Problem Solving - cause and effect

If you have a problem with your horse what do you do? Ask your instructor? A friend? Or turn to a book? It’s the right thing to do. A problem shared is a problem halved but unfortunately it’s always after the event. Wouldn’t it be great if you could solve it while you were still in the saddle?

There’s only one cause of any problem with your horse. You! That’s a fact not an insult. Whatever you do with your body affects him. Divide your horse – and the aids that affect him – into three sections. 1 - Your hands and his shoulders/neck/mouth. 2 – His body and yours. 3 – His hindquarters and your legs.

If something’s not right in one of those sections it will have a negative effect on the others. So although your horse is lifting his head up it might not be your hands that started it – it might be that you’re sitting too heavily on his back. If he’s tight in his back he’ll stop using his hocks and up comes his head.  What started in one section quickly affects the other two. However hard you try to keep your hands still and ride forward if you’re making his back uncomfortable you won’t cure your problem.

If you have a problem while you’re riding think through the following lists and be honest! Ask yourself “Am I doing that?” If the answer is “Yes” to any one of the following points then you’ve found your cause.

Common problems with Section 1 –

1. If your hands are uneven your horse’s shoulders will match them. If one shoulder (hand) is higher than the other he’ll fall towards the lower side. If one hand is further back than the other his shoulders will be crooked.
2. Drop your hands and your horse will drop both shoulders and carry his weight on his forehand. Lift them too high and he’ll stiffen in his neck as his shoulders struggle to rise any higher.
3. Hold your contact too tight and your horse will tighten his jaw against the pressure. That sends tension down the rest of his spine. BUT if your reins are too long you won’t contain the energy you create, he won’t use his hocks and he’ll fall onto his shoulders. Hold but don’t pull back.
4. If your rein contact is stronger on one side that’s the way your horse’s shoulders are heading. If you’re trying to circle, corner or turn you need his shoulders on the line you’re taking not going off to one side. (falling out/in)

Problems with Section 2 –

1. Your horse will be crooked if you are. Your shoulders and hips should be turned in the direction you’re moving or face the front on a straight line. If you’re left or right sided and turn naturally to one side you’ll find he does the same. That’s great on the good side but you’ll find he’s crooked and tight on the stiff side.
2. He’ll fall in or out if your weight slips to one side in the saddle. (He’ll move away from the heavier side) OR you collapse to the inside. The distance between your bottom rib and the top of your hip should be the same on both sides. Drop your hip or your shoulder and he’ll do exactly the same.
3. He’ll fall onto his forehand if you tip forward.  If you lean too far back your leg will swing forward and come off his sides. That means you’ll stop riding him forward and that leads you nicely onto -

Problems with Section 3 –

1. If your legs aren’t pushing him forward then your horse won’t bring his hocks underneath him. He won’t be able to balance on his hindquarters and he’ll fall onto his forehand.
2. If one leg is further back than the other you’re telling your horse to move his quarters over. A classic example of this is failing to move your outside leg forward once you’re in canter. He’ll move his quarters in and be crooked until you tell him otherwise.
3. Are you kicking too hard? This lifts you up out of the saddle in sitting trot and canter. In rising trot it sends you far too high on the rise. Both are uncomfortable to your horse and get you out of balance with the rhythm of the pace. Tap him up with the whip if he’s lazy. It’s for his own good.
4. If you use one leg harder than the other you’re giving your horse clear aids to step sideways. Always use your legs together and with the same amount of pressure unless you’re doing lateral work.

So there are the most obvious problems. It gives you somewhere to start when things go wrong. It’s only what your instructor does when he/she assesses you and your horse in the warm up. They’ll look at these three sections, see what’s going wrong and that’s what they base your lesson on. This way you can teach yourself for a while.

Next time your horse feels lazy in a downward transition think about what you might be doing to cause it. Are your reins too long? Are you leaning forward or just not using enough leg? That’s three different reasons for a downward transition that’s on the forehand – one from each section.

Is your canter crooked? Are your hands level and at the same height? Are you sitting square in the saddle and have you remembered to move your outside leg forward after the transition? Again three causes. Three sections.

Do you struggle to get your horse out into the corners? Is your contact even in both hands? Are you keeping your weight equal on both sides of the saddle? Are you pushing him forward from both legs?

Whatever your problem remember who started it! Your horse can only do what you’re telling him to do. It’s true that a problem shared is a problem halved but a problem divided into three might just get solved before you leave the school next time.

Good luck and enjoy your schooling. 

A Contradiction in Terms?

How often have you read ‘keep your hands still’ only to read ‘take a check’, ‘move your fingers on the reins’ or ‘squeeze’ two paragraphs later? With so many references to hands, reins and fingers is it any wonder many riders get confused?

The first thing you need to understand is your fingers are a part of your hands not the same thing. So your fingers can move although your hands stay still.

There’s never a time when your hands need to move away or back from their position in front of your body. They should stay above your horse’s withers to keep control of his shoulders. When your body turns your arms and hands should go too. This moves his shoulders whilst your legs push his body and quarters behind them.

No pace or movement benefits from your reins being too long. Clamp your reins between your thumb and first finger and don’t let go!

Pull back on your reins and your horse will tighten his back. When he does that his hocks can’t step underneath him and he loses impulsion. Nag at yourself to ride forward and never pull back. Holding a contact is the same as holding a toddler’s hand. You’re there to guide them not to break their fingers.

If your horse has been leaning on the bit your fingers stiffen up. Is it his weight or your tension that makes them ache? He can only lean on something if it’s solid. If he can’t lean on your hand he’ll have to sit on his hocks. Move your second, third and little finger as if you’re drumming them on a table or dabbling them in water. That small amount of movement stops you tensing your hands.

Your contact is ‘soft’ when your fingers are mobile. You can still feel your horse at the end of your reins but he isn’t a dead weight. Push him forward into a soft contact and he’ll relax, round his back and go naturally onto the bit.

If your horse resists your hands then your contact should be restrictive. Imagine you’ve got a wet sponge in each hand and have to squeeze all the water out. Squeeze both reins together. This gives him an even but pressured feeling in his mouth. It’s enough to say “Don’t do it.” Keep up the pressure until he relaxes his jaw.

Many riders get confused when they start trying to get their horse on the bit. They squeeze one rein and then the other swinging their horse’s head from side to side. It gets a result of sorts because the horse puts his head in to avoid the discomfort BUT he isn’t on the bit – the second they swap a whip or do something different he pops straight back up again. (Imagine for a second how distracting it would be when you’re trying to read this if someone was pulling your head from side to side.)

Compare your horse to a bottle of coke. Shake the bottle with the lid on and the drink inside fizzes but can’t escape. Your rein contact is that lid. If it stays consistent it contains the energy your legs create. When his hocks are under him and the length of his neck is determined by the length of your reins his back has to round. Without so much as a squeeze or a pull he’s on the bit.

Imagine if you opened and closed the lid of the bottle. In time the fizz would escape and the drink would become flat. Releasing and taking your contact has exactly the same effect on your horse. When his hocks aren’t under his body he can’t go onto the bit because his energy has dropped and his back will hollow.

If your horse is heavy on one rein the chances are he’s not in the other. Never ‘drop’ him off the heavy side. Always put him onto the lighter side. You need an even pressure on both sides of his mouth to contain his energy and keep him on his hocks. 

Here’s something to try –

Take up your reins and stay in walk. Now ride forward, move your fingers but don’t pull back. Follow the movement of your horse’s head in walk. Your hands and arms should move forward and back to keep the same weight in each rein.

Some horses accept a contact instantly. Others are less trusting. Never resort to a quick pull because that’s exactly why your horse won’t settle in the first place!

Try putting your leg on and moving your hand two inches forward. Your horse should ‘look’ for the contact. This means the weight in your hand stays the same because he stretches his neck to find the contact. So instead of pulling him back into a contact you’re pushing him to one and because he’s relaxed he’ll actively look for it.

You may be wondering how you should ask him to bend if you can’t tug, pull one rein and not the other or squeeze. A horse bends through his body around your leg – not from your inside rein. And that’s a topic for another day.

Good luck and enjoy your schooling.

It's in Your Hands

Does your horse fall in or out on a turn or circle? Does he tip his head to one side just as you finally get him ‘on the bit’? These problems all stem from one thing. Your hands.

Your hands should be level and the same distance apart as your horse’s mouth. They control everything in front of your saddle. Drop a hand and your horse will drop a shoulder. Move one hand to the side and your horse’s shoulder will to do the same.

Next time you ride bridge your reins or ride with a whip pushed under your thumbs to keep your hands the same distance apart. It won’t take long for you to realise how mobile your hands usually are. Every movement you make affects your horse.

Ride a circle with your hands up and together. Don’t be tempted to open your hands to turn him. The minute you do you’ll allow your horse to move his shoulders apart. Did you know horses don’t have a collar bone? Their shoulders can move independently of each other. When you open your hands you allow your horse to move his shoulders apart. He can fall in or out as he pleases. Keeping your hands together will keep his shoulders together as one unit.

Use your legs when you need to but not every stride. A push here and there is all you need to keep him on track. Riders often do too much to steer their horse. Use your outside leg to push your horse off the track and then just turn your body and look where you want to go. Let him do the rest.

Horse’s which tip their nose to one side can be frustrating but before you blame them have a look at your hands. If one hand is higher than the other then it’s you that’s at fault. This is good news! It means you can sort out the problem.

Your horse mirrors what you do with your hands. Carry your left hand lower than your right and your horse will do the same with his shoulders and his mouth. If the left hand side of his mouth is lower than his right his nose will tip out to the right.

Often this is a well established habit and will need more work than just levelling out your hands. Your horse has got used to holding himself like this so when you lift your hand he’ll lean against it. A common reaction is for the rider to throw away the rein and take it back again. It doesn’t work. This affirms what your horse was thinking. If he resists you remove the pressure. Try the opposite.

Assuming your horse’s head is tipped to the right increase the pressure on your right rein. Your horse is focused on leaning on the left rein and will be surprised to feel you on the right. This will even out the pressure on both sides of his mouth and straighten his head. Now use both legs together and ride forward.

All habits require patience and self discipline to break them. Be consistent and keep an eye on your hands. Keep them up and together to keep everything in front of your saddle in its rightful place.

Be consistent and you’ll win in the end. It takes two to create a habit but only one to break it. Good luck.