# Critique? Me and my 4 year old



## Poco1220 (Apr 6, 2010)

For the first portion: I would definitely say to give her her head a bit more. You seem to release a bit and then accidently pop her in the mouth causing her to raise her head up quickly and then you fight her trying to correct her. Keep _light_ contact to avoid getting jerky with the bit. Also apply some pressure with your lower legs to keep them more steady. You don't have to be pushing her forward with them, just enough to keep your leg from swinging around as I think this is causing you to get off balance which is causing the issue above with the contact on the bit.

Her lead changes are very smooth and centered but again it seems like you're getting in her way a bit. She's looking like she's fighting you the entire time with her head up that high pulling on the bit. Take some time to work on some more suppling exercises and you guys are going to be terrific!


----------



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Since you are direct reining, I can give these suggestions;

Try riding her with asking her to lengthen her neck and reach downward, then follow her mouth and then without her changing her trot rythm, have her bring her head up. it's a kind of lengthening and compacting the body at an unchanged tempo. YOu would probably want to enlarge the circle to try that. Working on following her mouth down will help you to be able to maintain a soft but giving contact and avoid what Poco was talking about with the accidental bopping of her mouth. This would help her accept bit contact and hopefully soften in her jaw and poll.

The other thing you can work on is spiral in and spiral out, but don't overdo this. It sometimes looks like your mare is kind of "holding back" a bit, and if you work too much on lateral stuff or anthing with head set, and dont do plenty of just "go forward with no sucking back" then you will lose her natural forward tendency. 
When the horse is young, one should do lots of work on just moving forward, learning to stretch down and come back up and to develop a relaxed, rythmic trot under saddle.


----------



## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

Alrighty. I had her reaching down like you said nicely last year, I think we're just getting back into the groove...


----------



## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

Also, she does have a naturally high headset, so I just let her go with it, I can be riding on loose rein and her head will be high like that, even when she's playing in the pasture, her head is up, never ever down. 
She just that kind of horse I think  but working the right muscles will most likely help her

Comments on the lead changes? I know I was looking down, but I was careful not to lean, I wanted to see if she picked up the lead when i gave the cue.


----------



## Black Beauty 94 (Dec 26, 2011)

I would say make her drop her head low and long so she is more relaxed in the saddle.

I would also say do not lean your upper body forward. 

She seems tense in the canter as well with the high head.


----------



## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

She is naturally high headed, and will never really be a "long and low" horse, and I don't want to be one of those people who forces their horse into a frame that's unnatural for the horse. I can get her to round up, (Her headset is more that of a "round" dressage or jumping horse) but even then, she doesn't have the muscles yet to be in that frame for very long, much less spend an entire riding session in it.


----------



## dressagegirl77 (Apr 9, 2012)

I would like to see her stretchiing downmore, maybe try to keep your hands down a little more, and try to quiet your cues a little. you have the forward which is very good, also nice changes. just need to work on head set, once you get her stretching, her gait will lenghthen and become bigger and she will use her hind end more


----------



## jumanji321 (Dec 1, 2010)

My horse has a higher head set as well and she can still stretch down, it just takes some work.


----------



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

She needs more rein and I wouldn't move up gaits until she is more relaxed. You should teach her to take that bit and relax into the slight contact. You looked a little bit tight but much better than usual  

Except madam that diagonal was perfect at first but you switched direction and picked up the incorrect one! Watch that.. the reason there are diagonals is so you can help your horse stretch those muscles properly and so we stay off of their back and help stay out of their way around turns. 

But I'm being overly critical.. you did a wonderful job and continue to progress beautifully. Just give your mare a little slack and teach her how to relax. She doesn't need to be a peanut roller but head should be level to her back over time as that is where she can engage those back muscles and find her balance. 



QHriderKE said:


> Also, she does have a naturally high headset, so I just let her go with it, I can be riding on loose rein and her head will be high like that, even when she's playing in the pasture, her head is up, never ever down.
> She just that kind of horse I think  but working the right muscles will most likely help her


If you let her "go with it" she's going to bulk up the underside of her neck and it'll be harder for her to keep that neck down and relaxed. But she has to learn how to do that. I would practice "giving" to the bit on the ground.

My horse is like this also.. but they never learn until you teach them how. Out in pasture doesn't mean they're comfortable with hollow backs and giraffe necks. I've noticed as my horse has learned to use his back more, he has begun to lose the giraffe headset out in the field 

Kind of like how some people hunch and when you straighten them.. oh it feels weird but ahhh it feels better for their spine than how they were before. Yes it's more work but it's much nicer.


----------



## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

Thanks Sky 
I rode her in a place with a fence today! YAY.
I really pushed getting round on her. But it's not really in the vid, but anywho, when she tucks her head in like in the vid, I'd just drive with my seat and lengthen my rein, encouraging her to reeeelax a bit. Once she did it a couple times for me, I quit. I think she just needs a refesher course on R O U N D.


----------



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

QHriderKE said:


> Thanks Sky
> I rode her in a place with a fence today! YAY.
> I really pushed getting round on her. But it's not really in the vid, but anywho, when she tucks her head in like in the vid, I'd just drive with my seat and lengthen my rein, encouraging her to reeeelax a bit. Once she did it a couple times for me, I quit. I think she just needs a refesher course on R O U N D.


Much much much better! I definitely saw her beginning to get it! Well done  Just try not to look down at her or lean too much forward.

I'm going to have you pay me a penny every time you trot a stride on the wrong diagonal..I'd have quite the small fortune :wink: *kidding of course*


----------



## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

Heheh. 

I rode her with a tiedown for a few minutes yesterday, and she would tuck her head at a lope for me. My guess is because she couldn't get above the bit and had to listen to me  I of course took the tiedown off and rode for he second half and wen to check cows without it. She was back to the place where everytime I held pressure on he bit, she'd tuck her head.

The only thing.... when she lowers her head, she chomps on the bit like crazy. From what I understand, that is expected. If I got a bit with a copper roller, would that help at all?


----------



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

QHriderKE said:


> The only thing.... when she lowers her head, she chomps on the bit like crazy. From what I understand, that is expected. If I got a bit with a copper roller, would that help at all?


Probably.. or if you have a way to try like a french link or a happy mouth something like that might do the trick also.


----------



## ConfusciusWasAGreatTeachr (Oct 29, 2011)

I can't help but watch her mouth throughout the vid. It looks to me like she's trying to find her own release.
I know you mentioned she has a naturally high headset - does she at liberty? I would have thought not, hence why I think you need to reflect on what's causing her 'naturally high headset'.
Pretty horse though 

Edit: Oh! Above was in reply to the first vid. I replied without reading page 2. Second vid is better than the first.


----------



## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

I've tried getting off her mouth, but she likes to be on the bit.

Her head is high naturally.












Here, I'm completely off her face (she likes to have no pressure on the bit with shanked bits)


----------



## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

ConfusciusWasAGreatTeachr said:


> I can't help but watch her mouth throughout the vid. It looks to me like she's trying to find her own release.
> I know you mentioned she has a naturally high headset - does she at liberty? I would have thought not, hence why I think you need to reflect on what's causing her 'naturally high headset'.
> Pretty horse though
> 
> Edit: Oh! Above was in reply to the first vid. I replied without reading page 2. Second vid is better than the first.


I'm assuming you mean the ridiculous chomp-chomping? I can be riding her on the trail with loose rein and she'll chomp like crazy totally at random. It gets worse when I'm actually doing something with her, which is why I think a roller bit would work with her. 

I don't do "liberty" stuff. She free lunges in the roundpen amazingly, but I don't do it very often at all.


----------



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

Have you been riding since?  If so how has she been doing?


----------



## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

I went for a trail ride with my parents the other day, so didn't really work on much. Just chillaxed  And then pulled a railroad tie around the yard (Just doing a refesher course on pulling stuff, as I'm going to be roping calves at some brandings this year with her). 

On the trail ride, I did ask for her to drop her head and slow down when my mom was trying to get her (i guess succeeding in) getting her excited. (Meaning running her horse up behind Squiggy and blowing by) And naturally, Squiggy wanted to run run run... but we got over it.


----------



## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

QHriderKE said:


> I went for a trail ride with my parents the other day, so didn't really work on much. Just chillaxed  And then pulled a railroad tie around the yard (Just doing a refesher course on pulling stuff, as I'm going to be roping calves at some brandings this year with her).
> 
> On the trail ride, I did ask for her to drop her head and slow down when my mom was trying to get her (i guess succeeding in) getting her excited. (Meaning running her horse up behind Squiggy and blowing by) And naturally, Squiggy wanted to run run run... but we got over it.


Awesome! Calf roping sounds like it'd be such a blast... have fun with her!


----------



## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

It is sooo much fun, and really good for the horse too, it's like super desensitizing + amazing conditioning + fun + the best muscle building ever + even more desensitizing. 

It's all good.


----------



## DrumRunner (Jan 26, 2011)

I can't really add anything to what the others have already posted..Just wanted to throw in a little fun fact, taking up for another barrel racer and of course from you roping.. Leaning forward in the saddle is an awful trait that we all pick up when running barrels...I got yelled at all of the time by my aunt when I would work their western pleasure or english pleasure horses.. "Sit BACK Amber!! Why are you leaning forward!? You are not running barrels!! Your feet need to be farther back too.." yada yada.. I get it, I can do it at a show..it's just not natural for me to not ride like that at all times..


----------



## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

That's so true, DR. Even from pasture riding, I ride with a forward seat so my butt doesn't get slapped against the saddle when my horse lunges or spontaneously leaps over sagebrush. It's just how I've been riding since I started when I was little. 

I just think that it's practical for what I do, it may not be "correct" but I'm comfortable with it, and I don't think my horses mind.

I can sit back when I have to, but I don't have to very often, so it just isn't my deal.


----------



## DrumRunner (Jan 26, 2011)

Yep, same here..I know exactly what you mean.


----------



## QHriderKE (Aug 3, 2011)

Here's a video from a while ago (Between the 2 video's posted earlier).


----------

