Question: I am working with an 8 year old Friesian/TB cross mare. She is about 16 hands and her rider is very tall and leggy. The mare came to me with “seat of your pants” training but a great basic in natural horsemanship. However, she has a bad habit of throwing her head up during upward transitions. We have more or less solved this during all transitions except to canter. She even does this on the lunge, both in halter, in the bridle, long-lining, etc. I have tried just about everything I can think of and since this appears to be a habit as the mare does it with no bit and no rider I am stumped. What suggestions can you give Betsi Waldron (event rider and certified instructor, Chicago Ill.)
Answer: Throwing the head up in any upward transition is almost always a sign of lack of balance, and tells you that the horse is not connected, not moving through her back but dropping her back and tensing it which automatically raises her head. You don’t mention how long you have been working with the mare, but you do say that her training was absolutely minimal when you started. I certainly do not discount your theory that this is by now a habit but habits can, and this case must, be changed.
Developing the necessary balance can take many months of consistent, correct training. I suggest you start at the beginning and persevere both with the mare and her owner until you achieve real balance. Start with work in hand to make sure she understands how to step away from light pressure or touch of the whip into the outside rein. You want her inside hind leg to cross over in front of her outside leg and her body to stay bent around a fairly small circle at first with the head low, the jaw and poll relaxed. Work equally to both sides and even just a few minutes before every ride will be beneficial.
The mounted work in walk should include leg yields and small circles around the forehand with the head very low and the bend exaggerated enough that she is crossing deeply under with the inside hind. This exercise will raise her back, stretch the outside of her body and really engage her hind quarters.
Balance is a combination of Free Forward Movement, Relaxation, Good Rhythm, and Lateral and Longitudinal Suppleness, which permit Engagement. Even when you achieve balance you may still have difficulty with the transition to canter until you are able to develop straightness and impulsion, leading you to some degree of collection. Canter is not a very natural gait for a Friesian- they are usually much happier at trot.
Being “Forward” is really a state of mind. The horse must move freely and energetically forward whenever asked. The more cold blooded horses sometimes have a problem with this but it is usually easily achieved. You want to maintain relaxation so do not do anything that would alarm or startle the mare, but do not ride with attentive consciousness and “Expect” prompt response to your light leg aid asking her to move forward. If she is not responsive to your leg, do not kick or use more and more leg aids simply repeat the light leg aid followed immediately by a sharp tap behind your leg with the whip. Doe correctly this will cause the horse to jump forward. You then quietly restrain her and repeat the light leg aid to achieve the transition. Make sure that every transition from halt to walk and walk to halt is performed from the hind end forward and that the back remains up and the head down with the neck round.
When you have achieved immediate response to your light leg aid moving between halt and walk go ahead and transition onto rising trot. Prepare the transition by creating some energy without allowing the mare to break into trot until asked. Use the lightest leg aid and expect a prompt transition to trot. If it happens, praise the mare and trot round your arena several times, encouraging a good, active gait before resuming your exercise of trot to walk to trot transitions.
If you do not get a prompt response to your light leg aid, return to the walk, ask for trot with a light leg aid but follow it immediately with a sharp tap of the whip. When the horse jumps into trot, bring her back to walk and repeat the trot request lightly with your leg. Remember to praise her when she gives you the right response.
If you are concerned that she will buck if you use the whip, you can use a sharp kick with your heels instead.
Before you even THINK of cantering you need enough work at these prompt transitions, especially on large circles, to ensure she is at least somewhat more laterally and longitudinally supple. Other exercises you should work regularly are spiraling in and out of the circle, at walk and trot, leg yielding, mostly at trot, and counter shoulder-in and even shoulder-in (or at least shoulder-fore) in walk and possibly at trot.
You are right in thinking she needs many transitions trot to canter to help in developing her ability to engage her hind end. The reins play only a small part in what I have suggested so far. Do not try to do it on a long, loose rein, but use enough rein contact to ensure she understand stepping into the outside rein from the inside leg, and make sure she keeps her nose down. Give frequent breaks on a long rein. You always ride every horse, all the time, from the back to the front and never the other way.
Major Lynch used to say “When will riders understand that the mouth of the horse is behind the saddle”.
When you are ready to try a transition trot to canter I suggest preparing for it by trotting actively around the arena, rising, and then turning down the quarter line and leg yielding at the track, then, just before the corner, sit and ask for canter. This will usually elicit a good transition on the correct lead.
Good luck, and let me know how you get on.
