Training Horses
From HelpWiki
Contents |
Introduction
Only an experienced rider should attempt to train a young or untrained horse. Training horses can be very dangerous, takes a long time, and if done incorrectly can teach your horse bad habits and even cause them harm. This section is intended for members who have or lease their own horses and have ridden for at least 6 or more years. Even so, do not attempt to train your horse without proper supervision from an adult, riding instructor or guardian.
Putting Your Horse On The Bit
This is also known as putting your horse on contact. When your horse is on the bit there should be no slack in your reins and when you pull back even a little bit your horse should immediately be able to feel pressure on it's mouth. When your horse is on the bit, or on contact, it should give to your hands by dropping its head and bringing it's chin in towards the middle of it's neck. Young horses will often resist the pressure of the bit by throwing their head up, lifting their head (instead of lowering it), pulling against your hands and the pressure, or dropping their heads too low. When your horse is properly on the bit it should willingly bring it's chin in towards its neck yet keep a straight line from the bit to your elbow. As the horse continuously does this it will develop a larger crest muscle (the muscle along the top of the neck) and become more balanced. Some people also refer to being on the bit in this position as Flexion.
Another problem with young horses is once they accept the bit they become stiff or tense through their topline (the top of their poll, down their neck, all the way to their croup) and then can no longer bend around your leg for circles or do lead changes. When this happens you'll have to soften your horse's topline to get them bending properly again. One way to do this is to practice shoulder in/shoulder outs (see below) as well as making your horse look in and look out at different gaits while keeping them on the bit.
