Collecting

My saddlebred is very high energy (go figure) and has no problem working himself quickly into a sweat. He tends to ride with his head straight up and rarely collects. He doesn't fight but he just wants to go go go...

I have been riding with a standing martingale...

Advice?

Try to get him working through his back. Do lots of 20m circles spiralling down to a 10-m, then back out. There are a ton of threads here about collection, a very recent one by Sonny... you might want to check those out as well, there are some very good replies.

yes look at those posts of mine about collection. It really helped me.

I perfer not to use a martingale or any other type of harsh equiptment to keep the horse collected. It doesn't teach them to keep their head down all the time....just only when they have the device on. And even you said that the device isn't working.

My boy, Sonny, had a horrible time with collection at first.But it's just being persistant. If he gave a fight, I'd keep bugging him about it until he collected himself, then I'd leave him alone.

What type of bit are you using?

The way I was taught, was to "milk" the rein....pulling one rein then the other at a constant speed. That has worked with every horse I've ridden to get collected. Once they put their head down, I stop..as a reward for doing it, but the minute they put their head up I do it again. Try that with your boy it might work

Edit: Also, for the first few times, keep your hands fairly low, and the reins apart a bit more. That worked for Sonny for the first few days we started working on collection and after a while I didn't need to do it

What type of bit are you using?

The way I was taught, was to "milk" the rein....pulling one rein then the other at a constant speed. That has worked with every horse I've ridden to get collected. Once they put their head down, I stop..as a reward for doing it, but the minute they put their head up I do it again. Try that with your boy it might work

Edit: Also, for the first few times, keep your hands fairly low, and the reins apart a bit more. That worked for Sonny for the first few days we started working on collection and after a while I didn't need to do it[/quote]

Sonny, I use a 5" full cheek snaffle with english...spirit tends to attempt at swallowing his bit until he can start eating his reins..haha

And I use a weaver curb bit with western.

I was thinking of changing his english to a diferent bit....

I'm using an Eggbutt snaffle and it seems to do wonders. I used to work with the barn owners lesson horses, breaking their bad habits and trying to get them to listen. One mare has a twisted bit, but each time I used it she'd give me a hard time. I switched to a snaffle and she responded better.

I'd say stick with the snaffle. IMO it's one of the best english bits.

Make sure the bit isn't too loose in his mouth. Put the bit in his mouth, and check right where the bit goes. There should be 1-1.5 folds on the horses mouth. That means the bit is perfect. Anymore than that (2 folds is okay) then it's way too tight, and any less and it's too loose. A bit in the perfect place will help alot with collection.

Also make sure the bit isn't too small or too big. You should be able to fit 1 finger on each side of the bit without putting too much pressure on the sides of the horses mouth (at least that's the way I was taught..I'm sure there's other ways of telling for sure).

Make sure the saddle fits properly. A poorly fitted saddle will cause the horse discomfort when he is collected, making him raise his head up to escape the collection and the discomfort.

Do you have a trainer you can use to help you with collection? I found that a trainer did lots of good when it came to help me collect Sonny. Or use someone who knows how to collect a horse. You ride your horse and have the person tell you what to do, and what you are doing wrong

I can use the trainer at my volunteering barn she a well known dressage rider...she would definitely know how to help

Thanks