Barging Through Seat And Bit

[happyhorse]

As most of you know, Orchid and I are just starting a reconditioning program after the completion of medication for EPM.

Mentally, she's more "solid", and she's not as panicky.  The problem that I'm having at the moment is that she starts out really attentive and responsive to my seat, and as the session goes on, she starts ignoring me, finding other things more interesting, and we end up in a pulling match.  I  know that it takes two to pull, and fight, but I'm really stumped as to how to maintain the softness that we start the session with.

Because she's still having problems with her right hind, the plan is that I can only walk/trot in straight lines.  I've been doing LOTS of transitions to get her to come through from behind.  My guess is that when she gets tired, she starts wanting to rush and not halt transition anymore.

It's very VERY difficult to get a balanced walk out of her, she really likes to lengthen and cover a lot of ground.

Maybe I'm asking too much of her too soon . . .   It's just so frustrating, there's no doubt that she knows exactly what I'm asking of her with my seat, at a certain point she just decides to ignore me.

She's usually fabulous for 10 - 15 minutes, and then she grabs the bit starts tanking off through my seat aids, half halting, and anything else that I can think of.   She doesn't do this so much with the happy mouth/mullen pehlam, but she's only listening to the curb chain at that point.  So I go back and forth with a snaffle.  I'd hate to think that she'll only stop on threat of curb chain.

[nhbarker]

Robyn, yo will get much more experienced advice from others   but my gut instinct would be to work only for those 10-15 minutes, then stop.  You can always do something totally different (not ridden work) if you feel she needs more mental stimulation/exercise.  

I know you and she have had a rough time with her illness, so it may be worth going back to tiny sessions say for a week, and then seeing if she can go for 20 minutes.  

Just a thought,

Nic

[nhbarker]

Sorry - gremlin got me again....snow in the phone lines...

Nic

[cptrayes]

I've got one like that Robyn. He just goes deaf when he believes he's done enough. I'm afraid I haven't found any easy solution and sometimes he gets an awful lot of flicks with the whip to maintain his hearing. And I have to set my hands to stop him tanking through the bit too as he is 17 hands barefoot and extremely strong in the neck. His latest trick is to root to the spot and refuse to move even though I am flicking him with the whip. I tend to carry on a schooling session, arguing with him if necessary   , until he does an approximation of what was requested and then stop immediately so he knows that he got it right and that as soon as he gives in he gets to stop. It doesn't cure him but it seems to help.

I have sympathies with Nic's proposal too. It is so difficult with these opinionated ones to know when they have just decided "that's it, I've done enough" and when they are genuinely too tired to do what you are asking. With a mare with her history, I might try Nic's approach first.

C

[pintopiaffe]

I don't know if you *can* do this, with her hind issues... but with Mac, we do two things, the first is a simple Baucherist flexion of the jaw at the halt... (JC Racinet was my teacher in this) and then walk on with the jaw soft, halting again immediately upon any resistance until you get the flexion of the jaw at the mere flexion of the fingers... I find if I have his jaw/poll, then I have his back for my seat, if that makes sense?

The second is backing, or reinback.  What I really, really look for in reinback is that moment when they soften and give me their back.  It reminds them they *can* bend the hock, AND the stifle, AND the hip joint... and supples the whole body.  This is a major tool with Mac during breeding season.  (Or, lack thereof, since he did not get to cover any mares this past year--which was a bit harder than when he actually is breeding, beleive it or not...)  But I don't know if you can do reinbacks with Orchid yet... ???

 

[stranger]

I had (am still having) the same problem with my mare.

I am trying the 'patience is a virtue' system at the moment and only asking her to 'work' for a few moments at a time and allowing her to lengthen BEFORE the arguments  begin and then I 'sneak in' some further work on the subject whilst out hacking.  She is beginning to 'listen out' for my seat and weight aids--of which she seemed to be totally ignorant at first--even treeless and at the moment I am working on getting an entire hack out of her on a long rein at all paces.  Once I have achieved that I shall go back to 'contact and close work'.  Its obvious that she is not yet ready.

She has now however, mastered the art of keeping all four feet on the floor for more than three seconds at a time.  Its still more a 'stop' than a proper halt--but its better than we had before--fidget-fidget-bum swing-tap-dancing-half rear-all the way up--and  she has accepted 'rein back and move sidewise' as part of opening and closing gates,  so I am hoping I can build on this new obedience and trust for the next stage.

Either she or I seem to have 'crookedness' issues--but I am having problems finding an instructor near me,  who knows how to address them--or even recognise them.  I can't 'pin-point' it for myself for some reason, on this one.

I am also (somewhat reluctantly) working her on the lunge in low set side reins. She didn't like the idea at first-but again-the little and often system seems to be paying off.