Getting my horse to always frame without a dressage bit?

Question

My horse has a really long neck, and when we show equitation She doesen't look so hot. I really want her to be constantly framing- She can frame at the walk with me just simply asking, but other times she wont. I dont want to use a dressage bit, but I really dislike doing the whole dressage techniques to make her look nice.

Answer 1

To keep your horse in a constant outline requires hard work from you and the horse!  Firstly are you sure that you are asking her correctly?  If you are not riding her forward enough. or asking correctly with your hands then she may not understand what you mean.

I know when I first started getting horses to wrok in outline I struggled at the trot but perseverence pays off.

If you are sure that your horse has been trained enough and that you are doing everything correctly, then have you looked at physical problems.  If she has a problem in her back, for example, she will be reluctant to adopt the position.

Don't forget that getting a horse to work in outline is not just about getting her head down: it is about getting her to step her hindquarters underneath herself in order to lighten her forehand and only then will her head truly drop.

It may be that you both need to have a few lessons with a trainer in order to find out what the problem is.  The one final thing I will say is do NOT resort to gadgets to try and correc the issue, as in the wrong hands they can do more harm than good.

Answer 2

I think you might be mixing up your language a little bit. When you say that you want your horse on a frame I think you mean just want her to keep her head down. A true dressage frame comes from the horses whole body. It starts at the hind end, goes through her back and comes all the way through her neck to her mouth which would allow you to feel it with your hands. I am also not sure what you mean by a "dressage bit". I have a feeling you are talking a simple snaffle. I am not sure what your objection to using one would be since they tend to be very mild and kind to a horse. It is also a point of concern that you don't want to do any dressage techniques. My best advise to you is to try and be a little bit more open minded in your training. Try taking some lessons with a different trainer. You mentioned that she is willing to "frame" at the walk which says to me that you might not be 100% cconsistent all of the time at the trot and canter. If you work on being steady on your end of the rein chances are that will help her be more consistent on her end.