why does everything have to be a battle

[maisie23]

Been riding the said horse for 9 months now and still everything we do has to be a battle
She is just difficult and although improvement havebbeen made she still runs off with you both in the trot and canter when ever she wants to, refuses to stop, refuses to bend, shoves head up but none of them are consistant , teeth back and saddle all checked
rwe have had lessons with various instructors , lots of schooling exercises yes do make her slightly easier but as soon as you go large she is off again, I have considered changing bit as she is very strong and there is literally nothing you can do apart from gob her but for one i am not prepared to do that and 2 she wouldnt listen anyways, she is in a hanging cheek snaffle
I want to start some jumping but am not prepared to do this until the ground work is sorted as she gets very excitable and strong
Could it be a hormonal thing ?
She gets sweaty very quick during exercise as she thinks everything has to be done at 100 miles an hour and after 9 months youbwould have thought she would be starting to compromise
She is schooled 3 times a week, lunged twice and hacked once
Any advice on experiances, bits and hormones etc greatly appriciated as i am starting to become bored of the constant battle when some of the times she goes perfectly and so i know she can do it

[casper15]

you could always try different bits - my pony is strong with a hanging cheek but you could always try something like a tom thumb or if you are wanting to stay in a snaffle there are lots of different types which are abit stronger through the mouth piece they have. You could always try the snaffle with some sort of flash and martingale to reduce the strength and stop her throwing her head up and down?

Just some experimenting should work!

[maisie23]

She has a martingale on and I've tried a flash but I found she became more tense in her mouth

[casper15]

maybe try a different bit that is a bit stronger but isnt going to be too strong for her mouth or maybe a bit that has something for her to play with while she is being ridden so then she concentrates on that rather than running off and messing around?

[lulah]

Are you sure its not you tensing and causing her to rush? Maybe you have got into a habit of worrying and expecting her to do it so you tense?

Also it sounds strange but you still need to use lots of leg to engage the hind legs and slow her down. Another easy habit to get into is to refrain from using leg aids as the horse is fast or strong . So just reins are used which will make the horse pull and evade the contact even more.

Not atall critising your riding as of course I have never seen you , but we all have our own bad habits.

Maybe you could also try hacking more and more polework?

Good luck

[catkin]

How old is the horse? I would forget the schooling and get her hacking happily in company, on her own, just enjoying that first. Then, once that's sorted go back to the school, for short sharp bursts. As soon as she goes well, put her away. Even if its after just 10 mins.

[Guestless]

This is probably stating the obvious, but have you had teeth, back and tack checked? I've got a mare who had problem wolf teeth and she took the best part of a year to appreciate they had been extracted - they have longer memories than we appreciate ;-)

[freyasmum]

Sounds hormonal! Maybe get her something to calm the anxiousness! My mare can be similar! Supplements have helped enormously.

[maisie23]

As said above teeth back and saddle all checked
She is fine to hack alone or in company but I quite strong out there too
To be honest its the fact that she is over active behind but not in a way that carries herself
I use my leg at all times I just feel I have no brakes or control with my hands, slowing down my rising doesn't work , lots of transitions just makes her sharper and like said above schooling exercise work until you go large

[peds]

I had a mare that was a total nightmare under saddle, she had her teeth done, saddle checked, chiro, physio, acupuncture and two vet visits. Had 2 instructors who kept telling me she was a young horse and was testing me, my instincts were telling me it was more than that.

Still the behaviour persisted. I did a bute test, then sent her into the vet school. After 2 days of tests they found arthritis in the base of her neck, IMO there is always an explanation for negative behaviours in horses, it's just that it may not be immediately obvious.

[rider123]

My mare is over active behind, which I've found a good thing, it's correct movement but with to much enthusiasm which isn't such a bad thing.
At first we started by every time she started to go above the pace I wanted we brought her back to walk, but you can't forget your leg and seat because this is to establish a good half halt
When she responded to this we brought her almost back to walk when she got to fast, but kept her soft with inside flexion even on a straight side, then would ask for trot again but the whole time she didn't walk.
Then made the transition less and less and it's put a cap on her rushing/over active back legs