tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post913112173408717218..comments2024-03-01T06:49:59.106-05:00Comments on Behind the Bit: Riding riley: A new kind of challengeStacey Kimmel-Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08498926535389535263noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post-63988383945194772422010-12-13T17:46:36.466-05:002010-12-13T17:46:36.466-05:00I just had a breakthrough with this issue and my m...I just had a breakthrough with this issue and my mare. She had been curling/diving and got to the point that she would object to any leg that encouraged her to come up and into the contact. It felt like a back issue, but I finally figured out it was a mouth issue. Even though she was in a soft double jointed loose ring, it was doing bad things to the tongue and bars... new bit, new horse, she&Ginghamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06677667981067220682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post-72228276045804519002010-12-12T23:33:11.876-05:002010-12-12T23:33:11.876-05:00I think you are spot on with the tension. The fac...I think you are spot on with the tension. The fact that your friend got on (I know what you mean in your description of her, exercise riders are enviable gifted at just staying out of the horse's way) and Riley relaxed after a bit, points to rider tension.<br /><br />(1) Don't beat yourself up -- it's hard NOT to be tense in the dressage stuff! If he's already a little nervous eventer79https://www.blogger.com/profile/03160817772061132147noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post-72729921981776776532010-12-12T21:59:02.959-05:002010-12-12T21:59:02.959-05:00Try not to overthink. You and Riley are learning ...Try not to overthink. You and Riley are learning each other. Tense rides are part of that process. I'm riding my own young horse and find myself stressing about tense moments in the training process...when that happens, I try to switch up the plan a bit...add poles, add groundriving, work on serpentines at the walk...have a freejumping day...mostly I just tell myself that this is a young Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post-50144080430595305412010-12-12T21:44:59.631-05:002010-12-12T21:44:59.631-05:00It sounds like you did the right thing. I am cert...It sounds like you did the right thing. I am certain that the situation had a lot to do with it. You were focused on showing him rather than riding and this affected your communication with him. Such is riding; there is no room for the ego, no matter how earnest. A few months ago I wanted to show my mom my horse's newly installed flying change. He bucked up to high heaven. Oh dear. Valhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07335385366138424092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post-76544779260859836582010-12-12T21:32:03.874-05:002010-12-12T21:32:03.874-05:00I appreciate when people share their problems and ...I appreciate when people share their problems and we get to read the ideas for solutions. Thanks for that! In a selfish kind of way I guess I feel better knowing that others have problems too :)<br />I'm no expert, but have a horse at a similar stage and I struggle with similar issues sometimes. I use a lot of bending and serpentines to get him accepting (or even on) the bit and this is very Carolhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17207626703988850059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post-51977829193046871282010-12-12T21:22:31.662-05:002010-12-12T21:22:31.662-05:00H-m-m. You certainly don't look too busy with...H-m-m. You certainly don't look too busy with your hands when I see you ride, but perhaps Riley's "weather tension" made you anxious and you forwarded that message to him. <br /><br />A good long rein and forward might have helped. But getting someone else on him proved successful this time, so it all ended on a good note. <br /><br />Could be you were not giving and following Jeanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10029423500476995817noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post-15360863655742516932010-12-12T20:09:39.181-05:002010-12-12T20:09:39.181-05:00I would definitely get teeth checked, check fit of...I would definitely get teeth checked, check fit of bit, and get chiro out, but other than all that, I will add my personal experience with a Hanoverian who will grind his teeth on occasion. I was told this and witnessed it when I first met him, but since I brought him to live with me, 6 years ago, he has ground his teeth with me exactly three times. All three times were during a lesson when my billiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18187141867284800597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post-45397328173371366102010-12-12T19:55:10.364-05:002010-12-12T19:55:10.364-05:00I never had a teeth grinder, but I heard that Gum ...I never had a teeth grinder, but I heard that Gum Bits help that. I don't mean gummy, soft bits. They are little treat-like balls of sweet covered wax. When the horse eats them the wax coats the teeth and.. well, I'm not really sure. I think they make the teeth slide and for some reason the horses are less likely to grind? <br /><br />Arabs are notorious for curling. The little Dressage Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13741448152235721941noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post-18295768078282108672010-12-12T19:54:01.836-05:002010-12-12T19:54:01.836-05:00I was wrestling with this with Dawn - it's alm...I was wrestling with this with Dawn - it's almost always a learned behavior - they think it is correct. It may require a change of your hand position, and sufficient allowing with your hands so the horse isn't worried about the contact. You may want initially to encourage stretching out and down on a very loose rein.<br /><br />Teeth grinding can indicate nervousness/worry and/or pain.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post-7565054863788800402010-12-12T18:54:57.882-05:002010-12-12T18:54:57.882-05:00I think you've got it. Just change things up. ...I think you've got it. Just change things up. Do something different. My biggest boy Quinn does the grinding when he's supremely frustrated. He's an English horse, but I ride him both English and Western and use him for almost everything. I used him on a cattle roundup this spring and he started in on the grinding after we'd had a marathon of roundup and then a very slow drive a Mikeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03574914465998507310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post-79499380675661950142010-12-12T18:33:23.742-05:002010-12-12T18:33:23.742-05:00Sometimes when my horse is like this, it's bec...Sometimes when my horse is like this, it's because I'm tense. Sometimes, it's because he's tense. I resolve the situations differently, but if I feel the downward spiral start, I change things up immediately, because we just feed of each other and get worse instead of better.<br /><br />First I make sure it's not me. I take a bunch of deep breaths, take my feet out of the jenjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01737679332792618499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post-90302263088358165572010-12-12T18:32:39.388-05:002010-12-12T18:32:39.388-05:00Sometimes when my horse is like this, it's bec...Sometimes when my horse is like this, it's because I'm tense. Sometimes, it's because he's tense. I resolve the situations differently, but if I feel the downward spiral start, I change things up immediately, because we just feed of each other and get worse instead of better.<br /><br />First I make sure it's not me. I take a bunch of deep breaths, take my feet out of the jenjhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01737679332792618499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post-3351552134395335282010-12-12T17:48:03.282-05:002010-12-12T17:48:03.282-05:00Look at Jean Luc Cornille's website, the scien...Look at Jean Luc Cornille's website, the scienceofmotion. He's really good at getting a horse to move through properly. And if you're in south Florida, my trainer, Dianne Cohoon, takes in rescues and reteaches them (in the classical style). She finds horses like mine who's an ex-trotter who is doing dressage and jumping right now--he was about to be killed. And several others.Rosemaryhttp://www.scienceofmotion.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post-84113644111249233612010-12-12T17:43:04.506-05:002010-12-12T17:43:04.506-05:00Obviously not having been there, this is my guess ...Obviously not having been there, this is my guess based upon my own experiences/tendencies.<br /><br />Tense/spooky horse = reluctance to go forward, tendency to grip, and tendency to hold back/stiffen and not have a soft elbow/shoulder and following hand.<br /><br />Resting your hand on the pad is good at a *trot* because horses don't really move their heads, but if you're walking or Nethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08817230186352688525noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post-36995937958369662722010-12-12T17:25:46.305-05:002010-12-12T17:25:46.305-05:00Without seeing him I cannot be certain of the prob...Without seeing him I cannot be certain of the problem, but based on what I have read, it sounds like he's having a problem in his mouth.kippen64https://www.blogger.com/profile/09349803809195454781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6317822193674196694.post-30323332152457477792010-12-12T17:18:17.606-05:002010-12-12T17:18:17.606-05:00This isn't a long-term solution, but when I ha...This isn't a long-term solution, but when I have a bad riding day where my horse just doesn't relax despite my best efforts, I sometimes just stop worrying about whether it's on the bit and relaxed or not, and just focus on my seat. I'll keep a fairly loose rein, just ride forward and work on things such as sitting up and back, keeping my hands/arms relaxed and giving, and any badwespinoreply@blogger.com