Horsey people help pls

The thing is i want to jump him too which apparently can be done in a hackamore, there is a hunter on trade me that is ridden in a hackamore and i noticed in the photos that they have about the same amount on contact as you would with a bit. Maybe i am being too cautious? Where the heck would i get some lessons from on this?

Yes, I can understand you issue - the last thing you want is on the forehand for jumping - nasty accidents can happen! The only horses I've seen SJ in a hackamore are the very forward ones that go naturally with their hocks under them. However this could just be my selective viewing! I am sure you can use both? (not at the same time )

Yeah people do seem to use both but to me that seems a bit silly. Wouldn't you be better off using the one that the horse works best in? and what is the point in spending all this time schooling him in a hackamore to only be able to use it for hacking around in? I want something that is "one size fits all" i guess. Bounce is not naturally forward moving nor does he hype up when jumping (of course throw in the 1st day of a trek and its a whole different story!). I dunno, getting more and more confused now [:0]

Well I guess you can't do dressage in a hackamore, so some people have no choice.

I am just making observations about the use of them, and I have never used one. I did once have a pony I rode in a homemade bitless bridle, as her mouth had been so abused she was a different horse when you took the bit from her mouth. I have ridden countless horses over the years in their halters too! However this does not make me any sort of expert on a hackamore Hopefully Glopony or someone who knows what they are talking about will be able to help.

Devan is your horse going thru a bit of a nutty spell.? I know mine is, for about the last 4-6 weeks he has been a complete nutter to the point I could cheerfully kill him!

Its got to the point where i cant even be bothered riding him at the moment, even in the paddock he's spooking,bucking and generally causing trouble. Guess its the autumn flush, not quite sure what to do about it. Cant afford all these toxin binders and god knows what, I guess I have to wait and hope he calms down. We seem to wind each other up big time at the moment- hes 12 too and done a lot of competition work etc and should damm well know better.If I had a hackamore I would probably use it to strangle him with!!!

Gosh i laughed at that cowmad! I dunno what his issue is, i actually took him off grass about 4 weeks ago cos he was too fat and was just giving him hay and a little lucerne chaff (as an i love you feed after riding). After the trek i put him back into a paddock that had had sheep in it so there was still very little grass in it, and give him a slice of hay at night. When i rode him monday night he was pathetic! he simply couldn't be bothered, it was all i could do to get him to trot for goodness sakes! I am taking him to a friends on the weekend and will be riding with another horse so it will be interesting to see how he is. I assumed that it was because he was fit that he was being such a shite but now i really have no idea![:0] He was quite spooky a few weeks ago so i gave him a teaspoon of magnesium powder in his feed which seems to help. To be honest i have no idea whats going on in his chubby head

Devan, there are a lot of horses that are a bit silly at the moment & yes, it seems to be the autumn flush of grass growth. It's full of sugar at the moment & causing quite a few to lose the plot. Watch Bounce on the lucerne too if he's already a bit silly. The high protein in lucerne can have the same effect. I'd also be cautious about putting him in on the short grass after the sheep. It's this new growth that will cause the most problems. You'd be better off to find a paddock (if you can) with the longest, rankest grass & put him in that as it'll have very little nutritional value.

I'd just like to comment on the "pulling" comments with regards to riding...the horse can only pull if it has something to pull against ie; YOUR HANDS! That then begs the question, WHO is the one doing the pulling? It's an easy trap to fall into as your first instinct is to pull on the reins when the horse starts to get towey & stops listening but unfortunately, this reaction just compounds the problem.

If you want avoid the pulling, learn to ride on independent reins (one rein at a time) & ride with your seat & legs first, backed up by your hands. Learning to do a one-rein stop is invaluable for reschooling horses that pull! Timing is probably the single most important thing of all! You need to be able to give the rein back to the horse the second you feel him begin to shift his weight in response. If you keep holding until he's actually stopped, he will miss your point completely & not get the reward. Try this from a standstill & ask him to rein back. Take up a soft & steady hold on both reins (yes, I know I said indiependent reins earlier but this is to teach him to give to pressure) & just wait...you'll find he'll probably start throwing his head around, trying to step forward, etc but just maintain the same soft hold & wait for him to find the comfortable place. He'll eventually start to lean his weight back before he actually takes a backward step. GIVE NOW! As soon as you feel that shift in weight, don't wait for the actual step, he'll follow through with that.

Once you've both mastered that & he's listening & happy to give to pressure, do the same in walk & trot but use your seat to block his forward movement before gently closing your fingers on the reins. Get this going well at home first & then you can do the same when you're out & will (hopefully) have a little more control when he gets excited. If he stops listening when he's out, abandon the two reins & go for a one-rein stop. You can then get him stopped abruptly & give again straight away. He'll soon get the idea that it's a LOT less hassle just to walk (or whatever pace you put him in) on a loose rein. If he was mine, I'd make him walk everywhere on a loose rein until he can cope with other horses rushing past him. Once he can deal with that, he can trot & when he can cope with that calmly, THEN he can canter. (This is how I reschool bolters).

I have recently started breaking a few horses to bitless bridles & have found that I have the same level of control with these (I use the Light Rider) as with a bit. You should ALWAYS be riding with a light contact, whether you use a bit or not. A snaffle will do as much damage as your hackamore if you're rough with it.

There is absolutely no reason why a horse should go on the forehand in a bitless bridle anymore than a bitted bridle (or no bridle). It all comes down to how they're ridden. This should illustrate my point...

Currently, you can compete bitless (including hackamores) in jumping events but not in dressage.

Thank you for that advice I guess i just have to be patient and keep working with him. I am sooooooo jealous of that chick!!!!! I will try what you said at home and let you know how we get on.
Oh i googled the light rider bridle too...very interesting. Where do you buy them from?

She's an amazing rider eh? I can ride the horse that I've had since I was 9 years old like that (no bridle or saddle) & used to get into trouble with the local cop when I was a kid for riding him down the road like that. I'm working on my young one now...we could be awhile though...

The Light Rider bridles are either available direct from Cynthia in Tasmania or you can order them from Alannah at OK Corral Saddlery in West Auckland ( okcorral.co.nz/ ). Alannah wasn't stocking bitless bridles cause she hadn't found one that she liked. I was in the same boat & told her about these ones so she ordered one in for me to trial on a few horses (mine & my clients') & I REALLY like it so I bought it off her.

My youngster has a very high opinion of himself & can be a bit "yahooey" sometimes so I need something that will give me brakes when I need them. This stops him in his tracks when I need to get drastic but is nice & soft when he's being cooperative.

Yes, be patient & just remember, it WILL pay off! Ray Hunt used to say "time means nothing to the horse" & that's something I have to constantly remind myself. Your boy is only young too so you have HEAPS of time to get things going the way you want. []

that is a great link thankyou gloPony. One I am sure we would all like to aspire to.

Devan, are you ok with me piggybacking on your post still? I have a question to pose that may or not also be your thing or at least others, and happy to post independently if you wish... but it relates to that link and how Stacey was seated, compared to my previous younger seat... (that I find I am still doing)...

Of course you can swaggie

righto, in my far younger years, my instructor was frustrated that my lower leg would hold on tight around the horse, but my upper bits didn't... I did try my best but suspect I do the same now (when the going got tough last week) as a reaction to the potential idea of coming off..

So how does One train back into getting an even grip? Stacey just seemed to sit there regardless....

Are you pinching with your knees? One of the things my trainers (various ones over the years) have done is forcing me to hold a dollar bill with whichever part of my leg wasn't behaving (calf/thigh)...and since it was usually my dollar bill, I had no desire to lose it

Diane

""I"" feel like I am doing the right thing, but realise how One feels on the horse, and how One is seen are quite likely 2 different positions altogether.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

Oh and by the way - I feed mag all year round - about a tablespoon every day.
It's something that goes straight through the system.
You can buy all those fancy pants "magnesiums" like "alleviate" etc, but good old "MAG" from the farm store will do wonders.

FYI Buddy has been more pillock like the past week alright - few days of rain, couple of wicked sunshine and bobs your spooky uncle!!! EEK! All under control now - blinkin' horses!

Swaggie & Devan - how is your Easter break riding going?!?!?

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