Getting horse into outline??????

Question

MY six year old cob hasnt been worked in an outline for about a month, as small children riding him.Now when i try to get him into one he resists or goes down for very short period of time.He did before come into one very easily and was very rounded etc he has the natural neck shape! This may seem a fairly obvious question but I need some tips etc in helping me get him into an outline again??? as i think when he used to i took it for granted so lack in knowlegde i need to know some exercise to help?? and how i should use my hands ?????

Answer 1

Getting your horse into a frame again doesn't happen on the front end...it happens from the rear forward, and finishes when he accepts the bit.  Work on deepening your seat and lengthening your leg on his sides, as you dig your pelvis into the saddle and thrust it forward with his movements...use your legs to tighten and reinforce what you are doing with your pelvis.  Leave his mouth alone as much as possible while you do this.  Until he begins to round up and come up off of the forehand, he is not ready to carry his head correctly on the bit.  He will naturally begin to do that, and you can use light opening and closing of your fingers around the reins to signal him to frame up, with him on the bit, not behind it or leaning on it....but accepting it and responding to your signals.

At this point he will have his quarters well under himself, be reaching with his hind legs, back elevated and energy moving from the back to the front as forward impulsion.

Answer 2

DO NOT force him, i hate hate hate side reins these should only be used once he has accepted this is the way to carry his head.

i have backed and reschooled show ponies and horses and ridden at county level.

i had a particulary fiesty horse who had better ideas and was happier to put his head up, i used what we call the "rattle"

rattle your hands (not saw) same action but lightly!

once his ehad is down release if it comes back up do it again and so on. after about a month of this is had a perfect head carriage on him which didnt move he was very light. if he leans do the same its such a simple but effective method, you need to be quick off the mark though! as soon as his head is up rattle! he will eventually learn life is easier when his head is down and everybopdy is happy because there's no leaning. this doesn't hurt him it annoys him! the reason i do not like side reins is because this just forces the horse to hold its head in this way, can lead to awful leaning and sometimes they use the wrong muscles and end up with a U neckline rather than a nice arch. if you want any more advice email me on [e-mail]

Answer 3

try putting him on the lunge with side reins a time or two until he is working balanced at all three gaits and then is an appropriate time to stop.

try re-teaching it to him at the trot and canter first as putting a horse into a frame required some degree of collection and collection is taught at the trot and canter first because there is a moment of suspension.

start out at a very forward walk and do lateral work(my fave is leg yeilds because it gets my horse to listening to my leg so when i ask for him to establish balance,which is achieved through inside leg outside rein contact,he listens

then when you pick up a trot also keep him infront of the leg and then right after you give him a squeeze(you will need shorter reins for this)tickle your outside rein and then back that up with leg again...it really is different for every horse but i find this works best for horses who have a stiff jaw.

your horse must find a level of comfort in this if he is going to learn tohold this frame so when you get him where YOU want him then STOP doing everything and if he slips out of it then start again but he will realize that there is no hand nor leg when he is in that frame and over time he will being to hold it.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

rattle.. that must be a new name for an old way of ruining a good horse. a horse cannot work in an outline until he is working from behind. fiddling his mouth with get him to lower his head but his back will hollow and his hinds will be trailing out behind him. when will people learn. to get a correct outline you have to have self carriage which is only achieved by the horse using his hind quarters correctly this make the spine round and hey presto a happy relaxed horse with great natural head carriage and working correctly from behind.  it sounds like your cob has been riden by children who don't use there leg so your horses correct back muscles have gone weak.  i would do lots of circles, indirect transisitions (halt to trot and back down), changes of rein, work in trot using lots of leg to encourage your horse to use the hind quarters correctly when you horse goes light in your still hand make everything soft, he may only be able to hold this for a short time but this should build up slowly.  good luck it may take time the quick fix is false and not correct you will get there.  he must have been worked correctly before which is

why he found it easy to do