# riding new green mare



## CandyCanes (Jul 1, 2013)

She is really unbalanced and needs to slow down. You need to do a lot of half halts to get her to slow down, rebalance, and use herself. Right now she is just trailing along, not working correctly, and has a hollow back. 
Your stirrups are also too long, which doesn't allow you to use your legs correctly, in order to get her round. She needs to be working in a bridge shape, like an n, rather than like a 'u', which is what she is working in now. 
You are also bouncing on her back in the canter, which would be helped, I think, by shortening your stirrups, allowing you to wrap your legs around her and relax into the saddle more. She is bracing against you A LOT during the canter.
Work on these things, and you will have a much nicer, easier to work with horse.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

I could not watch the video...maybe later I will have a better connection. From your description, it sounds like being long lined would help A LOT.

Tie your stirrups together under the girth, and run your lines through the stirrups to keep them low, and going around above the hocks. Work on two lines of consistent contact, bending to follow the circle, be sure to give a bit of a release when she relaxes and bends. This is physical work for you, so if it wears you out, you are not doing something wrong. Be sure to use a snaffle bit.

Good luck!


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## BugZapper89 (Jun 30, 2014)

Ignoring your position is not appropriate Your riding skills , or there lack of , are adding to the problems. Where is your trainer at? It's impossible to tell how green them horse really is, as you can not evaluate a horse with a rider problem. The horse looks more mad then green


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## Yogiwick (Sep 30, 2013)

Since you have permission to work with her I would take her back and "restart" her. Just go over the basics. Give her a good foundation. It will only help in the long run.


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## Samstead (Dec 13, 2011)

I agree with your stirrups being too long, that being said you should be able to ride without stirrup as well as you do with, try some no stirrup work on a different horse. You also really need to get her in frame, like CandyCanes said with her back hollow like that, nobody is being helped. Like BugZapper89 mentioned you CANNOT ignore your position, rider position plays a key role in the movement of the horse.


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## updownrider (Mar 31, 2009)

BugZapper89 said:


> Ignoring your position is not appropriate Your riding skills , or there lack of , are adding to the problems. Where is your trainer at? It's impossible to tell how green them horse really is, as you can not evaluate a horse with a rider problem. The horse looks more mad then green


If you read the OP and not the youtube video, she did ask for a *kind* helpful critique, and if she wanted to ask her trainer (if she has one), she would have. 

OP- I'll have to agree with above the poster that suggested shortening your stirrups and working on transitions. You have a beautiful ring to work in, utilize it by doing lots if circles, serpentines, and figure 8s.


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## greentree (Feb 27, 2013)

Oh my gosh, I read everything before I got to watch the video, and I think you are doing a SUPER job with her. Start calmly and quietly asking for a BIG circle at the end of the arena( where she is already going in the circle). 

I also think the long lining will definitely help.


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## Samstead (Dec 13, 2011)

greentree said:


> Oh my gosh, I read everything before I got to watch the video, and I think you are doing a SUPER job with her. Start calmly and quietly asking for a BIG circle at the end of the arena( where she is already going in the circle).
> 
> I also think the long lining will definitely help.


for sure, you're on the right track but would definitely from a few tips here and there, there are also some super helpful videos on youtube.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

This horse us not ready fir a good canter. Not like it's going to kill her or anything, but it won't be productive.

Go back to trot, shorten stirrups, and do many changes of direction and try to get her to relax. Bring you hands up, do not pooch butt out. Work toward getting her to relax, lower her head and get bend in her body.


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## SarahStorms (Sep 8, 2014)

tinyliny said:


> This horse us not ready fir a good canter. Not like it's going to kill her or anything, but it won't be productive.
> 
> Go back to trot, shorten stirrups, and do many changes of direction and try to get her to relax. Bring you hands up, do not pooch butt out. Work toward getting her to relax, lower her head and get bend in her body.


I was going to say go back to the trot. There is no point in cantering at this point, its doing no good. 

I am going through the same thing as you. I have a 9 year old very green horse who was a broodmare most of her life. We will be troting for a long time before I even think about cantering. Work on getting her collected, slowed down, balanced and thinking about what shes doing istead of running around the ring with no purpose. 

that being said, she is beautiful. Looks like she will be a nice hosre


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## Notanequestrian98 (Apr 25, 2014)

Not sure if this is just me, but it does look to me like your saddle is too forward? Idk, I can't really tell, but it's just a thought. 
Shorten your stirrups and go back to the trot, like others have suggested. She is hollowing her back and sticking her nose in the air (most green horses do this, it's normal). Work on transitions, do figure8's, serpentines, etc. Once you think she has mastered that (and you), try out the canter and do the same thing.
Every green horse I've been in contact with is like this. 
When you hit a road block, it's usually best to go back, practice all over again, and work on the road block another day and see if you can find out what little holes of training that would've caused that road block (makes sense?). I've had to do it several times with my gelding and now my mare, and it helps. Best of luck to you!!


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## MaximasMommy (Sep 21, 2013)

I just want to point out that you aren't screaming and falling off. That's an accomplishment, ok? I mean, seriously, coming from the beginner eyes over here, you look great. 

Something that my trainer told me when I started cantering was to do it in two point if I felt like I was bouncing around on their back. Well, actually, she just had me start in two point, because that was a given that I would bounce on their back. Sooo maybe that's something that would help you. I know riding a green horse is insane because they are all over the place. (I rode my horse back when he was green... twice.. )


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## LynnF (Jun 1, 2011)

I agree with those that have said this horse is not ready to canter. Go back to the trot and practice on a loose rein. Get your horse moving forward in a nice steady rhythm, on a long rein. If she speeds up, use one rein to circle her until she slows back down to the speed you had her at and then let her go again. Every time she speeds up only use one rein, by using both reins you are just giving her something to brace against so if you take that away she is going to have to learn to carry herself and maintain her own speed. 
Don't fight with her, and don't worry about where her head is, as she relaxes she will naturally drop her head and then you can fine tune from there once you get the basics down.


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## Rechellef (Dec 28, 2013)

I am with a lot of others here that she is not ready for canter work. She is just too choppy and tight. You need to work on stretching her down more and work her on a MUCH looser rein. As LynnF mentioned, just let her head drop and relax and let her STRETCH down. At first she is going to want to rush, but relax until she realizes she doesn't have to. Once she learns to relax (after several rides), then start working on flexing to the left and right. When she is supple and relaxed at the trot, then you can start working on the canter. Once she is relaxed in the trot and canter, you can slowly start to push her into the bit and let her seek the contact, but until then, she's all wrong.


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## CadenJumper (Dec 10, 2014)

I think a lot of long lining would be working in this horses favor. This horse needs to master the trot before even thinking of going into the canter. She is running around out of control at the canter. Really work on getting her to stretch down and relax at the trot, your riding style isn't much helping her either. Shorten your stirrups, raise and widen your hands, and be steady. Once you get her to the point where she can trot calmly stretching down and using her back and 'swinging' her trot instead of just running, then you can move on to the canter. In the canter I think it would help her more if you would raise up off of her back a little bit and get into a half seat. What I see here is a tense impatient rider creating a tense and out of control horse. It is going to take time to get the horse going, and it will be better for everyone in the long run if you do it correctly.


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## CadenJumper (Dec 10, 2014)

Adding on to first comment:
You're choking her, causing her to one, get annoying, but two be even MORE tense and hollow. Let her walk and trot on a loose rein.


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