Thank you so much for these videos. I really love and so sppreciate your thoughtful and kind approach. I have just found them today and they are so timely for me and my ottb 8yo gelding. I've had him a year and it's been a tough one. He was restarted by my eventing trainer in the 8 months before I bought him. She had him training up to training level, showing novice. So he is athletic, smart and willing. He was also still really green, and extremely sensitive, two traits that I am unable to ride him through like my trainer (I live on an island and so am not able to train with her regularly unfortunately). Very easily offended by any contact, both in the mouth and the legs. He seems a lot like Spidey. Anyway, we have come a long way but are really struggling with canter departs. If I have him really working through the back in the trot he will pick it up easily and no fuss; otherwise it's a bit of a disaster. He gets extremely tense, will brace every bit of himself, evade sideways, you name it, he's tried it. Vet, saddle all okay. Doing lots of t/c transitions don't work, he gets too tense and anticipatory. "Defensive reactivity" defines him exactly!! Any advice would be so welcome. Thank you!!
Thank you so much for your kind comment and for sharing your experience with your gelding with me and everybody here. What you are describing sounds like a familiar behavioral pattern with horses that come from the track. One of my mantras with a horse like this is to keep their level of excitement and adrenalin as low as possible, especially when it comes to the canter (re-)training. In practical terms, I teach my horse walk, trot, canter voice-commands (using my body language and a round pen ideally) on the lunge-line first. Then practice short walk-trot transitions, then walk-trot-canter-trot-walk transitions. These walk-trot-canter-trot-walk transitions on the ground (using clear, consistent voice commands) are key elements which you can replicate under saddle later on. This is a typical sequence for these transitions: Walk for 1/4-1/2 of a circle, trot (with lowered head) for about 1/2-1 circle, then canter for no more than 1 circle, then trot 1 circle and right back to walk for 1/2-1circle. In the beginning I don't do more than 1-2 repetitions in each directions with lost of praise, standing and breathing calmly breaks in between. Later you can do 3 repetitions in each direction and expand on the canter for up to 2-3 rounds if the tempo and level of excitement stays reasonably low. Once you have this pattern in place, practice the same sequence under saddle. There are many videos on these elements on my YT channel, and you can also check the playlists ‘Groundwork,’ ‘Exercises for ‘hot, run-away’ horses’ and ‘Trot-canter exercises.’ I hope this helps! Cheering your on! :)
Thanks so much for your thoughtful response! I will definitely try this sequence. We do a lot on the lunge to keep up the voice command connection so this will fit right in. Thank you!! In addition to being over-reactive with the canter, he can get really sucked back and behind the leg and all kinds of disorganized! Then he gets stressed out, poor wee bugger. Thanks again. I really love your approach!
@@mmueller4090 You're welcome! I'm so glad you find some of my tips helpful. In the canter it's the same/similar message: When he sucks back and anticipates more pressure, take your legs off and let him find 'nothing' to push back on. Kissing for canter and clucking for trot together with your voice commands which you're already doing will be your most helpful tools to help him understand that nobody is 'coming to get him.' He is lucky to have you being such a kind and thoughtful rider and steward. :)
Oh my goodness, you’ve just described my horse to a T! Sorry you are also finding the same issue but so glad someone else is struggling with same issues! My canter transition is my nemesis! Ahhhh!! Good luck with yours! :) x
@@horseyhils9879 Yes. So good to know we are not alone! :) Since it's winter I have focused mostly on groundwork as a way to get him really forward thinking and *hopefully* forget about the nappiness. It's been such a great way to work with him. He is sooo crazy sensitive that groundwork really slows things down for me and allows me to catch his tenseness before it gets too much. Time and attentiveness are really where the magic is. My guy is a different beastie than he was a year ago- in such an amazing way. Good luck, you'll get there! x
Thank you for your videos, where you radiate kindness and concern for these magnificent animals. Can you help me with something pretty basic? Can you tell me what signs to look for that my horse has given in the jaw? It's hard for me to see that when mounted so what specifically should I feel? TIA!
Thank you so much for your kind comment and your great question! You're right, it is tricky to feel your horse giving in the jaw, especially in the beginning when you don't have a constant reliable rein contact yet. The good news is that, especially in the beginning when you're inviting your horse to yield to your inside rein pressure and increased inside lower leg impulses which you'll do mostly on small curved lines and corners, your horse will be flexed and bent to the inside which will make it easier for you to watch her/his mouth. And this is one of the situations where you're allowed (and encouraged) to look down at your horse's mouth while you're riding so you can see the lower jaw move and immediately release both reins for the forward-downward stretch. Does this make sense? If not let me know and we'll take a closer look. :)
Katja, thanks for your great series, you have helped me so much. And my mare! So my mare, at the end of a riding session with my teacher, will stand quietly as we sit mounted on our borses, discussing our rides. My mare often closes her eyes in rest, and then chomps rhythmically on her bit. I wonder, is this a way for her to relax her jaw? Or an attempt to make it feel better? Thank you!
Hi Julie, Thank you so much for your kind comment and your question. It could very well be that your mare is trying to relax her jaw in the situation you’re describing, especially If she hasn’t relaxed her jaw during your riding session. Horses usually experience a pleasant, calm sensation after their workouts as endorphins, their feel-good hormones, course through their bodies. In order to let them fully experience this pleasant feeling and as a reward for the work they put in for us I believe it’s most considerate to get off of our horses and loosen their saddle girths when we’re done riding so they can relax their backs if we need to talk afterwards. I’m so glad you are asking this question. Thank you for being so interested and concerned about your mare and these very important details.
Thank you for posting! Where I keep my horses, there is no riding arena. There is a park within walking distance with an 8 foot wide, 5 mile, oval track specifically for horses. I have traditionally rode both horses on the track and on trails, on a loose rein, with little to no connection. Now I recognize I am not well connected to my horses and it is affecting our rides. They are spooky and anxious. How can I get them to relax when I don't have room to work in circles?
Thank you for your question! Ideally it would be great/better if you could find a space where you can ride some circular shapes with your horses because it will benefit their balance and ability to stretch laterally through their bodies. In the meantime, if you can only go straight most of the time you can help them to relax by stretching longitudinally (from head to tail) forward-downward in the walk by using the shoulder-to shoulder riding mode. Have a look at these two videos to get started:
And th-cam.com/video/Q_d9-NEQw0k/w-d-xo.htmlsi=O-6fO8Uc80vPCx_R. Plus, you can find more inspiration in the videos of my ‘Walk Exercises’ playlist. Hope this helps. :)
Since you are flexing your horse's head slightly inward when you're holding the inside rein you should definitely watch and see when your horse releases his jaw so you can immediately give forward with both hands right afterward. Later when you and your horse are able to use this technique in a more finely tuned manner you may be able to feel the 'chew' but it's always ok to look and make sure your horse will really release in order to get the benefit of this movement.
Lovely horse! -- and rider!
I totally agree! Super-lovely horse!!! 😻💗👏💕
Very helpful en inspiring thank you
Thank you so much for your kind message! I’m so glad!
Thank you so much for these videos. I really love and so sppreciate your thoughtful and kind approach. I have just found them today and they are so timely for me and my ottb 8yo gelding. I've had him a year and it's been a tough one. He was restarted by my eventing trainer in the 8 months before I bought him. She had him training up to training level, showing novice. So he is athletic, smart and willing. He was also still really green, and extremely sensitive, two traits that I am unable to ride him through like my trainer (I live on an island and so am not able to train with her regularly unfortunately). Very easily offended by any contact, both in the mouth and the legs. He seems a lot like Spidey. Anyway, we have come a long way but are really struggling with canter departs. If I have him really working through the back in the trot he will pick it up easily and no fuss; otherwise it's a bit of a disaster. He gets extremely tense, will brace every bit of himself, evade sideways, you name it, he's tried it. Vet, saddle all okay. Doing lots of t/c transitions don't work, he gets too tense and anticipatory. "Defensive reactivity" defines him exactly!! Any advice would be so welcome. Thank you!!
Thank you so much for your kind comment and for sharing your experience with your gelding with me and everybody here. What you are describing sounds like a familiar behavioral pattern with horses that come from the track. One of my mantras with a horse like this is to keep their level of excitement and adrenalin as low as possible, especially when it comes to the canter (re-)training. In practical terms, I teach my horse walk, trot, canter voice-commands (using my body language and a round pen ideally) on the lunge-line first. Then practice short walk-trot transitions, then walk-trot-canter-trot-walk transitions. These walk-trot-canter-trot-walk transitions on the ground (using clear, consistent voice commands) are key elements which you can replicate under saddle later on. This is a typical sequence for these transitions: Walk for 1/4-1/2 of a circle, trot (with lowered head) for about 1/2-1 circle, then canter for no more than 1 circle, then trot 1 circle and right back to walk for 1/2-1circle. In the beginning I don't do more than 1-2 repetitions in each directions with lost of praise, standing and breathing calmly breaks in between. Later you can do 3 repetitions in each direction and expand on the canter for up to 2-3 rounds if the tempo and level of excitement stays reasonably low. Once you have this pattern in place, practice the same sequence under saddle. There are many videos on these elements on my YT channel, and you can also check the playlists ‘Groundwork,’ ‘Exercises for ‘hot, run-away’ horses’ and ‘Trot-canter exercises.’ I hope this helps! Cheering your on! :)
Thanks so much for your thoughtful response! I will definitely try this sequence. We do a lot on the lunge to keep up the voice command connection so this will fit right in. Thank you!! In addition to being over-reactive with the canter, he can get really sucked back and behind the leg and all kinds of disorganized! Then he gets stressed out, poor wee bugger. Thanks again. I really love your approach!
@@mmueller4090 You're welcome! I'm so glad you find some of my tips helpful. In the canter it's the same/similar message: When he sucks back and anticipates more pressure, take your legs off and let him find 'nothing' to push back on. Kissing for canter and clucking for trot together with your voice commands which you're already doing will be your most helpful tools to help him understand that nobody is 'coming to get him.' He is lucky to have you being such a kind and thoughtful rider and steward. :)
Oh my goodness, you’ve just described my horse to a T! Sorry you are also finding the same issue but so glad someone else is struggling with same issues! My canter transition is my nemesis! Ahhhh!! Good luck with yours! :) x
@@horseyhils9879 Yes. So good to know we are not alone! :) Since it's winter I have focused mostly on groundwork as a way to get him really forward thinking and *hopefully* forget about the nappiness. It's been such a great way to work with him. He is sooo crazy sensitive that groundwork really slows things down for me and allows me to catch his tenseness before it gets too much. Time and attentiveness are really where the magic is. My guy is a different beastie than he was a year ago- in such an amazing way. Good luck, you'll get there! x
Thank you, love it❤️❤️👏👏
Thank you so much for your kind comment!! 💗🐴✨
Thank you for your videos, where you radiate kindness and concern for these magnificent animals. Can you help me with something pretty basic? Can you tell me what signs to look for that my horse has given in the jaw? It's hard for me to see that when mounted so what specifically should I feel? TIA!
Thank you so much for your kind comment and your great question! You're right, it is tricky to feel your horse giving in the jaw, especially in the beginning when you don't have a constant reliable rein contact yet. The good news is that, especially in the beginning when you're inviting your horse to yield to your inside rein pressure and increased inside lower leg impulses which you'll do mostly on small curved lines and corners, your horse will be flexed and bent to the inside which will make it easier for you to watch her/his mouth. And this is one of the situations where you're allowed (and encouraged) to look down at your horse's mouth while you're riding so you can see the lower jaw move and immediately release both reins for the forward-downward stretch. Does this make sense? If not let me know and we'll take a closer look. :)
Katja, thanks for your great series, you have helped me so much. And my mare! So my mare, at the end of a riding session with my teacher, will stand quietly as we sit mounted on our borses, discussing our rides. My mare often closes her eyes in rest, and then chomps rhythmically on her bit. I wonder, is this a way for her to relax her jaw? Or an attempt to make it feel better? Thank you!
Hi Julie, Thank you so much for your kind comment and your question. It could very well be that your mare is trying to relax her jaw in the situation you’re describing, especially If she hasn’t relaxed her jaw during your riding session. Horses usually experience a pleasant, calm sensation after their workouts as endorphins, their feel-good hormones, course through their bodies. In order to let them fully experience this pleasant feeling and as a reward for the work they put in for us I believe it’s most considerate to get off of our horses and loosen their saddle girths when we’re done riding so they can relax their backs if we need to talk afterwards. I’m so glad you are asking this question. Thank you for being so interested and concerned about your mare and these very important details.
Thank you for posting! Where I keep my horses, there is no riding arena. There is a park within walking distance with an 8 foot wide, 5 mile, oval track specifically for horses. I have traditionally rode both horses on the track and on trails, on a loose rein, with little to no connection. Now I recognize I am not well connected to my horses and it is affecting our rides. They are spooky and anxious. How can I get them to relax when I don't have room to work in circles?
Thank you for your question! Ideally it would be great/better if you could find a space where you can ride some circular shapes with your horses because it will benefit their balance and ability to stretch laterally through their bodies. In the meantime, if you can only go straight most of the time you can help them to relax by stretching longitudinally (from head to tail) forward-downward in the walk by using the shoulder-to shoulder riding mode. Have a look at these two videos to get started:
th-cam.com/video/W4HRc8HtSEk/w-d-xo.htmlsi=_pd3kXsf16wWye_y
And th-cam.com/video/Q_d9-NEQw0k/w-d-xo.htmlsi=O-6fO8Uc80vPCx_R. Plus, you can find more inspiration in the videos of my ‘Walk Exercises’ playlist. Hope this helps. :)
I'm not sure if I would be able to tell when he releases the jaw... Are you seeing him chew or is it a feel on the hand?
Since you are flexing your horse's head slightly inward when you're holding the inside rein you should definitely watch and see when your horse releases his jaw so you can immediately give forward with both hands right afterward. Later when you and your horse are able to use this technique in a more finely tuned manner you may be able to feel the 'chew' but it's always ok to look and make sure your horse will really release in order to get the benefit of this movement.
Thank you! Understood!
@@mamad3170 Thank you! I’m glad you’re asking such good questions! 😊