Stopping overbending.

[hazeysunshine]

My lad has recently started overbending to evade working correctly. I can drop the curb completely and he still carries on.
I've had a look and it seems to help by riding them into the contact but I've just got his rhythm nice and forward going, conscious if I ride him on he will then rush.....?

He's a fell pony by the way, he does it in his double and also in his wilkie not as much in the wilkie though. I'm going to start schooling in the wilkie and see if that helps with no curb.

If anyone else has any help?? This has just started in the last two weeks so haven't seen my instructor yet to speak with her.

[sarahp]

Try an ordinary snaffle rather than a wilki with poll pressure.

[catkin]

Yes, I agree with SarahP. I would go for a French link, or similar and try to ride the pony forward into a very light contact. Raise your hands, sit deep and work the pony from behind forwards and up. Sometimes they also overbend as a way of balancing themselves at some stages of schooling, but that's all the more reason to try to help them by working from behind. Get the pony working in front of your leg and reacting to your leg, so a bit of sideways should help too. Also, I would knock the schooling on the head and hack out for a while. If the pony is inclined to overbend, the wilkie (and I am not as anti as some!) will not help you. Good luck.

[hazeysunshine]

I hack out minimum twice a week to keep it varied for him.
Can't put him in a hanging cheek because he just leans on the bit with it being fixed little monkey.
I'll try him in loose ring snaffle, he was much better in my lesson today just have to ride upwards like you say.

Thanks for replying

[hazeysunshine]

Oh and by Wilkie I mean beval bit so the loops are in the ring instead of on top, slightly less gag type action.

[fanfarefan]

i agree with trying the French link snaffle ,,,, also out hacking do some leg yeilding , slightly exagerate the height of your hands , and when he responds lower your hands again and give him the reins ,,,, also when your in the school try ,,, if you can ,,, riding without a contact , take and give ,, and with a gentle contact when you take lift your hands slightly ,,, again when he responds , give back to him

[mollypoppy4]

My mare tends to overbend and coils right back up into your hands. I find lifting my hands to correct her, then pushing her up into the correct outline really helps! Super simple but really helps, especially when she's wanting to plant her nose between her front legs!

[sageandonionagain]

Wilkie will definitely cause your horse to overbend. A bevel is a wilkie and they both have significant gag action. It is impossible to ride your horse into a correct contact in a wilkie. A curb also encourages overbending. Use a simple snaffle with the correct contact under guidance from the ground. If you have a correct seat and contact you will not drive your horse out of rhythm.

Forget thinking your horse is "evading" this puts the blame on him.  The fault is the way that particular horse is bitted/ridden or it can be a physical discomfort, mouth, back, anything.  So the responsibility (rather than blame) lies with the rider to seek out the cause and correct it for the horse.  Actually the correction of overbending is never "super simple" and it is impossible to push half a tonne of horse into a correct outline.

Lifting the hands in a wilkie with a horse that has become afraid of the bit (I prefer this term to evading) will produce a super roll kur.

oops quickly editing in case you do not know about roll kur, it is awful and the last thing you want.

[norwalk]

Agree advice given! Also might be worth thinking down the Waterford mouthpiece line if the other options don't work? (They don't have anything to lean against as it's totally mobile within the mouth, but depends how much space is in there also, sometimes a slimmer bit can work if they have a typical native fleshy tongue... But give it time and schooling/hacking out. We've had some that have taken months to settle back into a bit (and then kept same mouthpiece from snaffle/Pelham or double, others have needed bits alternating every couple of weeks...

[CarolineNelson]

The Fell pony seems to prefer going in an over exaggerated 'rounded' outline, irrespective of whatever is in its mouth.
Left to its own devices, it will comfortably travel in the manner of a 'wheelbarrow' (ie: tipped up on its forehand).

Some of this stems from travelling in a low, overly rounded outline to avoid the adverse weather from blowing in its face.

So, fitness (serious fitness) first. Elevation will follow. Patience and not crossness is key for success with this dutiful Breed.

Do remember that the Fell pony was not placed upon this earth to enter show or dressage rings, but to WORK. . . . To routinely carry the shepherd/farmer (and any stray/ sick lambs), pull the his family's 'cart' to collect (or deliver) the milk and farm feedstuffs, to take the wifey and children shopping, to school, to church etc.

We in our wisdom have chosen a very different lifestyle for the Breed - and in a very brief period of evolution.

[mandmgirl0164]

Make sure that the contact you offer your pony is an acceptable one to him - overbending/hiding behind the contact can be a sign that the hands are too fixed/backward thinking/hanging on to the front end.....It's sometimes necessary to 'dare' them to use their neck better and stretch it out of the shoulder by the rider exaggerating the allowing from their elbows/hands with an elastic contact.

[hazeysunshine]

Just an update...... I stopped using a pessoa and he stopped overbending within a couple of weeks. He's been shown in his double all season and has gone so much better. Think it was a combination of pessoa, first show of the season nerves of my part and first show of the season giddiness on his part