HORSE AND RIDER
FINDING THEIR FRAME
TEXT: CHRISTIE WOLHUTER
WHY IT’S WORTH THE WAIT
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here has been a fixation with horses being ‘on the bit’ that has permeated horse training for decades. Sadly this ‘demand’ is now seemingly reflected in a lot of young horse training. Here we discuss how just fixating on your young horse’s head position is not helpful and may even be harmful to their future development.
THE REASONS FOR THE MYTH It is often presumed that if your young horse is ‘on the vertical’ or ‘on the bit’, they must be working correctly and using their backs. And yet, biomechanics shows that for some horses, this could not be further from the truth.
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THE ISSUE When young horses freely move about their paddock or in a loose movement display, many look coordinated and rhythmic. They may even display beautiful neck and poll flexion and stride extension when showing off. However, this display of collection will likely be brief, and they will quickly resort back to carrying most of their weight on the forehand, as is typical for all horses. Over their initial years, young horses develop their own balance and way of going to allow them to move about easily in their surroundings. Now, when we suddenly throw a rider into the equation, things become difficult for the horse, as HQ|156B
