|
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 725
  
| When working with a young horse, how do you teach proper collection and headset? I want to start young, so they don't form bad habits, I haven't used any training forks or anything like that. I have been focusing on headset with my 14 yr old barrel horse as well, that hadn't been collected a day in his life. He softens and collects now, but no matter what I do, at a lope he loses the collection. Tips? Videos? Books? Thanks!
Edited by IowaCanChaser 2015-09-23 12:28 PM
|
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
Location: London Ontario | You need impulsion to have collection. They need to be driving up from behind to round out their back. Lots of back, transitions that are soft(up and down), You really need to ride with your seat to create that impulsion. It is also about "feel". As soon as you feel the slightest bit of rounding, you need to release everything. They need to learn to carry themselves, we cant do it for them. This however will take a long time to build up the proper topline and stamina to do so. |
|
| |
|
Red Bull Agressive
Posts: 5981
Location: North Dakota | Exactly as was stated before, you need impulsion. What you don't need is anything other than a snaffle bit. No training forks or gadgets. Not while your just starting one out. I'm bad at explaining it but you need to get the horse to work back to front. Don't focus on their face being in a certain spot. You want their back legs underneath them, neck and back rounded and relaxed and a gentle contact on the reins. Things like trot poles, trot-canter-trot-canter transitions, half-halts, lateral work, all help. If you can, some lessons with a dressage trainer would help. They will really teach you how to use your body and influence how your horse moves. |
|
| |
|
 Take a Picture
Posts: 12841
| Personally, I like a German Martingale |
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 929
| Drive from your seat and leg and kind of "push" them up into the bridle using soft pressure. Do not let him run or start moving faster. Once the horse "gives" to the bit and gets soft in the face...REWARD, REWARD, REWARD!!!! Then he will start to look for the release and pretty soon all you will have to do is kind of sponge the reins and add a bit of leg contact and he will round up and carry the frame.  |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 3300
| i used to train show horses... you need forward motion no mater how fast that is if they cant lope going fast they cant lope going slower.... they wont be able to drive up undernieth thmeselves and balence... i dont force a head set that will come when they can balence themselves and some horses just are not built to carry there head level or even above level... i rode a freckles playboy horse thats neck came out of his back! he wanted to knock you out every time you rode him..... by no fault of his own he was just built like that
dana hokana has some good clips on youitube
shes pleasure but its just the basics and fondation is fondation
Edited by aqhabarrelchic1 2015-09-23 7:40 PM
|
|
| |
|
 Elite Veteran
Posts: 851
Location: West Texas | All good advice! |
|
| |
|
  Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | All great points on compulsion and getting them round through their back and releasing.
They have to develop the muscles to hold collection and they have to be balanced. Get them going consistent at a trot / jog before you ask for it at a lope. Once you start asking at a lope, only ask for maybe 2-3 strides at first and release and build up on that.
|
|
| |
Folks on-line