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This is
Prince, a Morgan gelding owned by Bill Hartenstein.
Prince has difficulty
going on the bit
because he is the
type of horse that locks his jaw and pulls hard on the
reins no matter where his head is placed, especially at
canter.
Part of the over
all problem is Prince’s conformation. He is has a short
dropped back and a round rump that inhibits the forward
reach of his legs. |
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He also has that
"don’t mess with me when I’m working" attitude so he
does not adjust well to rein or leg aids and purposely
stiffens.
Bill’s challenge
is to get Prince to soften through his body and remain
relaxed in his work. He needs to convince Prince that
Training Level is not that hard. |
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Classic Prince, stiff
hurried and above the bit. Prince is quick to stiffen
and Bill rides guarded and can not relax either.
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Remember horses respond immediately to what they feel
from you. And if you are holding because he is pulling
it’s hard to find a way out of this.
Someone
needs to let go.
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Prince’s neck is round
but he is still pulling. His trot is flat and legs
stiff, and mouth open. Good pullers pull above the bit
as well as is below the bit with equal force. We need to
teach Prince a better path. |
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In this
lesson I had Bill ride with the reins in one
hand. The purpose of this is: |
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1. |
Reins to one
hand limit the side to side adjustment that
Prince will stiffen to. |
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2. |
The reins
only act on the longitudinal shaping of neck and
help keep his neck round and unlocked. |
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3. |
Bill can not
be as strong because he uses only one hand. |
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4. |
Bill cannot
use the reins for balance now , and he has to use his
core and legs to balance on Prince. |
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Here Prince is relaxed
and trying hard to find throughness. Look at the
concentration of his face. He is working over his back
and because of this Bill’s seat is relaxed and correct. |
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With the reins in one hand Prince is free to adjust his
own neck in this trot, he can chew the bit , flex his
neck from side to side. . . |
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Here Prince is strong
but Bill waits him out, because as Prince learns to use
his neck he is also developing thrust. Bill and Prince
are now scoring well at dressage schooling shows. A big
step up for both students. |
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. . and find the alignment he needs to move through his
body. |
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Prince is on the bit in
this picture. His neck is extended along the crest, his
back is up and he is holding Bills hand elastically. |
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Alas, a relaxed
Prince, dropping to the bit wit ha very relaxed Bill! |
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