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Doggy Diaper Designer
Posts: 2322
 
Location: WI | I have a relatively new to me 8 year old mare. The girl before me didn't know a lot by the feel of the mare. She pretty well just neck reined her it seems. This mare really wants to just fling her hip around while riding. She understands basic leg pressure but I feel like I'm struggling to keep her driving and using herself rather then just flinging around.
Exercises or things I can do to improve this? |
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 The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | To get better control of the hip you have to free it up. I'll do a lot of disengagement of the hip, making sure to pick up the rib cage in the process. I'll do haunches in, haunches out, counter arcs and over emphasize the pushing the hip around, drive them straight forward on a straight line, etc. I'll make sure the other parts of them are moving freeling, such as shoulders, ribcage, breaks at the poll, etc. Then I'll teach them to soften to the outside rein. Teaching them to soften to the outside rein is a game changer when your trying to teach a horse to track their hips up under them and move forward.
ETA: squares is another great way to get them to track that hip under them and then have to move foward. To have a perfect circle they first must have a perfect square:)
Edited by WYOTurn-n-Burn 2018-08-14 9:01 AM
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 Off the Wall Wacky
Posts: 2981
 
Location: Louisiana | WYOTurn-n-Burn - 2018-08-14 8:31 AM
To get better control of the hip you have to free it up. I'll do a lot of disengagement of the hip, making sure to pick up the rib cage in the process. I'll do haunches in, haunches out, counter arcs and over emphasize the pushing the hip around, drive them straight forward on a straight line, etc.  I'll make sure the other parts of them are moving freeling, such as shoulders, ribcage, breaks at the poll, etc. Then I'll teach them to soften to the outside rein. Teaching them to soften to the outside rein is a game changer when your trying to teach a horse to track their hips up under them and move forward. Â
All of this and a whole lot of time and consistency.
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The Bling Princess
Posts: 3411
Location: North Dakota | dashnlotti - 2018-08-14 8:44 AM WYOTurn-n-Burn - 2018-08-14 8:31 AM To get better control of the hip you have to free it up. I'll do a lot of disengagement of the hip, making sure to pick up the rib cage in the process. I'll do haunches in, haunches out, counter arcs and over emphasize the pushing the hip around, drive them straight forward on a straight line, etc. I'll make sure the other parts of them are moving freeling, such as shoulders, ribcage, breaks at the poll, etc. Then I'll teach them to soften to the outside rein. Teaching them to soften to the outside rein is a game changer when your trying to teach a horse to track their hips up under them and move forward. All of this and a whole lot of time and consistency.
that's no lie. Been working on this with my guy since the day I purchased him (last september) and while it is a whole lot better he'll still want to ever so slightly kick the hip out on my approach to the turn. Drives me insane!!!LOL
What's made the biggest difference in my horse and me is taking weekly, to sometimes twice a week, lessons with a reiner. OP if you have the chance to ride with a good reiner or someone who truly knows how to get them moving correctly, I highly suggest it. |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| Sometimes moving the hip out is a sign that the front feet aren’t moving - the hip has to go somewhere to not run over the front end. Keep the front end moving and the hip may very well sort itself out.
Sometimes a stalled out front end is a sign of too much hand or a horse who’s behind the bridle and leg.
When in doubt, add leg. |
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 Veteran
Posts: 239
| Yes to everything above - really work on getting hip control at a walk and trot before you can have it at a lope or run. And repeat ad nauseum! Haha.
One other thing that you might check is if she needs a chiro adjustment - sometimes if they are out in the ribs, they cannot get that bend to move the rib slightly to the other side and they struggle to get that hind leg up underneath them, so it goes to the side. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1343
Location: Oklahoma | Too much bit, too heavy hand(s), too much inside leg and not enough outside leg. Also, a horse that is too bendy (noodle necked) has a tendency to sling their butt. Rider leaning to the inside, also. I have trouble myself with all the above! Have to constantly remind myself of how to ride. Counter arcs, rollbacks, etc. will help. I have found a lot of the time changing to an easier bit will correct a lot of it. |
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Doggy Diaper Designer
Posts: 2322
Location: WI | I ride her in just a snaffle bit at home so it's definitely not a matter of being over bidded. I'd like to say I'm fairly soft-handed most of the time so I don't think that's a problem although she is still trying to figure out how to break at the pole that is something she has zero clue how to do when I got her. I do feel like the front end gets stuck it's almost like she wants to lock her front feet and just move her butt and nothing more. I have had a full of that teeth and Kyra done on her so I don't think it's any of those issues at this point I think it's just old habits and reminding her that she needs to work like a broke horse not like a slug does anyone know of any good barrel racing videos that have good exercises in that would help with this sort of thing I'm better at visual if I can watch some exercises and then mimic them |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Liana D on here, I bet she could help you on this issue, I know that shes got some training videos, I would pm her.  |
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Married to a Louie Lover
Posts: 3303
| stef73433 - 2018-08-14 5:52 PM
I ride her in just a snaffle bit at home so it's definitely not a matter of being over bidded. I'd like to say I'm fairly soft-handed most of the time so I don't think that's a problem although she is still trying to figure out how to break at the pole that is something she has zero clue how to do when I got her. I do feel like the front end gets stuck it's almost like she wants to lock her front feet and just move her butt and nothing more. I have had a full of that teeth and Kyra done on her so I don't think it's any of those issues at this point I think it's just old habits and reminding her that she needs to work like a broke horse not like a slug does anyone know of any good barrel racing videos that have good exercises in that would help with this sort of thing I'm better at visual if I can watch some exercises and then mimic them
I have a colt who’s still figuring out his back end and front end can work together some days. I like to carry a dressage whip with me to reinforce go forward. If I squeeze and he doesn’t move out I will squeeze again or bump my leg and tap tap with the long whip. He’s dense, but I think he’s cool.
Have you played around with bits and different mouthpieces on her? Because we perceive a bit as soft doesn’t mean the horse finds it soft. If it’s a 3 piece, try a 2 piece or a small port (tongue relief), a chain mouth would be another option and very soft.
But I don’t think it’s in her face, I stand by add leg. Get her moving, don’t touch her face, just get her moving. If we can get the hind end engaged and the back coming up, the front end naturally stays out of the way. Once she’s moving you can add some light hand to encourage collection, but only light - collection comes from the leg not from the hand - push her into your hand, don’t pull her. If you’re pushing her up into the bit she’ll break at the poll. If you have her moving and pushing off her hind end, you’ll be able to tell when you use too much hand, it’ll feel like she fell on her face. |
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