Do riders really want to ride mechanical rigid,
unhappy automatons?
by Joni Bentley
PROBLEM SOLVING?
When a horse is unyielding at the poll and stiff in the jaw, he is not accepting the bit. Defending against the bit is a sign that he doesn’t trust the rider’s intension or skill e.g. many riders try to force their horse into an “outline” without giving them enough space throughout their top line to lengthen, widen, and lift their back. Or, he/she has learned to ignore you, which means YOU need to get to know what makes your horse tick and improve your partnership. Your horse hasn’t been standing in his stable all night contemplating how his bad behaviour can annoy you! He just reacts to correctly or incorrectly given aids. He also works out very quickly what he can get away with, and how you are feeling, happy, caring, tense, angry…….
If your horse is not accepting the bit he is trying to defend against how you are riding, or how the way you are using the bit is affecting his tongue. By, “cranking” the horse in with a dropped nose band to silence them, you actively encourage mouth problems, e.g. putting their tongue over the bit, or out to the side. That is not an intelligent answer. By tightening the noseband you are merely covering up problems that could be valuable feedback and help you to become a better rider! Find out why your horse is defending in the mouth. How skilful and aware are you while handling the reins and bit? How straight is your seat? How clear is your mind?
Do you as a rider really want to ride mechanical rigid, unhappy automaton like the one in photo 1? Is that what really attracted you to riding in the first place? The exercise featured below is from the French classical school of training which I follow. It will seem strange if you have been schooled through the English system. After being trained in both I find the French school translated by Philippe Karl the most kind, natural and intelligent.
Educating the mouth by releasing the jaw.
We first start to educate both horse and rider about contact from the ground thus: By working the bit up into the corners of the horse’s mouth, you encourage the horse to release his jaw and poll and moblise his tongue, much like he would if he was sucking a polo mint. Once the horse is soft in the mouth you have an entry point to release blocks and crookedness throughout their whole body.
1. Take any dropped nosebands off. Work the bit gently and evenly up towards the horse’s ears as shown in the photo 2. Working in this way only acts on the corners of the mouth, not the tongue. How successful you are with this exercise will depend on how defensive your horse has become to incorrect training. If he gives any sign – even the slightest glimmer of releasing- give immediately and let him stretch down. Photo 3. If he is not having any of it, give him a polo mint, or treat to get him going.
2. As the horse starts mouthing the bit, allow your hands to follow his head wherever it moves until he extends his neck to the ground - he is releasing throughout his whole spine. Notice how the bit drops between the tongue and the lower jaw. Using the bit in this painless way gets the horse’s attention, without pressurizing the tongue. Once he moves his attention to what you are doing in his mouth he will release his jaw and start to swallow and salivate as though he is chewing a polo. When the mouth is mobile, he will naturally flex at the poll and extend his neck.
Next, walk around letting him stretch before repeating the exercise again. He will not only enjoy the stretch, he will also release the muscle spirals throughout his whole self-carriage mechanism. When he stops mouthing he has shifted his attention to nosy-around-mode. This is the time to repeat the above steps again. During each stretch down he will release more and more tension in his back, and, start to give you the basic foundation of roundness. This is the true meaning of submission; the horse volunteers it because he trusts you, and it’s pleasant! Eventually he will give more frequently and more easily. As long as the horse is playing with the bit attentively, you have a two way communication. He is saying I am attentive to you and relaxed.
When the horse is accepting the bit and giving his mouth without fear of pain, you can repeat the same lesson ridden.
If your horse:
1. Has any back problems.
2. Tends to hollow
3. Tells you to, “sod off when you use the above technique
He is not ready to do the above exercise.
Typically as soon as an uneducated horse like this one is mounted, he goes into his usual way-of –going, doing his own thing and leaning on the forehand. That’s what horses do!!! He is not being bad, he is being a horse, and he will carry on doing that until he is schooled correctly!
After one 30minute session this horse and rider have started to listen to each other and move according to their natural design, without the tension, strain and pain which is so unnecessary in the horse in photo 1. This horse is now moving according to the FEI rules, unlike the horse in photo 1!
If you would like to learn more about educating your horse’s mouth and getting to the root cause of his/her resistance and crookedness you can come to one of my horse and rider friendly workshops.
12th March in hand work with Andy Ford Hadlow college Kent
12th June Witcham Equestrian Centre, Mepal Road, Witcham, Ely, Cambridgeshire, CB6 2LD
18th June Mounted Riseholme College Lincolnshire
25th June Mounted Bridgewater college Somerset
July Mounted and in hand work with Andy Ford Hadlow college Kent
If you haven’t already done so visit my website www.jonibentley.co.uk and grab yourself a free workbook, watch free online video and find out more.
If you are interested in hosting a workshop please get in touch and I will try and accommodate you. Email me on jonibentley@btinternet.com or call for a chat on mobile 07771811561. Landline 01442 402756
