My 10 year old standardbred has been off the track since May of 2009. I have a hard time trying to bend him. I don't know if I'm doing it wrong, he doesn't know what I'm asking, or if he is just stiff, which I'm pretty sure its a combination of all 3 lol. Can anyone help me, maybe tell me some techniques to help him bend and help me how to do it.
Sorry it says' her 'all the time. This is copied from one of MY other answers to a question similar to yours.
You wont phsyically see and feel her bending her body, you dont want her bent like a C. .. you just want a slight bend in her body, very slight. ITS NOT EVEN ABOUT BENDING really .. its just about balance, and keeping her working on the side of her body that she needs to be. If you are going to the left, you want her slightly looking to the left, and stretching the outside of her body to look to the inside and stretch into your outside rein. So she will be looking to the inside, stretching into the outside rein, which will automatically bend her body.
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com Dont think about 'bending her body' think about her outside side of her body stretching and reaching into your outside rein. Not leaning on your outside rein, but stretching into it and rounding out. Big difference. If she starts to lean you will feel her speed up, get heavy in your hand, and fall on her forehand, squeeze and release your outside rein, if she doesnt lighten, give a nice tug and kick her foreword with your leg. That will say 'Hey no doing that .. not get up here and listen! "
You can also do bending on the ground, stand at her shoulder take the bit with 2 fingers like you are the reins and gently pull up, and back at the same time just as if you were riding her. ALWAYS DO BOTH SIDES EQUALLY wether you are riding her, on the ground, etc ... work both bending sides equally.
You can also just be on her at the halt and ask with your reins for her to bring her head around and bend, while you move her from that inside leg. So ask her to bring her head and look to the ... left lets say. With your left leg, ask her to move over with your calf, then give little taps with your heel and keep pressing till she takes a step over. release your rein, let her stretch her head out and praise her. Soon she will get easier and easier to do this bend and will get sharper off your leg. great activity to do. Do both sides remember ....
ok here's how I learned to bend. keep your hands equally apart, and pull one rein towards you. Try this with your horse just standing (while you're on him of course). Alternate with each hand bending his head in each direction. Do this a couple of times and see which side is harder for him to bend on. Usually all horses have a harder side to bend than the other. Some horses are naturally stiff in one direction so you just need to keep bending their heads that way. After you bend each way, you can start walking. pull the inside rein towards you , and squeeze with your inside leg. Do this both ways. After that, try trotting and what helps with your inside leg is that you can take it out of the stirrup to make it easier. To help him bend is to use maybe half of the arena and go in a circle which really helps bend. Hope this helps!
I would start off your horse with just a halter. Stand by his withers and pull his head around towards his side. Go slow and ask for only a little. When he stands and gives with his head (meaning not leaning or putting pressure on the rope)
pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com
Let him have his head back. Do this over and over on both sides. His feet should be still and not moving. Only ask for a little over time and soon he will bend around when you just pick up on the rope. Then next out your bridal on and repete on the ground. Then once he is responding well try it under saddle. Remember feet still and not leaning or pulling. Basically holding his head on his own. It will take time and work. Do circles under saddle and bending exercise.
First, just start on the ground. My friend's Arabian has the same exact problem. He prefers the left rather than the right. So, before you get on just bend his poll to the left and right as you would in the saddle. Also another way on the ground is to gently "vibrate" your rein. Its basically quick squeezing and releasing. Every horse has their own pace, so just try seeing whether he responds better to quicker vibrating or slower. I thought the Arab was never going to turn out. But he did! It also helps if you bring your rein out, then you have more leverage. If he responds, thats excellent! You could also try turning in tight circles to relax his neck. He is sure to bend. Thats another way that the Arab reponded to. Just walk and turn him in a tight circle to the inside of the arena. Kind of like a "Chase his tail" way. My old horse wouldn't bend through turns . So my trainer made me turn him in a tight circle to help encourage his flexion. Hope this helped!
he's stiff! my ottb is the same way and we're working on it. circles and serpentine are great for it and i'll add a link to a course my instructor has had, us doing with him to limber him up we do it with jumps but you can go around jumps. In the little * clearly * homemade on paint diagram the turns are big looking you can adjust them to your horse start wide and work them into tighter turns. The straight thick lines are jumps and the stars are cones to mark where you turn. It keeps you and your horse busy no room to let eithers attention wander and it's alot of turning to get your horse to loosen up you can start where i have the start at or you can do it backwards. The thin line that is wigghly is the path to take.
