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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
 
Location: Northern Ontario | I need help getting more forward motion out of my mare just doing regular work. She doesn't have near enough forward motion to hold her lope in a small circle. I don't like spurs for forward motion but I have tried that and she just sulks back and gets sour. I ride her with a dressage whip but it isn't enough to really get that power from behind that I want. She is decently soft in her face and really broke on laterals too, I am just missing the forward that I want. I want her to be hot off the leg and I am working really hard to push her but she is still resistant in her forward motion. Its pretty much just in the arena though. she is really forward on the trail and out in the field but there is 3 ft f snow and I really need her to learn to push forward in the arena and work. Any tips? I also ride her 3-4 days a week if I can(not on days it gets really cold cause she cant dry off fast enough) Also, she is fed a race-horse top dressing(Mcintosh- a Canadian brand) and Intergreti by purina which is techinically a high fat and fibre feed with low starch. she is an easy keeper though. Maybe I should switch to a hotter feed like straight oats and a top dressing? also, she is turning 4 in june. |
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  Queen Boobie 2
Posts: 7521
 
| Loping a small collected circle takes a lot of strength for the horse. Could it be that your horse needs to develop more strength to be able to lope a small circle?
I like to build them up to it by trotting and then loping spirals around a focal point. I go down small enough that when I feel them start to labor in the circle, I spiral out giving them relief from the hard work of the small circle. This keeps them going forward, as well. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
Location: Northern Ontario | Yes....I do spirals she and she is getting better at them. But as soon she starts to work hard she gives up. She isnt even breathing hard most days. She starts off our rides good then is like "ok im out of energy now so im done" and everything gets slow....her trot her walk her lope.....I have to push cause i can't let her decide when we are done
Edited by SuperTrooper 2015-02-22 10:40 PM
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | She's young, so it will take time to build the muscles that are necessary for collection and propulsion. Take a look at the thread labeled "how to build topline". There's a link on there that leads it some great YouTube videos on how horses should move. Very interesting and informative. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
Location: Northern Ontario | How come the pros on "training barrel horses" can get them to work so well so young? Are they just genetic mutants that work that well right off the bat? Lol..I know they are pros but i wish my mare could have that energy and work ethic too |
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Queen Boobie 2
Posts: 7521
| SuperTrooper - 2015-02-22 10:42 PM
How come the pros on "training barrel horses" can get them to work so well so young? Are they just genetic mutants that work that well right off the bat? Lol..I know they are pros but i wish my mare could have that energy and work ethic too
I will say this, there is a wide spectrum of horses' abilities and rates of learning/development.
Some develop/learn/mature slower. Some.... This job just isn't up their alley.
I think on Dena Kirkpatricks videos, she talks about a horse that had only a 15 -20 minute window to work in and then he was 'done'. He learned, he just didn't have the gumption for longer lessons, so she adapted to him and if I remember right, he went on to be a winner |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
Location: Northern Ontario | Well, even if we don't do barrels, she still has to learn to work properly and be forward right? Thats more what I am worried about. She needs to learn to go and work |
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 Northern Chocolate Queen
Posts: 16576
Location: ND | If she's good outside & just lazy in the arena my answer is to get out of the arena. IMO working indoors can really work against you as the horses get bored fast and can develop a crummy attitude. I'd honestly consider giving her time off until spring, then get outside & work her. Use the real world to teach her how to use herself by working her around weeds, rocks, trees & whatever else you can find. |
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 Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | I agree - getting them out definitely helps build some forward movement.
I would also look at how you're riding too - are you keeping your hands forward and your seat in place and not moving much. Some horses will look for any chance at all to quit if given half a chance. I've seen some that will quit if you just breathe out a little too much. Especially until they get a little more time on them, they can be pretty sensitive to anything you do on their back.
I've got one a lot like what you're talking about. Once he's done, that's it. But he also has a harder time getting legged up anyhow regardless. I usually spend a lot of time trotting circles out in the pasture when we first start back. Then I'll progressively add to that. I'll lope a couple circles that I know he can hold and that's it. Then a few sessions later I'll add those same circles and then one smaller circle in each direction and build on that. Size wise, I try to stay on the fringe of what I know he can do and keep it short and build up gradually.
There's also an exercise that helps get some momentum going a little easier without having to pick at them. You really over- exaggerate bringing your legs off their sides before you squeeze when you ask them to move forward. (Think of thumping their sides but it's more movement than pressure) At the same time, if you don't get some forward movement,use an over and under with the same exaggerated movement. After doing that a time or two, See if you can use less leg - give them a chance. If you're consistent, they'll start to move out when you take your leg off getting ready for that "big" movement.
Another thing that seems to help is using more upper thigh and seat when you ride, and depending on where they're at in their training collecting them up just a little bit helps to keep them framed and also helps them take off for canter anyhow. When they get strung out, that's when they'll get harder to move out too.
I'll do a decent amount of lunging with some side elastic side reins too and that helps quite a bit. BUT, they have to know how to give to the bit and move forward, and you have to gradually work on taking out the slack, and you can't push them too hard. |
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Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | Another thing that I've done at clinics and done at home with lazy or young horses is get someone to help from the ground while I ride. They have a stick with a flag on the end and they flag from the ground (or from another horse) and help you push your horse forward. That really does help to free even a seasoned horse up. You can concentrate on what you need to do and be more consistent in your cues and not have to pick on one. |
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 Hog Tie My Mojo
Posts: 4847
Location: Opelousas, LA | If you are confined to the arena, I would breeze her down the long side of the arena to free her up. When you get to the short end, sit down and ask her to gather up, work on asking her to drive her inside hind leg up under her. As soon as you have her body straight leaving the short end of the arena, ask her to breeze off again. I like to do this 3 or four laps each direction, it is usually fun for them and builds their fitness without doing something they dread. |
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 Take a Picture
Posts: 12842
| I would do larger circles that take up most of the arena till she learns to keep going. The first thing I tell the guy that breaks my 2 year olds is ride with spurs. if I ask mine to go forward I am only going to ask once. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 911
Location: Northern Ontario | Thanks for all the help guys. I rode her last night keeping everything in mind and she was really good, on the other hand, it was so windy and stormy it felt like the arena was gonna fall on us so that might have helped with the forwardness  anyway, I definetly used it to my advantage. I also put the 3 barrels in a row to work on serpentines, circles, and the pattern and she seemed to like that alot because it was different. Maybe I just need to change up our routine more often ;) |
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