Horse won't bend

[REBMAR]

How do you get a horse to bend?
I was trying to do some schooling in the field last night but Daisy just refused to bend.

I do have a bad habit of almost trying to pull her round to remedy this. Should I be using inside leg to outside hand.

I am finding this really tricky, any tips anyone?

In the sand school she is much better as she seems to follow the track (large circle) but in the field she is a nightmare.

Would lunging help?

 

[crazystevie]

How do you get a horse to bend?
I was trying to do some schooling in the field last night but Daisy just refused to bend.

I do have a bad habit of almost trying to pull her round to remedy this. Should I be using inside leg to outside hand.

I am finding this really tricky, any tips anyone?

In the sand school she is much better as she seems to follow the track (large circle) but in the field she is a nightmare.

Would lunging help?

Have a peek at this thread - theres some exercises there to help with bend - what i'm working on today...

http://newrider.com/forum/showthread.php?t=90685


But yes inside leg to outside hand, also leg yielding and lateral work will happen soften the horse up.

Long reining as oppose to lunging will get the horse to bend better, as it will help the horse to bend round the circle properly as it cant swing it's bum around

 

[Nookster]

Sounds to me like you might be trying to hard. I would start by realxing about the whole thing personally - if shes not bending its not as big an issue as you may feel and forcing her into an outline or bend is something you want to stay well away from.

Everything should come from your seat aids personally. Such things can't be achieved over night and could take many months. I would advise maybe getting an instructor for a few lessons and tell her what you want to work on, that way she can assess you as you ride now which we can't see and offer the correct aids to help.

 

[Bertie]

Hi I'm having the same problem with my share mare, she's been hacked in a straight line for the last 4-years and is terribly one sided, she is getting much better in walk and trot but canter leaves a lot to be desired!!

I've been doing lots of circle work of all sizes, 3-loop serpentines with 10 or 15m circles at every letter as we pass them, I was also advised at first to overbend her to the inside on the left rein and push her into my outside hand with my inside leg. She gradually getting the jist of what I'm asking as she had forgotten all her schooling But it's all coming back to her with practice and patience

 

[Stella2]

I have the same thing with Flora on the left rein. She hasn't forgotten her schooling but she is still pretending she has after 7 months turned away She is just stiffer on the left rein, so she would rather not bend that way (physio says its not painful, just harder work!). Thankfully, I think improvement is coming very slowly.

Like another poster, I do lots of bending school movements - circles, serpentines, shallow loops, in walk. Leg yeild is very good too. In trot, just circles - I will soon use shallow loops in trot.

My instructor can have her going nicely in trot on the left rein (Grrr ... but then if she wasn't much better than me, there wouldn't be much point in paying her to teach me!). Unfortunately, my left side is weaker than my right and that probably doesn't help. Anyway, with patience and persiverance, we'll get there