[Blistering Winds]

Been riding him a few times a week. Loping is now added into the mix just to get him to quit complaining. And he just settles down.

Though I do have a question.....how do you UNFLEX them?

We always hear of How do you get them to turn sharp? How do you get them to run balanced in small circles? Lots of flexion and bending right?

ok....well, other than stick my spur into his Shoulder, what exercises do you suggest to get him from NOT flexing?

To the left, he's great. On the Left lead, he'll run straight (sort of), run large and small circles.

However, going to the Right.....this is the normal lead we would "take off" on. And that is exactly what he is doing. "TAKING OFF" to go RUN barrels. There are no barrels in sight. But to get him out of a small, surprisingly somewhat balanced tight circle is my issue, without spurring him horribly. Even when I have his head CRANKED the other way, he STILL will run that tight circle.

I finally got him to go into a larger circle and a slower lope with a bunch of shut downs and frustration on both our parts.....But i'm looking for some ideas of how to get him to come OUT of flexing so much. Weird to ask that question too. LOL



Though you stretch your arm up, sit deep, HE REMEMBERS!!!! VVVVRRRROOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM


Ears perked forward, and we STRETCHED for home across the pasture! Never had to engage a single leg. I brought my hand down, he slowed down, back up the neck, sped up. Autodrive baby!!!!!!

[E90Style]

Do you have any pics riding? Its a lot easier (for me) to help when I can see pics.

[Blistering Winds]

No not today. Rode by myself. Might be going back later, I'll try to get some video maybe.

He will stay on the 60+ ft round pen at a lope without an issue. I tried sitting hard to the left to keep from leaning too much to be sure it wasn't my body causing it.....could not fix it worth a darn......(and he use to be very flexable. Literally lope him left, put his nose on his right hip, and he'll STILL keep that lead type.....)

But he's just getting back up.....so I'm not in too much of a hurry. Maybe it will fix as he starts rebuilding???

But I doubt it.


Basically, I want to do REINING size circles, and he wants to do nose to butt type circles in that direction.

[cd_horton]

Dont lope circles, lope long straight lines for 60 days or so, when you do turn, drop down to a trot, push the hip up under for 4 or 5 strides and make a 90 degree turn...if you do lope a few circles counter canter for balance.

[E90Style]

Originally Posted by Blistering Winds

No not today. Rode by myself. Might be going back later, I'll try to get some video maybe.

He will stay on the 60+ ft round pen at a lope without an issue. I tried sitting hard to the left to keep from leaning too much to be sure it wasn't my body causing it.....could not fix it worth a darn......(and he use to be very flexable. Literally lope him left, put his nose on his right hip, and he'll STILL keep that lead type.....)

But he's just getting back up.....so I'm not in too much of a hurry. Maybe it will fix as he starts rebuilding???

But I doubt it.


Basically, I want to do REINING size circles, and he wants to do nose to butt type circles in that direction.

A video would be even better. If you could upload to youtube and then post it would be fabulous (I have a MacBook ) Be careful riding by yourself.

[Karen Horse]

Originally Posted by Blistering Winds

Ears perked forward, and we STRETCHED for home across the pasture! Never had to engage a single leg. I brought my hand down, he slowed down, back up the neck, sped up. Autodrive baby!!!!!!

I love that!!!!
Ive only run KC twice with was just around this huge arena racing someone.... he loved it.... scared the heck out of me, haha. All i have to do is let the other person start just a tad bit sooner and kiss at him and he jumps into a run.... right past them!!!!!!!!

[Blistering Winds]

Straight aways is a whole different subject. LOL

But we are working on them too. We can go ok on the left, but again, on the right, he wants to turn sharp and hard. Getting him to go straight in the right lead is like me trying to turn my van from the OUTSIDE by pushing it.

If I face him home, we can run straight all day long.......however, if I remember right, he's on the left lead on the all out haul butt runs.

Not the right......

Thank you....we'll keep working on the straights, especially on that side.....

[AQHA Hunter]

I'd work on spiral in/spiral out both directions at the trot. Concentrate on obtaining a bend that matches the size of circle you're on, and keeping him between your hands and legs. Also do small serpentines, figure 8's and so on, to get him bending both directions and obedient to the leg aids. I don't remember what you're riding in right now, but I'd do all of this in a snaffle bit. If he tries to fall in and make a smaller circle than you want, make sure you are supporting with outside rein and inside leg at the girth. Bump him off your leg with a quick pop with the heel if you need to. Make sure you have the obedience at the walk and trot - i.e. ACCURATE steering - before asking for it at the canter. If he falls in through your inside leg at the canter, break it back down to the trot to re-establish the correct bend and rhythm and try again.

[Blistering Winds]

Trotting is nothing. We got that down.....

We went back out, to let the kids ride a bit, and I took him out to warm him up. We ended up running about 3/4 of a mile at a full "awesome" diagonal. Too bad I didn't ask for it. But when he struck out straight, I reasked for the diagonal lope, and after that, we got better......And I mean awesome. Body was straight at the far off fence, yet both front and back were crossing over "properly" from what I could feel. Dodo....he better do it when I DO want it.....LOL

Walking and trotting he picked back up pretty quick on both leg cues and keeping the circles. Pattern work is his favorite.

I threw cones out and did some weaving work.

But after the nice diagonal lope across the field....he started straightening back out, turning and bending the way I wanted.

Though we still had to shut down a few times. he still spur stops, that is for sure. OUUUUUCCCCHHHHH. I bruised myself down there mountain biking on Monday. After working in the far back of the pasture away from everyone (trying to get his mind on me and not what Sage was doing)...I turned him loose. FFFLLLEEEEWWWW across the field....and I got off balanced, oopsed by fixing myself with my legs....yeah.....that wasn't a good Idea.



BBBRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAKKKKKKKKKKK KKKKKKKKKK

Course, he would have to stop ON HIS FOREHAND. Grrrrrr.

So here I am, stopped dead, almost flew over his head, slammed into the cantle....OUCH ....right on my already bruised area....>DOUBLE OUCH.

But hey, he still stops the way I ended up teaching him.


I put the girls on and they worked a lot more pattern work at the trot. (katie worked on letting go of the horn while trotting....allie worked on STEERING at a trot.....she usually just sits there)

So EVERYONE got worked, kids and horse....


But by the time we were all done, he was listening beautifully to them, instead of going where he wanted like usual. ....Sage is still a different story. LOL

But he's picking a lot of things back up fast. Leg cues, steering, transition, arm and seat cues.......and still the good horse for the kids...

It is hard to be patient. to reteach and go back over with a horse that already knows most of this stuff.....but it does make things easier because he DOES know it....I just have to reconnect everything again.....

[Blistering Winds]

Originally Posted by AQHA Hunter

I'd work on spiral in/spiral out both directions at the trot. Concentrate on obtaining a bend that matches the size of circle you're on, and keeping him between your hands and legs. Also do small serpentines, figure 8's and so on, to get him bending both directions and obedient to the leg aids.

Will continue to work on this. I need to put cones out in the field, to 'map' an arena area. Does make it harder for myself to also keep in tune to the area.....but we have been trying to follow the tractor 'tracks' from when they baled the hay.....

I don't remember what you're riding in right now, but I'd do all of this in a snaffle bit.

I am riding him in a snaffle bit side pull. I can't get my other bridle to unlock so I can put the O ring that I have for a "normal" bridle. But it works just like a normal snaffle, just has a nose piece that on him, I don't even think it engages. Not with him.

Though here is the best I can describe it. We lope right, I have my right heel up on the girth (no spurs on tonight).....Cause if I leave the leg where it normally is, he bends AROUND it hard and fast. My other leg stays off of him totally. I have my left hand engaging the bit to keep his nose straight, my right hand doing nothing literally, and we can keep a nice circle. (*** backwards completely)

On the diagonal......we just ran. No engagement in my legs, I just let him do what he wanted, except kept him slow and in the direction I wanted to go in. My hands kept bumping here and there to redirect him, cause if I added leg, he'd speed up and/or turn.

Yeah, he roll backs hard too.....Runnign away from the gate, I tried to adjust him with my leg, FFFLLIPPPPP, we are going the other way before I even knew what just happened. LOL

He needs a LOT of work at the lope.....we can trot and do what I ask all day it seems. Circles, transitions, speed up, slow down, go left, go right....ride without any bit engagement for the most part.....and go all day probably.

If he tries to fall in and make a smaller circle than you want, make sure you are supporting with outside rein and inside leg at the girth. Bump him off your leg with a quick pop with the heel if you need to. Make sure you have the obedience at the walk and trot - i.e. ACCURATE steering - before asking for it at the canter. If he falls in through your inside leg at the canter, break it back down to the trot to re-establish the correct bend and rhythm and try again.

We'll work some more stuff at the trot this weekend......and some loping. I'm adding loping mostly because he is going stir crazy if we don't. He wants to run, and once he is warmed up, we are having some "arguments" if not. bad excuse....but once he gets the lope out of his system....we have a more focused session. I start out with walking and trotting work first...then add a few minutes of loping. Then back to trotting, then we lope and lope and lope. Kind of give and take, do what I want, then we will do what you want. And at the final end, we fly back home, cause that is what he REALLY wants to do. is just haul out and RUUUUNNN .......

then the kids cool him down with their work. LOL