This is gonna be long, short version: My lease horse has always been more supple to the right than the left, but in the last week or two he braces his neck when we circle/turn left, sticking his nose to the right. My trainer and his owner are on holidays, so I have noone to ask for insight on the ground until the end of this week. He's fine to the right and doesnt seem in any pain, it's more like he's stiff.
Long version below:
I've been riding my lease horse for about 6 months now, and while he's always been more supple and flexible to the right, the past two weeks he's been like a plank when trying to get him bending to the left at a trot.
At a walk and canter he bends ok, though not as supple as to the right. I've tried adjusting my seat (thinking maybe I'm sitting crooked), tried more contact, less contact, even tried bending him on a circle with just my legs. While he does follow the circle ok, he keeps his neck straight and stiff. If I use my inside rein to ask him to bring his nose in, he braces and sticks his nose to the opposite side, causing a bulge about 3/4 up his neck of bunched up muscle in resistance.
Before these 2 weeks he had a week off, and now I've been riding him in a single-joint leverage bit (not very severe, like this one: http://mlm-s1-p.mlstatic.com/500015-MLM25099306830_102016-Y.jpg It has a chain under his chin, which we're not tightening, its on the loosest ring, we tighten is sometimes when I have a jumping lesson and he's particularly fresh.
I have light hands, and will NOT pull on his face in this bit, I don't think it's only the bit, as to the right he bends great. I'm just mentioning it as I thought of trying to work on bend in his snaffle bit, since as far as I understand that has a better lateral action, but his owner took it home with her other horse as they went on holidays for the month (they have 2 bridles, a snaffle and the leverage bit one, and two horses, we use both on both horses).
I have tried walking him on a circle with a correct bend through his body, and then going up to a trot. He will remain bent for 3-4 steps before he starts bracing to the opposite side. I thought it might be back pain but he doesnt seem to be uncomfortable anywhere when I touched him (with some pressure) all over his spine/neck and where the saddle sits.
Nothing has changed, same saddle, same rider (me).
I've tried doing lots of big circles without asking for bend, just taking what he gives me in an attempt to loosen him up. We've done figure 8's and serpentines. I even tried trotting him on the buckle to see if it was due to me subconsciously pulling on the inside rein. He did stretch and bend a little better then, but not anything near how he goes to the right.
As he is a (half-)lease, I am not in charge of his vetcare etc, especially since I'm inexperienced, but I can bring it up with my trainer and his owner if necessary. They are both on holidays for now though, I think my trainer will come back by the end of this week, his owner wont be back till february, but I can reach her if its important. I don't know if its a pain issue or if he's just stiff to that side and we could try and fix it with some exercises.
Any insight/tips and possibly exercises we can try to supple him up are much appreciated. Ideas on what I might be doing wrong (sitting crooked, leaning to the inside etc) are also welcome, I just want to figure out if it's something we can fix with some focused work or if we need to have the vet out.
Long version below:
I've been riding my lease horse for about 6 months now, and while he's always been more supple and flexible to the right, the past two weeks he's been like a plank when trying to get him bending to the left at a trot.
At a walk and canter he bends ok, though not as supple as to the right. I've tried adjusting my seat (thinking maybe I'm sitting crooked), tried more contact, less contact, even tried bending him on a circle with just my legs. While he does follow the circle ok, he keeps his neck straight and stiff. If I use my inside rein to ask him to bring his nose in, he braces and sticks his nose to the opposite side, causing a bulge about 3/4 up his neck of bunched up muscle in resistance.
Before these 2 weeks he had a week off, and now I've been riding him in a single-joint leverage bit (not very severe, like this one: http://mlm-s1-p.mlstatic.com/500015-MLM25099306830_102016-Y.jpg It has a chain under his chin, which we're not tightening, its on the loosest ring, we tighten is sometimes when I have a jumping lesson and he's particularly fresh.
I have light hands, and will NOT pull on his face in this bit, I don't think it's only the bit, as to the right he bends great. I'm just mentioning it as I thought of trying to work on bend in his snaffle bit, since as far as I understand that has a better lateral action, but his owner took it home with her other horse as they went on holidays for the month (they have 2 bridles, a snaffle and the leverage bit one, and two horses, we use both on both horses).
I have tried walking him on a circle with a correct bend through his body, and then going up to a trot. He will remain bent for 3-4 steps before he starts bracing to the opposite side. I thought it might be back pain but he doesnt seem to be uncomfortable anywhere when I touched him (with some pressure) all over his spine/neck and where the saddle sits.
Nothing has changed, same saddle, same rider (me).
I've tried doing lots of big circles without asking for bend, just taking what he gives me in an attempt to loosen him up. We've done figure 8's and serpentines. I even tried trotting him on the buckle to see if it was due to me subconsciously pulling on the inside rein. He did stretch and bend a little better then, but not anything near how he goes to the right.
As he is a (half-)lease, I am not in charge of his vetcare etc, especially since I'm inexperienced, but I can bring it up with my trainer and his owner if necessary. They are both on holidays for now though, I think my trainer will come back by the end of this week, his owner wont be back till february, but I can reach her if its important. I don't know if its a pain issue or if he's just stiff to that side and we could try and fix it with some exercises.
Any insight/tips and possibly exercises we can try to supple him up are much appreciated. Ideas on what I might be doing wrong (sitting crooked, leaning to the inside etc) are also welcome, I just want to figure out if it's something we can fix with some focused work or if we need to have the vet out.