# Tied Down - 4th time



## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

I like the way she lifts her back when she drops her head below her withers. Her relaxed back has nice movement.


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## Kelly22790 (Oct 23, 2011)

Yes, when she is in frame she looks so good! She just still does not know what to do with her legs and feet right now -- but she is learning. I will try and get some better videos to post when I go out tonight. Her canter is where she needs the most work...she is very unbalanced and leans to compensate. We've been working on flexibility and it is definitely improving. Just needs time & work!


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## VanillaBean (Oct 19, 2008)

Lookin' good! She is sooooo pretty.


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

Why would you want a horse to travel with its head that far down?


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## Kelly22790 (Oct 23, 2011)

It's not so much about her head being down but more that when he head is down the rest of her body is in frame. There is a difference between just plotting along and placing their feet. Think about humans....you can drag your feet when you jog or you can pick them up and place them where they need to go -- which is the better idea? Plus, since she will be carrying a rider she needs to know where to place her feet so that she doesn't trip while just plotting along. Horses will travel with their necks low naturally as well. A horse that has its head low is relaxed...a horse that has its neck and head high and erect is anxious/nervous.


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## Kelly22790 (Oct 23, 2011)

Also...I want to make a correction to an error in my original post that I can't believe I even made. It's loose not lose. Can't believe I made that error as it is my pet peeve. Maybe the second o just didn't register when I typed it lol!


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

How does pulling thie head down produce engagement of the hindquarters and the proper frame? It seems to me that it unbalances the horse and inhibits proper collection.


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

There is a lot more to collection than just pulling down her head, Kevin is correct, this does not engage her hind.


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## Dressage10135 (Feb 11, 2009)

Agree with Alex and Kevin, what's the point of having the head so low? It looks like the horse is going to trip over his front end rather than being collected.


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## palominolover (Apr 28, 2010)

And yet again.. someone gets attacked for having beliefs. I think your mare is gorgeous =) And ignore the rude comments, don't let them turn you off.


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

You must be reading a different thread. I've seen no rudeness here.


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## palominolover (Apr 28, 2010)

I clearly see rudeness. She did not ask for a critique of her video did she?


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## xeventer17 (Jan 26, 2009)

As far as I can tell, no one is critiquing, just asking questions. I also see no rudeness, though I do agree that her mare is gorgeous.


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## gypsygirl (Oct 15, 2009)

your horse is very cute ! i have a question though, isnt it true that their head should never be below their withers ?


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## Kelly22790 (Oct 23, 2011)

gypsygirl said:


> your horse is very cute ! i have a question though, isnt it true that their head should never be below their withers ?


We are not asking for her head to be below her withers. She is not tied very tight at all in this video. When she drops her neck and head below her withers she is doing that on her own... She is testing to see where exactly she can place it to get away from the pressure. She's still learning that is why her head is not properly positioned the whole time - this is very much a teaching exercise. The way I was taught is that you want their neck and head to be pretty much level with their withers. Of course I would not want her neck to be any lower than her withers, that is unnatural and unbalanced.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Endiku (Dec 6, 2010)

So from what I understand, you're trying to teach her to balance herself? Is she not broke to ride yet?

If she is, I really think that it would be benificial to teach her to use her back end for impulsion, get that under her, and loosen her shoulders. Frame comes from back to front; not front to back- and so if you teach her to push from her rear, she will discontinue the 'plodding' movement that you're trying to correct. She will be lifting herself up and out with each step, rather than stepping out and carrying the rest of her body with her. Teach her to reach into the bit for contact, and I'm fairly certain with these two things, she will become more balanced and responsive.

Again, these comments are simply questions and suggestions and by no means do you have to listen to us, but I do think it would do the both of you good. She honestly does seem like a cute horse; great coloring. Is there a specific thing you're wanting to do with her?


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## Kelly22790 (Oct 23, 2011)

Endiku said:


> So from what I understand, you're trying to teach her to balance herself? Is she not broke to ride yet?
> 
> If she is, I really think that it would be benificial to teach her to use her back end for impulsion, get that under her, and loosen her shoulders. Frame comes from back to front; not front to back- and so if you teach her to push from her rear, she will discontinue the 'plodding' movement that you're trying to correct. She will be lifting herself up and out with each step, rather than stepping out and carrying the rest of her body with her. Teach her to reach into the bit for contact, and I'm fairly certain with these two things, she will become more balanced and responsive.
> 
> Again, these comments are simply questions and suggestions and by no means do you have to listen to us, but I do think it would do the both of you good. She honestly does seem like a cute horse; great coloring. Is there a specific thing you're wanting to do with her?



She has had 30 days professional training -- that is all in her 5 years of life. My trainer and I have been working with her for 30 days now. She is still very green. She was broke to ride but nothing was finished at all -- she had a good foundation with training but it wasn't very much at all. 

We have been working on a number of things in a number of different ways (this is just ONE of the things we are doing). She wouldn't even lunge on a line when we first got her. We have come a long, long way in a very short amount of time. She needs to build muscle and learn to balance. She leans a LOT, especially to one side (because the other side is stiff...which makes sense, if you are allowed to be left handed for your whole life using the right side is going to be more difficult). She has gotten better with driving with her back end underneath herself (yes, this is something we are working on). We know she is under herself because when we ask for a halt while at the canter, she often slides (she could not do this if she wasn't under herself). She drives very deep... so much so that she almost clips. I took some videos of my trainer the other night riding her...check those out and you can see the way she moves better. 

It has also been my observation with horses that when their head is level with their withers that they move in a more collected manner (of course this is not ALL of what collection has to do with, but in her case it is one of her issues). We want her neck to be stretched out & level and we want her to be driving from behind. We are working on all of this stuff -- this is, again, just one exercise that we use (we actually JUST started using this...this video was her 4th time). I've seen this method used many times before. If you do not appreciate it for anything else, maybe you can appreciate that it is engaging her mind and making her think about what she is doing, rather than just doing it.

She is extremely responsive -- very light. She responds to seat & leg wonderfully. This was not how she was in the beginning. Well, she was always responsive and sensitive to pressure but she is starting to understand exactly where she needs to be and is building the muscles to allow her to be there. She came to us with sunken in chest muscles....and we just noticed the other day that they are now actually visible muscles. She is making progress. She also has almost no shoulder to her and a HUGE rear end -- she tends to use her rear only and that throws her off balance. As I said, I am working with a trainer who has worked on hundreds of horses and if she did not believe that this exercise was beneficial she would not be using it. To each his own.

As far as what I am going to do with her, right now I just want to get her up to speed as far as basic walk/trot/canter. In the summer I plan to show her in local shows western and english pleasure. After that, I will decide which specific discipline I would like to get into. She could really go in any direction, so it's just a matter of me making a decision. I got her mainly to have fun and to have something to work on but what the future holds exactly I do not know.


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