HGPaints
Posted : 8/5/2009 11:12:04 PM
He is still a fairly young horse. This sounds like more of a balance issue. Its not getting better because he needs to find stability, which one rein stops and excessive bending and flexing don't help. Turning is difficult for him because he is concentrating enough on just staying up and moving. He seems against the bit because he is bracing on it for balance. We are thinking to much about his head and the bit here and not enough about what the body is doing.
A bit of horse facts: In the wild (as well as horses in pre-car times), horses travel 20+ miles a day, through this travel, they begin to develop self carraige. If you look at the horses skeletal system, then we all know that they bear most of their weight on their front legs (about 65%). The front legs are equipped with special muscles that work as a "stay mechanism" to allow the horses to stand for long periods of time and sleep standing up. However, still looking at the skeletal system, the hind legs are actually better built for supporting the body in movement, similar to how your legs are better for walking on than your hands (we figure this out as babies). If you were to run every day, you would begin to find the most efficient way to do it, similar to horses in the wild.
Now moving onto our domestic horses...... We have eliminated the need for that daily travel. We bring them their food, even when they are turned out, they don't have to walk extensively, just to the best patch of grass. So, naturally carrying all of that weight on the front end, the horse never gets the exercise to figure its body out. People look at the age of the horse when it comes time to start under saddle, they check joint development, but I rarely hear people say, "I'm not getting on that horse yet because it hasn't learned to balance the weight that it has, so I don't want to compromise it further". So, instead, we throw a restricting saddle on their back, a top heavy rider on their back, and head out for some wet saddle blankets. Some horses rebel, they are the "stubborn" horses, some just go along with it in the best way that they can, pulling themselves along even stronger now with their front legs, not using the actual much more adequate hind legs properly, and using whatever they can to find their balance. I've seen horses get "stuck" to one side or another, rotate their shoulder blades forward, balance heavy on the bit, refuse to move forward at all, or use their momentum for their balance (the horse that is hard to stop).
If I were you, I would start studying my horses movement and structural soundness. No, he is not collected, now ask youself why. Start at slower speeds and offer him balance through your riding and your seat. Stay strong through your core. Many people don't realize how common it is that when you use your leg, you accidently tip your pelvis in the opposite direction, forcing the horse to move off the leg pressure and into the seat pressure. So always check your seat bones and make sure that the weight is on the same side as the leg appling pressure. Give him his head and work on steadying him left to right through your seat and leg. When he finds it, he will stretch his head down to the ground and stretch out the whole topline. This is your opportunity to add a little leg pressure to encourage him to find his hind legs. If his head comes up, then release your leg pressure and wait for the stretch again. As you sit in the saddle at the walk. You should be able to feel the four beats of the walk. When the horse is heavy on the front end, you will feel a "swing" in your hips, where your hips move forward as the front feet do. When the horse shifts to the hind, you will feel a light "bump" under your seat bones and lose the swinging feeling. This is the hind end becoming a little more active.
Don't rush things with him, he needs to figure out his own self carriage with your assistance. Remember through your turns to guide with your whole body more than your hands. Ride the horse instead of the horses head. Saddle fit is very important, as the horse won't lift the back to engage the hind end if their is a tight saddle making that uncomforable. I would stay with your current bit. Remember that the bit is primarily for listening, as your horses balance is easily determined through the heavy feel on one rein. There is really a lot to it, so just let me know if your confused. Good luck.