# how to stop "drifting" sideways



## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

so ... one of the issues i have with my horse is that she drifts to the side a lot

i have a big oval i ride Dixie in during my lessons, if i turn to the left and try to get her trotting along the right-side tree line, she will continue trotting nearly sideways and almost into the tree's on the left-side treeline (i keep her head pointed the direction i want to go)

if i turn a little earlier so she is running at the right-side tree line instead of making a gradual turn, she will try to drift to the right and won't turn left unless i bend her to the left like i am trying to do a one-rein stop


any tips?


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## kenda (Oct 10, 2008)

I'm not totally clear from your description, but it sounds like she is barging her right shoulder to the outside. My mare did this ALOT, until I figured out I was using far to much rein to steer and not enough leg. I put a neck strap on my mare so I couldn't use my hands so much and now have to focus more on seat and legs for control and she is so much happier and ready to listen.


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## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

kenda said:


> I'm not totally clear from your description, but it sounds like she is barging her right shoulder to the outside. My mare did this ALOT, until I figured out I was using far to much rein to steer and not enough leg. I put a neck strap on my mare so I couldn't use my hands so much and now have to focus more on seat and legs for control and she is so much happier and ready to listen.


i am still learning to use my legs and seat -- but Dixie tries to do the same thing when my instructor is riding her

she will do it in either direction, as if she would rather run me into the bushes than to trot to the far side of the pasture -- if i am turning her to the left, she will drift to the right (away from where her head is pointed) --- if i turn her right, she will drift to the left (away from where her head is pointed)


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## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

edit ... sorry -- now that i think about it ... it is *almost always on the near side of the pasture ... turning towards the far side

she may be trying to talk me into going towards the house/barn/buddy/feeding area


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## SaraM (Feb 14, 2014)

When you turn her to the left with your left rein, try using your outside (or right) rein to stop her shoulder from drifting over. So the inside turns her head, and the outside prevents her shoulders from drifting that way. When I was little, my trainer used to describe it as creating a wall with that outside rein to stop the drifting.


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## kenda (Oct 10, 2008)

jmike said:


> edit ... sorry -- now that i think about it ... it is *almost always on the near side of the pasture ... turning towards the far side
> 
> she may be trying to talk me into going towards the house/barn/buddy/feeding area


In which case it would be good if you could do some groundwork and get her respect. A respectful horse will do what you ask when you ask, so long as you ask correctly.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Some horses will steer by following their nose, but the "naughty" ones don't... They follow their shoulders. I've seen horses who's head could be facing their tail and they'd still be going whichever way they please. 

You need to focus on steering her body, not her nose. Get your outside leg in her and take up the slack on your outside rein. Think about moving the outside over to the inside when you make a turn. So, instead of pulling her left use right side of the body and push her left. Make sense? You may also want to work on spirals to help you gain that control of her body. Push her in and out of a circles using your legs and light rein aides.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

SlideStop said:


> Some horses will steer by following their nose, but the "naughty" ones don't... They follow their shoulders. I've seen horses who's head could be facing their tail and they'd still be going whichever way they please.
> 
> You need to focus on steering her body, not her nose. Get your outside leg in her and take up the slack on your outside rein. Think about moving the outside over to the inside when you make a turn. So, instead of pulling her left use right side of the body and push her left. Make sense? You may also want to work on spirals to help you gain that control of her body. Push her in and out of a circles using your legs and light rein aides.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


 
nailed it -- she is definitely being naughty 

thanks will do --- getting a day off tomorrow so i can do my "homework" 

i have some cones set up -- maybe using my legs to weave in and out will help


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

She is carrying her thought out toward that part of the arena, or beyond, where she wants to be. So, when you lift your left rein (oh, are you direct reining or neck reining?) she may move her head over toward the left, but her thought, and her shoulders and body go right . Correct?

she is not longer following the rein. for that, I would contincue to lift the left rein, saying "here, it's here!", maybe bump it a bit to see if I can get her attention, and if she drifts out, I'd disengage her entirely, and then ask her to step out left again , following the rein. if during the disengagement, she ends up not facing the direction you want her to go, it doesn't matter. your objective is to get her to follow the left rein. 

so, you lift the left rein againg, ask her to step left and head off, and then when you steer her toward the way she has trouble, keep in mind that if she stops following your directing rein, and is bowing out through her shoulders, you disenage, and ask again. 

of course, you can also support her following your leading rein by keeping your outside leg on her a bit to discourage her from drifting out, but if she ignores that, leans on your directing rein and barges through, disengage, and try again.


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## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

tinyliny said:


> She is carrying her thought out toward that part of the arena, or beyond, where she wants to be. So, when you lift your left rein (oh, are you direct reining or neck reining?)


direct



tinyliny said:


> she may move her head over toward the left, but her thought, and her shoulders and body go right . Correct?


yes ..... but i do have her attention, she just isn't following my lead




tinyliny said:


> she is not longer following the rein. for that, I would contincue to lift the left rein, saying "here, it's here!", maybe bump it a bit to see if I can get her attention, and if she drifts out, I'd disengage her entirely, and then ask her to step out left again , following the rein. if during the disengagement, she ends up not facing the direction you want her to go, it doesn't matter. your objective is to get her to follow the left rein.
> 
> so, you lift the left rein againg, ask her to step left and head off, and then when you steer her toward the way she has trouble, keep in mind that if she stops following your directing rein, and is bowing out through her shoulders, you disenage, and ask again.
> 
> of course, you can also support her following your leading rein by keeping your outside leg on her a bit to discourage her from drifting out, but if she ignores that, leans on your directing rein and barges through, disengage, and try again.


disengage? not real sure what you mean by that --- my grasp of terminology is horrible

i have been trying to bump her outside shoulder with my leg, and have even tried just squeezing with my outside leg -- she keeps pushing through/ignoring it


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

You don't have her attention in the sense that she may be hearing you, but she WANTS to go over there, so she is bracing against you.

another way to approach this is to let her go where she wants, but over near that side of the arnena, you keep her really busy, trotting quickly in circles around and around, then open up and allow her to leave that area, and stop asking her to hustle but just let her walk along calm. if she chooses to go back toward the PSWTB (Place She Wants To Be), you let her go there, but she has to hustle along the whole time she is there, then offer her to leave there and make being away from there so nice and easy in comparison to being there.


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## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

tinyliny said:


> You don't have her attention in the sense that she may be hearing you, but she WANTS to go over there, so she is bracing against you.
> 
> another way to approach this is to let her go where she wants, but over near that side of the arnena, you keep her really busy, trotting quickly in circles around and around, then open up and allow her to leave that area, and stop asking her to hustle but just let her walk along calm. if she chooses to go back toward the PSWTB (Place She Wants To Be), you let her go there, but she has to hustle along the whole time she is there, then offer her to leave there and make being away from there so nice and easy in comparison to being there.


oooh ... i like that

it's all one big open pasture -- when we do our lessons or do our homework -- it is always in the same area (far side of the pasture) --- she gets fed, and her buddies are tied up on the near side

from past experience -- i know she will do a full out gallop just to get to the PSWTB

should we consider doing our work/homework on the near side of the pasture?


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

well, the idea is that if she insists on going over to one side, because she thinks it will be better there, you just make the other place better. so, if she wants to be where she is fed and the others are resting, you make that the work hard place, . . . for a bit . .then offer her the option of going somewhere else, and if she goes away two steps or so, then thinks that going back to the PWSWTB, you let her go there, and put her to work for a bit, then offer her to leave. eventually, if she'll go away happily, you go off a bit, let her stand, and maybe quit for that day.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

Horses have to CHOOSE to follow their noses because they respect the rider and the reins. They ALWAYS follow their shoulders. The skill to get a horse to go where you want it to go is to teach it that it MUST follow 'light' rein aids and thus follow its nose.

In order for a horse to follow its nose, the horse should turn its nose ONLY enough for the rider to barely see the corner of its inside eye. To pull harder on the rein turns the horse's head more than this only encourages the horse to drift out and follow its outside shoulder. 

Before your horse can properly follow its nose, you MUST learn to use your legs. When you can see the corner of your horse's inside eye, STOP pulling. Use as much outside leg as you can muster. If the horse speeds up and keeps drifting out, pull it around hard and stop it and then head back forward again where you want to go. 

Some spoiled horses run out sideways much worse than just 'drifting' and it takes more drastic action to not be dangerous. With those horses, I will pull them around hard the opposite direction -- the direction they were drifting toward. This throws them so off-guard that they pull around quickly and let you get them headed back the right direction.

In the mean time, you need to learn how to do 'leg yielding exercises' on this horse. We start teaching leg yielding exercises to green horses from the 1st or 2nd ride on. We start teaching riders the value of learning leg yielding from their first lesson on. 

Your rein aids only 'ask' a horse to follow its nose. Your legs make it happen. 

Like I just told another person here: Your skill is measured by your ability to get a horse to go north when it wants to go south. It is not measured by how pretty your form is but by how much control you have of the horse under you. Confidence comes from knowing that you are in control. Too many instructors only teach equitation and form. Consequently, we run into many people that can look really nice on an old 'push-button' obedient horse but are completely lost when they try to ride a horse that wants to argue with them by going south -- in more ways than one. This obnoxious horse will teach you a lot if your instructor is up to the task and you have the resolve to MAKE him go where you want him to go. 

Good Luck. Cherie.


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## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

That was a pretty awesome post Cherie. Thank you
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

Cherie's posts are always awesome xD

To piggyback off of that, it's true that horses are /trained/ to follow their nose. But you shouldn't be steering with your reins alone. One of my trainers did a demonstration for me once, when I was too reliant on the reins for steering, where I halted my horse and he stood in front of me. He took the reins, and moved the horse's head from side to side. Obviously, we were still just standing there. xD

Definitely focus more on steering with your leg.

Another option is to try to get her to focus on /you/ more, and not her buddies. Add in more transitions, more circles/serpentines/figure eights/etcetera. Practice collecting and extending. This will wake your mare up and have her focus on you more.


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## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

Zexious said:


> Cherie's posts are always awesome xD
> 
> To piggyback off of that, it's true that horses are /trained/ to follow their nose. But you shouldn't be steering with your reins alone. One of my trainers did a demonstration for me once, when I was too reliant on the reins for steering, where I halted my horse and he stood in front of me. He took the reins, and moved the horse's head from side to side. Obviously, we were still just standing there. xD
> 
> ...


 
i have been trying to do things in order

1. squeeze with outside leg
2. lay outsaide rein against her neck
3. pull inside rein a little
4. turn heel in and squeeze with spur (i don't kick and i definitely do not kick with spurs)
5. pull inside rein more

sometimes i have trouble remembering it all, and i am definitely not perfect -- but eventually i want to eliminate steps 2->5

and -- as luck would have it -- she has found a new trick to test me with

we'll be walking, in a straight line, so there is no leg pressure and definitely no pressure on the reins --- and she will stick her head down and push her mouth against the bit like she is trying to rip the reins out of my hands

.... not sure why


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

^Is she trained to neck or direct rein?


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## jmike (Aug 21, 2013)

Zexious said:


> ^Is she trained to neck or direct rein?


i have seen her do both


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