Groundwork conditioning for collection, should I try side-reins?

[dianneS]

I have an older mare that had only been ridden one hour a week for over a year before I purchased her. I've had her almost a year. We walk/trot only.

I've been doing groundwork with her one day and riding the next. I have ridden her and done groundwork on the same day and ridden consecutive days. She doesn't seem sore or bothered by the conditioning routine so far.

She tends to be high-headed and starts head tossing when you keep constant, even light, pressure on the reins. She responds well to little half-halt pulses of the reins and will drop her head nicely at a walk and trot and seems to understand that you want her to collect up.

I'm ready to move on to the canter. I want her to be conditioned well before I try cantering her under saddle. We've been cantering on the longe line, but I have a hard time getting her to drop her head at the canter. She is an ex-race horse (more than 10 years off the track), I have been able to get her into a nice slow easy canter, but I'm not able to get her to round up and bring her hind quarters underneath her. I don't know if I should try side reins or some other sort of bitting system?

How do you get a horse to give you that beautiful round, easy collected canter??

 

[ducks4you]

Definitely try side-reins, but ONLY when you're lunging. If she fusses, she won't throw her head into your face. She'll learn how to balance her body while using impulsion and moving forward at the same time that she experiences flexion.
Have you checked to make sure that your chin strap is adjusted correctly? When you tighten the chin strap you should be able to fit your fist inside of it. Also, with a snaffle bit you need a wrinkle at the lips, and with a curb, the sides should just touch the lips. These adjustments keep the bit from hitting the horse's teeth, and keep the chine strap from choking her. Also, you should be able to fit 2 fingers in between the curb chain (or leather) as you tighten it. Proper adjustments make the equipment comfortable for your horse.
I successfully trained my (built downhill, racing) QH to sidereins a number of years ago. He would always break at the poll after that, and was soft with his mouth. It was VERY difficult for a horse with that build to collect, but it is possible. Good luck with you mare!

 

[dianneS]

We ride in a Kimberwick bit, no wrinkles at the mouth, always two fingers between the curb chain.

She did nicely at a trot today. I worked a lot on her collection and she gets it, she knows what I'm asking for. I just wish I could get her to do that for me on the ground at a canter, so I guess I'll give side reins a try. I don't know of any other way to get her to collect on the ground.

I did actually use clicker training with her on the ground to signal to her when she would drop her head nicely and collect her trot by herself. Only problem was that she would stop when she'd hear the click! It did work though.

My problem with her when cantering on the longe line is that she never really seems to collect at all. She'll canter slow and relaxed, but she's got her head up and neck stretched out (like a racehorse!) and no matter how long I wait, that head never comes down and her strides never really shorten. I guess I'll have to try the side reins.

 

[dianneS]

I'm thinking of trying Julie Goodnight's bitting system. It seems interesting and apparently there is more of a release for the horse than with side reins. The horse learns to give to the bit in order to get that release a lot quicker.

 

[ducks4you]

There are a lot of good methods that work. If you have a round pen to work in you might try cantering her in there, in BOTH directions--horses are either right-handed or left-handed and need an equal amount of work on each side to be balanced. Speaking of balanced if your mare is built downhill, like the QH I spoke of, she falls forward when she canters. The constant turning in a round pen will force her to slow down because it's physically difficult for a human, horse, or even car (for that matter) to speed up or go quickly through a turn. I am sure that you will figure out what works on her, and then give a long, juicy success report!

 

[dianneS]

I did do a lot of turning with her at the walk and trot, mostly just to slow her down and put her into a more relaxed frame of mind, it worked well.

I have a problem with turning her frequently though. She is blind in her right eye. She gets nervous when she can't see me on that side. Also turning her in that direction is tough. I can't do the typical "look at her hindquarters" and make her stop and look at me. She can't see me looking at her hindquarters on her right side! She's also reluctant to turn to the right, she wants to be able to see me, so she's constantly tipping her head so she can see me with her left eye. When she does turn to the right, she tends to cut across the circle right in front of me (really unsafe) I try to push her out away from me when she tries to do that, but it scares her and makes her reluctant to go that direction at all I have to use lots of verbal cues when she's going in that direction, but not too many, or she gets nervous that I'm putting too much pressure on her. Sometimes she'll just stop (when I don't want her to) just to look at me!

Its hard. All horses are one-sided but when she can't see out of one eye its even worse! We're working through it though. I start and finish on her "bad side" and make it a pleasant experience every time.

 

[ducks4you]

THis mare is REALLY lucky to have YOU!! Not a lot of people would trouble re-training her because of her disability. Perhaps teaching her voice cues is the way to go. She's depending upon her other senses more without the ability to see on one side. I am sure this would give her some comfort to be able to depend upon YOUR VOICE in the future. Just a thought!

 

[kimmyh]

I like to teach them to work offthe hind end by using a leg wrap that is tied on one side of the saddle, then run around behind and under the tail, laying just above the hocks. It is tied to the other side of the saddle at that point-no pressure, just presence. I then work in the round pen, at all speeds using voice commands, stops, and reverse. The leg wrap in this fashion has on every horse I worked, taught them to collect up, and work smart. Once that part of the training is over, I use my hands to get them to drop their head. Some people use draw reins, I prefer steady, soft hands. However, if the horse is behind the bit (as most western horses are) I work in the round pen, on the ground useing long strips of inner tube tied to snaps on both ends, and hooked from the bit to the saddle. Make sure the straps are adjustable on one end, and that they are even before working the horse. The straps teach them to flex at the pole at every gait, and they usually put an end to head tossing.

 

[Countrymom]

Some good advice here on side reins, but with your mare's eyesight there is going to be a lot to be said about just getting on and loping/cantering. Get yourself into a small round pen. Prepared yourself and ask for a lope. Keeping her in a small area like that will eventually get her to slow down as she relaxes in the gait. You need to relax also. Don't ask for collection or perfect form. Just get her use to carrying you and relaxing. So many people try to get on a horse and because they don't have perfect form or collection at the canter/lope they pull up and the horse never learns. All our new horses spend a lot of time working at loping. I am a firm believer that once a horse can "rate" a circle at a lope then you can fix other things - including traveling forward and backward in a straight line. It just teaches them body control.

 

[dianneS]

I actually had to take a few weeks off of working with my mare, she stepped on a nail. Everything was fine and we started riding again. Then she injured her bad eye! She's already blind in that eye, but had some pain and swelling so I didn't want to work her much until she was feeling better. Her eye is now better!

I'm thinking of changing her bit. I think the kimberwick may be too harsh. Her previous owner used it because she thought the horse was too fast and too forward, but I've realized that she is just anxious and eager to please and goes too fast if she doesn't know what you want from her. Its actually really easy to slow her down, but then getting her to speed up without causing her anxiety to increase is tricky.

I can't keep much contact on the bit at all with the kimberwick, she's too sensitive too it. I'm thinking of switching to a snaffle, but not sure which type I should try with her? I've ridden her bitless, but I'm not fond of the indian type of hackamore that I have. I think a less harsh bit would be better than entirely bitless.