# Do I have him coming from behind and going correctly?



## Klassic Superstar (Nov 30, 2009)

Personally photos 6 & 9 are my favorite


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## CLaPorte432 (Jan 3, 2012)

I thinks hes got the forward part down pat! Lol. I love him!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Klassic Superstar (Nov 30, 2009)

Haha thanks, he's not usually so....exuberant!?! Hahahe got lots of treats!


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

LOL omg.. just happily hopping along xD 

Very nice trot though


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## ponypile (Nov 7, 2007)

He's so cute! You can almost hear him going "Tra lala lala lala!"


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## PreciousPony (Feb 15, 2013)

Nice trot! He is tracking up very very well, which is a good indicator he is using his hind end properly. He looks nice and springy, lots of impulsion too! It does look like he is carrying some tension through him back; most likely due to the wind and rain/nervousness. If you can keep a trot like that but just relax it a little more, he would be just about perfect.

Side note; I would NOT LIKE trying to sit that trot!


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## Klassic Superstar (Nov 30, 2009)

Lol! I dont want to sit that trot either! Lol in was so glad I was on the ground!
Yeah the warm weather but wind and rain had him amped up! Lol


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

I'd love to see those side reins about 3"s longer. Yes he's working from behind, but he's being forced to flex at the 3rd vertebrae, hence the tightness in his back. His hose is kinked for lack of a better description. For now he's still choosing to reach forward, but that might quickly change if he realizes he can simply duck behind the contact and that is very hard to fix once they start doing it. Find a way to extend those side reins to he can get his nose out a little, and you'll have a gorgeous picture. He sure is nice looking horse.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

He's cute, and hearing you talk to him is even cuter. 

I am confused a bit, though. Are side reins supposed to attach that low? I never use them , so not so familiar with them.


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## Klassic Superstar (Nov 30, 2009)

Thanks puck!
I can let them out more 
I'm planning on riding him the next two days and lunge again Sunday maybe or Monday and I'll take them out a few more holes!


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## Klassic Superstar (Nov 30, 2009)

Tiny, they are set low to encourage him to stretch down into the contact, I only have one side rein, the outside and the lunge line run from girth to bit to my hand to act as a release, and half halt to help rebalance.

I like to move him in and ou, spiraling both way, and into the out side reins and then once is settled and balanced he goes further out. He really likes this exercise


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

But, if you were riding him and you wanted him to lower his head, would lowering your hands make that happen? Becuase sometimes when people want the horse to lower their head, they kind of pull downward on the bars of the horse's mouth. of course, this does not make the hrose put their head down, but makes them only more resistatn.

however, the way you have them, they aren't pulling downward on the bars. So, maybe it's not the same action as the rider who tries to pull the hrose down by lower their hands. h m m m.......

I am genuinely curious about this.


Anyone?


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## Klassic Superstar (Nov 30, 2009)

Agreed, when I ride my hands are up and together, going with the movement but steady soft contact.

I do this when I lunge hi to add support for balancing...for when he gets like this, what the video didn't show was the huge frantic canter....so it's to help him stay together better but not forcing, just helping encourage the head and neck tp supple down.

I can see for sure needing to put the outside rein out a few more holes so that when he's like this he has more freedom to go into the contact like Puck suggested, I will get more freedom of the hip and shoulder that way and lousy, swinging back.

 hope thar helped.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I haven't done lunging in side reins in years. I could not remember the correct usage of them.


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

While that trot looks pretty, it's not correct.

He needs to be driven forward into an active and correct trot. Allowing him to do a fake, forward passage is only teaching him to disengage behind.
I would like to actually see the side reins up higher, but not too high. They should attach to the billets just under the saddle flaps, and eventually up just about 4-6" higher than that, but no higher. And they should also be a bit shorter, and the inside rein should be shortened a great deal. The horse should be clearly flexed to the inside (this will also prevent the fake passage stuff from happening) and the reins should not "flap". Also once he is driven more forward, it will be possible to half halt with the lunge line a little bit. Again, the lunge line should not be flapping, there should be a contact.
It is also helpful to have a knowledgeable ground work person help you with the lunging to avoid some of these common errors. However you are doing better than most!

Good luck!


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## Klassic Superstar (Nov 30, 2009)

Annabel, thank you.

Asi said this is not how he is ever, this was due to the weather...
Lung line is flapping because I'm holding both whip and line in one hand while videoing with the other.

I dont lunge him unless He has to be worked/move around.


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## ~*~anebel~*~ (Aug 21, 2008)

Klassic Superstar said:


> Annabel, thank you.
> 
> Asi said this is not how he is ever, this was due to the weather...
> Lung line is flapping because I'm holding both whip and line in one hand while videoing with the other.
> ...


Still when you are doing it, there should be a purpose and a correctness to it. Lunging and ground work in general is a very valuable tool.

This is also posted in the critique section  Sorry for assuming you wanted a critique - I will keep my fingers off the keyboard from now on.


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## Klassic Superstar (Nov 30, 2009)

No I'm not saying I didnt like or agree with what you said, just that the video isn't him at his best due to the fact one hand is only lunging him lol 
Had I had someone with me and he was a little less exuberant I could have really gotten a lot more from him.

Also like I said in the original post; he's not normally so hot. I need the hot so I didn't correct it or want to fight him and cause him to get frantic. Sentive TB boy lol

I will playground with the lunge settings, I'd rather be in the saddle together him to do this but I think it was good for confidence to not mess with him when he was hot today. Like in our clinic two weeks agoi was really able to ride him forward with wipe but secure seat and leg.

This is a bigger hump I think that I originally thought it would be....as itsabig mental thing for me to be able to not want to tighten or correct aggressively nd such.

I do appraite your critique and like what you have to say and am grateful you and others took the time to watch and tell me what you think 

I was up all last night till 8am this morning so i didn't want o rodeo nasty weather being so tired....seemed like a set up to fail lol

And with how he had so much energy I think would have retracted into my body and gotten tense and not bee able to relax and push him forward.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

your inner voice on these things is often very wise. When my inner voice says, "today is not the best day to ride", I listen.


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## Klassic Superstar (Nov 30, 2009)

Tiny, iv learned from bad experience from riding Klassy...so yeah I know really listen to those gut feelings....

I really think it was cause it was pretty warm but stormy, not the usual weather...last couple days here have been wet and cold. Supposed to get warmer this weekend I think!


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## equitate (Dec 14, 2012)

Sorry if this will seem harsh/nit picking, but you asked for what the eye sees, and for me about proper use of equipment and figures. 

First, I do like there is a lightly tensed line/steady connection, that the circle is relatively the same, and even the tempo is the consistent (albeit too fast). And I like the horse.

As to equipment: side reins are supposed to be attached approximately the height of the rider's knee (or a straight line from horse's mouth to horse's point of hip). They are NOT to enforce longitudinal flexion nor to close the throat latch, but rather to allow the horse to 'meet a steady connection' and offer a little even bend laterally. By doing so, if the horse is properly laterally flexed (a smidge on the circle) it will develop a connection with the outside rein (which straightens the horse and forms a basis for riding as well (horse up/open/lightly itv). Hence they are really only met for trot because in walk/canter the horse needs to bascule/telescope within the gait. 

When side reins are attached by the elbows the mouth is torqued l/r as the moves, so it articially lowers and closes (the throat latch). But NOTE that the horse is flexing at the THIRD VERTEBRAE, which is incorrect. The horse will alway ground its forefeet where the nose points, if it is btv the horse will ground there.

There is a big difference between running forward and active. Remember SPEED is the ENEMY of IMPULSION. Yes, one can get longer strides by rushing the horse but the shoulders will drop because the hindquarters end up only pushing the load. First relaxation and swinging, then amplitude/length. Otherwise the hocks suffer. Likely when the s.r. are set so low the handler HAS to chase the horse to keep it going, and what 'yields'? The middle of the neck.

Half halts should be employed while lunging to fold the hind legs/slow the horse's tempo (if needed) and to FOLD the hind leg joints so they articulate and carry with energy.

Ideally too the work would be with the line to a caveson. If it is over the top the hh should serve a purpose which is lowering/opening.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Great post ^!


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## Oxer (Jul 9, 2010)

Looks like a 50 thousand dollar trot in the making, to me! But what the hell do i know?


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## equitate (Dec 14, 2012)

But not how to progressively train a horse, too much pushed over tempo and w/o proper balance/bit acceptance being allowed.


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## Cherrij (Jan 30, 2013)

From what I see, it might be the same as other say, but I cant read it all.. I see that his trot is the same as any other horse when excited with the weather. he has not fully engaged his hindquarters and he is on his forehand.
The one sidereign use is not good, it really makes him bend outwards and as there is not equal pressure from both side, and its too low he is confused and keeps trying to escape but doesnt get comfortable anywhere.. I would loosen up the sidereign and put both on. He has a good trot that will build into something beautiful one day..


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## equitate (Dec 14, 2012)

??He has two (low set) side reins on.?? Missed that...then the lungeline is being used on the inside to create leveraged bend (like an inside draw rein)? That is very harsh (on the inside bars) esp when set so low.

You do realize that s.r. are not to be used for 'stretch' (since they do not allow the horse to telescope....ie like driving reins can do), right? S.r. are to establish a steady connection with minimal longitudinal flexion (only the amount that comes from lateral flexibility). That means that s.r. are also really only meant for work in trot (where there is no bascule ...which canter/walk does have).


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