Getting the horse to lower his head.

[Mivs]

Heather,
one thing that I realise now is very important and will be useful to myself and the horse is getting the horse to lower its head thus making its movements more flexible and natural. I read in the book that one has to squeeze lightly on alternate reins until the head lowers its head. I have some questions regarding the above method:

A: Do you do the above before a walk or during a walk?

B: How tightly does one squeeze the rein before releasing? (i.e. Is it closed lower three fingers or half open fingers)

C: Is the squeezing continued until the horse drops its head?

D: Do you feel a difference in the reins when the horse lowers its head? If so, could you describe it?

D: If the horse raises its head, does one apply the above technique while carrying out a gait (e.g. walk, trot) or at a stand still?

E: Does the technique above work for horses that are chomping away at the bit, constantly?

(P.S. i haven't tried the sitting trot yet as Last week's lesson, I was given a more forward going horse that was 16.2 and thus spent the lesson learning how to apply aids to it as well as getting used to the size. (very different from my previous lazy horse.)

Miriam

 

[Cobbie]

Can I reply to this? !!!

Hi! I just thought I might be able to give my thoughts on this! If I am wrong - can any one put me right please - thanks!

a) You can do it anytime (preferably not when doing a transition though)

b) quite hard (just pull slightly, and do it quite quickly - like jiggleing the reins?)

c) Yes, continue until the horse drops its head and then hold it there so he doesn't drop, if he does, jiggle again.

d) Yes, you feel more in control of the reins and there is a slightly bigger pull (?)

e) yes, it makes no difference!

If anyone finds anything wrong with what i have put, please tell me!

Cobbie
XXxxXX

 

[Heather]

Sorry Cobbie, you should never, vere pull backwards on the reins.

Miriam, getting a horse 'on the bit', ie to lower his head is quite a skilled thing todo, as it requires a secure seat that is independent of the reins, and a judicious balance of the use of the fingers, and the lower leg.

Most riding school horses in this country will never have been trained to go on the bit in their lives, and those that have will mostly have had their heads pulled in by strong use of the hands/arms in conjunction with the snaffle bit, the latter being one of the prime causes as to why the horse is difficult to get to lower his head. The snaffle is a crude bit in uneducated hands, but it is the one bit in which the hrose will allow to an extent, force to be used.

The horse that you saw me ride at Warwickshire College was a prime example. He is about to compete in elementary dressage tests, already winning at novice, but it would have required considerable arm power on my part to get him to lower his head in the snaffle. I am not prepared to use such force on the horse's mouth. As most of you who visit this site regularly, and particularly those who have read my book, know that I advocate the Pelham as a remedial bit to show the horse how to lower his head without force. I could have shown a very different Warwicks Colege horse in probably no more than a minute, had I been able to change the bit.

It is too long a subject to go into here, but until you are a more experienced rider, it won't be easy for you to achive this, particularly on the horses that you are likely to be riding. Any student is only as good as the teacher and the tools he or she is given.

I wish I could be more positive here. having met you and seen you ride the simulator, I know that I could teach you thi on my horses in a fraction of the time, but they are Classically trained schoolmasters, not the average riding school dobbin, that is something akin to riding an animated ironing board! This is not the fault of the horses, most of them could quite easily be trained to work in a better outline, which as you say, is a very important thing for progress on the rider's part.

My book gives a very detailed explanation of how to get the horse on the bit, but I have my doubts as to whetther I could achieve it myself on your riding schol horses, without first changing the bit and re educating the mouth.


Heather

 

[Mivs]

Thank you Heather and Cobbie for the replies.

Since it seems that getting the horse to relax his jaw at my current stage is difficult to acheieve, I shall concentrate my efforts on imroving my other aids. In the future perhaps, I shall look at getting the horse on the bit.

 

[fionahogg]

when i bought my horse he had previously been forced into an 'outline' using very strong hand aids....as a result he did not work through from behind, was very stiff throug his back, unable to perform good transitions without using the rider for support, and even then running/jogging/tensing up etc....it has taken me a very ling time and a lot of effort to get him soft and relaxed and working correctly into the bridle from behind, as he had lost all respect for the bit and therefore the rider, due to his previous owner's method of training. i would CERTAINLY NOT reccomend using the bit in such ways so as to lower the horse's head!!