hunter_hack: How do I train my horse to drop at the poll and bend at the crest?
I am training a 2 year old morgan filly and I bought a training surcingle and cavason and side reins. Is that what I need to train correct head position? Also, how do I train her fast and slow gaits. Like a working trot as opposed to an extended trot?
Answers and Views:
Answer by Danielle B
I use a surcingle and side reins for getting a horse to accept steady bit pressure. they don’t do much for getting a horse to drop their poll. Some horses will do it naturally with bit pressure, others will stick their head up and resist the pressure.
You asked a loaded question, which is very hard to explain without showing…..
To train correct head position, you need to ride her. Read up on half-halts (outside rein, a slow holding of the rein) to get the horse to drop their poll (a dropped poll will get a horse to bend at the crest, providing they are also moving forward and using their back. You can not have a correct head position without the other two (however, you can have the head look correct, but not actually be).
If the horse is moving in a forward trot (in a working trot) a half halt will bring the poll down, and set the horse back on it’s haunches a bit. If the horse is forward and using it’s back, getting the head in the correct position is very easy.
To work on half halt- first I do it on the ground- when bit pressure is applied, the horse learns to drop it’s head (I give treats at this point). So the horse learns (eventually) that a single rein pulled with no leg cues means drop the poll a little.
As for extended trot- don’t expect or work on a two year old to get it, they don’t have the muscling or training for it- basically it is a longer strided trot with a longer body feel, and more uphill. You will need to master the basics before doing extended or lengthened trots. Some horses get them naturally once their muscling and balance is there, others (like my main mare) find it very difficult.
to work on shortening or lengthening the trot stride (not a beginner less, work on everything else first) use half halts and a deeper seat to have the horse take shorter strides (you want just as much energy in each gait) and put more leg pressure on to get a longer stride. A common starter horse mistake is to speed up (not lengthen stride) or go down to a walk.
when I start training it, I use half halts to get the horse to go from a working trot to a western jog -like one. I don’t ask the horse to sit underneath themselves more or go with as much energy because it is hard, and I just want them to get the basic concept first. Once that is master, I go to refining it until they keep the energy and impulsion.
Answer by fayeIn experianced hands yes that is all that is needed however in inexperianced hands no all your stuff will do is encourage her to put her head in position and not to use herself properly, if your going into this thinking lets get her head down then your doomed from the start.. What you need to do is encourage the horse to go forwards and use its back end properly before you even start to worry what its head is doing. a Proper outline comes from behind by getting the horse to step under with its inside hind leg and to take its weight back onto its hocks.
Also at 2 she is very young to be expected to work on circles on the lunge, it could damage her joints. You would be better off long reining.
Bare in mind she is only a baby so take it very slowly.
Personaly non of the horses i break or school ever get sat on or lunged before they are 3.
They might be got used to having a bit and a saddle on but they are never expected to bare any weight untill they are 3 or 4. In competition over here the minimum age for a horse to be ridden under saddle is 4 years old at competitions.
Whoa, slow way down-! First of all, on a 2 year old, you don’t. Such a young filly is just beginning to sort out cues and gaits. But what you asked for is how to get a complex, advanced frame from an experienced horse. Trying to shape a youngster like this can be done with that equipment but it would be in small stages to work on a specific aspect of it rather than on the frame as a whole.
What you want isn’t bad, its just the finished product. I would start with a halter and line. Teach your filly to walk, trot and canter on cue from the ground, don’t rush her, don’t over-work her, and do not worry if she’s high-headed, hollow-backed or anything else like that. Get her to understand the gaits you want and your cues for them.
As you do this, she will develop muscle tone and balance to handle a more collected frame on her own. Give her several months to build her strength slowly, she is very young yet.
Within about a year you should be able to see good improvement in her way of going, her strength, her balance and then you can begin asking her to slow her trot down, slow her canter down, take her leads, etc.
If you will give her this slow approach now to develop and become conditioned, she should start moving in a more rideable frame and gradually improve a great deal. Only then would I think about helping her balance by other methods. At this point it would be very difficult to say what specific balancing issues she may actually have because she has not learned to carry herself to any extent yet, how to bend laterally or even what you would like her to do as far as gait selection.
Work in straight lines or large easy circles for a very brief time, only a few minutes, and let her learn lateral bending really slowly. Increasing skill and responsiveness will tell you when she’s ready for more; if she protests or her head comes up or nose pops out more, then its too much, back off and let her find her center of gravity again and make sure she understands what you’re asking for.
The only correct way to get the frame you want is for her to drive from behind and the filly must develop sufficient strength to be capable of that. Try trotting her on long-lines and gradually move into large circles, as a 3-year-old.
The surcingle is fine for getting her accustomed to a girth or cinch later, and is good for keeping your long-lines up off of the ground; but I would avoid side reins entirely.
Also be mindful that you’re building a foundation for the filly’s lifetime. You want to sensitize her to rein cues and not desensitize her with too much contact on her mouth which is amplified on the ground. Set her up to succeed by giving her a chance to learn and time to mature, strengthen and develop. Your young mare will be healthier and sounder and last years longer.
As for the person who mentioned half-halts, I think this is too advanced for a two-year-old who does not know what rein pressure means. If such a young horse does understand reining half-halts, they have probably been very rushed.
Answer by charlene ownssIf she’s two, I don’t think that should be your main concern. She’s a little to young to be in any major training.
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