horse pulling – Horse Listening

You've probably been in this situation at some point in your riding career. No matter what you do, it seems like you simply can't lighten the pressure on your reins.

If you pull, your horse pulls. And as they say, the horse (no matter how small) can eventually out-pull the rider. Some horses (saints) get used to the amount of pressure on the bit and will carry you around even with relatively heavy pressure on the bit.

So what can you do about it? Even if you can re-educate your body to stop pulling on the reins, you might still need to help change your horse's balance to the hind end. Here are some ideas to try.

1.Go "Under"-Power

If your horse has a tendency to grab the bit and go, this one might help a lot.

When your horse wants to power up, you ask for a power down. If you're in trot, make it more of a jog. If you're in canter, make it a slower, smaller strided canter - or just go to trot if that doesn't work.

When you power down, your horse has a much better chance of taking all that energy and using it in the hind end. The slowness and the reduction of pushing power will help the horse maintain better balance. The hind legs will have a chance to slow down and therefore go more underneath the body. The front end will have less energy coming to it and therefore won't HAVE to be on the forehand as much.

You might suddenly feel a lightening of pressure on the reins. As long as you still have some connection, you want the lightness and so now your job is to maintain it through the rest of the movement.

One word of caution - don't stay in under power. Once your horse has better balance, and you feel the lightness, start to slowly allow the energy level to come "through" again. Make sure you're not just blocking the horse in the front end, because that will result in disengagement of the hind end and then you'll have the same problem, just from the opposite cause!

2. Get Better Impulsion

So we'll talk about that scenario next. Many horses become heavy on the bit because the rider isn't asking for enough impulsion or power. In this case, you need to "Power Up"!

If there isn't enough energy, chances are that the horse is long in the body, and the hind legs are not underneath the body. This is what we call "strung out". The problem with the hind legs being out behind is that the horse then HAS to balance on the front legs. All the movements begin in the front rather than the hind, and therefore, you feel the weight in your hands.

So in this case, you have to create more energy, and then learn to contain it.

I have written a lot about impulsion here on the blog, but this is the best one for this purpose. If you want to read more, take a look at the links at the end of this article.

3. Move the Shoulders

One of the best ways to get weight off the forehand and onto the hind end (to work toward your goal of better balance) is to move the shoulders. Lateral movements help the horse to shift his weight back naturally and by doing so, he will invariably have to take the weight off the front end.

So you would do lots of shoulder-fore, shoulder-in, leg yields and half-passes if you are at that level. Walk and canter pirouettes will also help build the muscles needed for better balance to the hind end. By adding in the lateral work, you might notice that your horse becomes lighter and lighter, especially as he becomes better able to get off the front legs.

4. Give to Half-Halt

This is more of a standard re-balancing technique. It's a great way to set your horse up for any transition or change within a movement. But because of its effect on balance, it might also be helpful in getting your horse off the forehand and lighter in the bridle.

The key, aside from the half-halt, is the give at the beginning. It's not a throw away rein, because if you do a sudden release while the horse is heavy on the reins, the horse will fall to the forehand (can't help it). Just give a tiny amount, say an inch. Enough for the horse to not be restricted and to be able to power out of the first half-halt.

Then use the half-halt to contain the energy forward and help in re-balancing the horse's weight to the hind end. I've written about the aids in much more detail here.

5. Many Down Transitions

If you find your horse sort of running away with you, down transitions can be extremely helpful in redirecting the energy. In trot, do walk transitions ideally before the horse gets too heavy. In canter, do trot transitions.

Then transition up to the original gait again and be ready to ask for the down transition again. Practice until your horse relaxes and the down transitions become easier.

6. Leg Yield Out/Transition

Finally, you can use the leg yield out to a transition up to help engage the inside hind leg.

So at the walk, head down the quarter line. Leg yield out to the rail, and then pick up the trot.

In trot, leg yield out and then pick up the canter.

The leg yield is an excellent way to get the horse to begin to respond to leg aids, move the body sideways and forward, and have the inside hind leg positioned for the transition. Combined, they might help to get the weight more to the hind end.

Well! That was a lot of information.

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From Horse Listening, The Book:

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Riding gives us the place to just be.

Of course, there are other purposes too. Some of us revel in the challenge of learning the skills required to becoming a good team member of this unlikely duo. Riding is like no other sport or recreational pursuit simply because of the equine partner that must not only carry us, but also do so effortlessly and gracefully. As we develop our specific skill sets, we also grow as human beings in character, emotional maturity and mental acuity.

But there is one other motivation that drives some of us to persevere in the never-ending learning process that is horseback riding: improving the horse. As your own skills develop, you begin to realize that not only can you meet your own needs through riding, but also that you can even become an instrument of benefit for the horse."

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Along the way, you will find chapters that discuss everything from the seat to the leg aids to the reins, discussions on half-halts, imbalance, halts, straightness and more!

Special in this book are the "In The Ring" sections that give specific suggestions based on the preceding chapters. Take these to the barn to try with your own horse!

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Does your horse push down on the reins, getting heavier and heavier with every footfall? Does he fall to the forehand, seemingly oblivious to you, the rider, at the end of the reins? Maybe his legs move faster and faster, rushing through your requests and leaning heavily onto his shoulders. Maybe he communicates discomfort through pinned ears, grinding teeth or tension.

If your horse has moments where he feels like a tank running through everything in his way, don't despair. Many horses (and riders!) go through a pulling phase at some point in their development. Rest assured, he likely doesn't want to pull you around the ring. But because of either the rider or the horse or both, he ends up sending most of his weight and energy to the front legs. The result is a pulling contest between the horse and rider, the kind of which never ends in a win for anyone.

Many people fall into this riding pattern, not sure of what to do when their horse "roots down" and leans into the bit. Try interrupting his movement as one way to help him rebalance.

What Not To Do

Kick the horse on.

Although it's true that we always speak of "back to front" when it comes to energy, adding more oomph in this instance will only result in more weight coming to the forehand. This is one case where activating the hind end will only serve to be counterproductive. Keep working on establishing your horse's best rhythm, but don't let the legs go faster faster faster.

Pull harder on the reins.

While it seems that taking a stronger hold of the reins would be the most reasonable thing to do, your horse will likely be able to pull longer than you can and maybe even harder. So avoid the pulling match and look for a way to solve the balance problem instead.

Let the reins out.

Although grabbing the reins won't work, you will soon realize that a complete release of the contact won't help either. If the horse is already on the forehand, and the reins are lengthened, the horse will also lengthen in the body and then become "strung out" - a case where the hind end does not engage and the hind legs do not have the opportunity to step under the horse's body. Some horses might also stumble or fall if the rider drops the reins, especially if they are used to having someone literally holding them up.

Now, let's look at one way you can help your horse gain better balance without making a fuss. I call it an "interruption" because it helps me remember that all I want to do is stop what is happening, but not long enough to lose momentum and energy.

3 Steps to "Interrupt"

First off, don't change anything much. So avoid lengthening/shortening/speeding/slowing down. Instead, focus on improving the horse's balance using an interruption. Just like you might need to interrupt someone to get their attention, do the same with your horse. Just do it physically, through your body while you ride.

1. Do a "Full" Half-Halt

In other words, do a downward transition. If you are at trot and your horse pulls you down to the ground, lean back, sit into the saddle and make your half-halt strong and long enough to get the horse walking. If you are at canter, bring the horse to a trot.

Develop control over the horse's legs - stop them for just a moment and help the hind legs come underneath the body.

The idea here is to get the horse to use the downward transition to shift back the overall balance in the body. You want to shift your weight as well as the horse's toward the hind end. In rhythm with the stride, lean back (just slightly), half-halt through your body and hands, and interrupt your horse's stride.

But don't stop there and rest.

2. Set up better balance.

As soon as you get the downward transition, you may need to "fix" a few things. Check the horse's bend. Check that you have an outside neck rein. Allow the horse to round over the topline so that he can work toward a better contact. Make sure he is moving straight - as in, develop a shoulder-fore if necessary.

But don't stop there either!

3. Then, go right back to the original program.

This step is critical if you want your horse to begin to understand what he needs to do, and to help him find his happy place while being ridden. As soon as possible, go right back to what you were doing. If you were originally cantering around a 20-meter circle, then transition back to the canter and continue on the circle.

Do not change the program.

The only point of this technique is to interrupt the pull-down (whether caused by the horse or the rider). By transitioning down a gait, you help the horse shift his weight back and get his hind legs underneath him. But then you must go again! If not, you will end up disengaging the hind end and causing the energy to fizzle out. Stopping energy flow is never the solution to any problem.

But controlling the energy and directing it where we want is exactly what riding is all about.

If your horse lightens on the reins, you know you are on the right track,

If you feel a better uphill balance, you know that you're helping your horse develop his strength and balance.

If you discover that your horse suddenly begins to offer you the lighter contact and uphill balance while doing the movement you were working on, you know that this was exactly what you needed to do.

Just ride on, then thank your horse for his efforts.

What do you do to prevent a heavy forehand or too much pulling?

Horses. Riding. Life.

Tag: horse pulling

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Horse Listening Book Collection - beautiful paperbacks with all the excellence of the blog - in your hands! Click on the image for more information.

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Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding