he had to break farther down his neck resulting in really deformed muscles there. once we got the teeth straigtened out it took a lot of massage to get the muscles to look more "normal" but the breaking at the poll was immediately solved.
Get a dentist to work on your horses teeth if you haven't already, by a dentist I mean someone that will have not only their hands but their eyes on the teeth. And I prefer someone that will show me and let me put my hands on the teeth too.
KIM |
Ronelle
Member
Username: Rhoni
Post Number: 3
Registered: 9-2004
| | Posted on Monday, Oct 25, 2004 - 5:46 pm: | |
Thanks for all the advice! I know a great equine dentist that I will have look at her mouth. I've changed bits, started with a plastic "happy mouth" (got a lot of grinding with that bit) now I'm riding with a real fat hollow mouth snaffle but not alot of improvement with this bit either, just less grinding. Christos, you are probably right, this will make me a better rider I just worry about ruining this fantastic animal!I'll try all the advice and techniques and keep everyone posted.
Thanks!
Ronni} |
Christos Axis
Member
Username: Christos
Post Number: 509
Registered: 11-2003
| | Posted on Tuesday, Oct 26, 2004 - 3:16 am: | |
No, Ronni,
You will not ruin a thing. Riders who realise the problems, investigate and work on them, do not ruin horses, they fix them!
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Sandra Ross
Member
Username: Sross
Post Number: 114
Registered: 9-2002
| | Posted on Tuesday, Oct 26, 2004 - 8:19 pm: | |
My horse was started saddle seat in his youth, and his favorite evasion has always been to curl behind the bit. (His teeth are checked and floated regularly) We just got back this weekend from dressage camp, and maintaining contact was one of the main things we focused on. As Christos said, you have to maintain the contact at all times. I was told to really focus on moving my horse forward (and I mean forward!) into the contact with plenty of bending and transitions to keep the horse listening. When working long and low, maintain the contact at all times, longer reins not floppy reins. And of coure, you want your hands to remain as quiet as possible. In my case, my horse has exhibited this behavior for years before I bought him. But if this is a new behavior for your horse, she's trying to tell you something. Your challenge is to figure out if there's a mouth problem, a bit problem, a hand problem, or some other thing that's making her do this. Good luck, and let us know what you find out! |
