Help! My horses are crooked!!

[targetsmom]

I doubt that the issue just developed, but I just noticed it when driving Ruby and ground driving Fizz today. I know that horses are one sided, and often hollow or stiff on one side, but it just seemed so obvious today. Does this get worse over the winter when not worked???? Both want to bend (or are hollow) to the left. How much of a role does the driver play in this? Anyway, for a riding horse I would be doing leg yields, serpentines, and shoulder -in but not sure what to do for a driving horse. I do have a clinic on Sunday with Jeff Morse (lucky, lucky me!!!!!), and of course I will ask him, but I would love to be just a half-step ahead of him!! I sure don't expect to have the problem solved by then.

So, please, any suggestions welcome..... Fizz is the one recovering from Lyme, but she was not anywhere near as stiff or crooked as Ruby. Ruby is the one going to the clinic.

 

[Ouburgia]

Every horse is one sided indeed, but why not do the things you would do under saddle, in front of the cart? Things as leg yield, serpentines and shoulder in are things I alway's use in daily work. In front of the cart, under saddle, at grounddriving, no matter what.

What you also could do (hot item overhere) some research on "classic or Academic riding". That's al about making the horse straight and that is also with a lot of groundwork on a "serreta" (spanisch lunging noseband) (I have absolutly no idea if that's known overseas or if it's something typical european

 

[Marsha Cassada]

You might take them to a chiropractor. They may have been doing some rough horseplay. I had very good results with a rescue I had.

The one I took had a dislocated shoulder!!! I was shown some excercises to help him. He had lots of other bad spots also, which may have been caused by the shoulder or just in addition to that.

Also check their teeth.

 

[MiLo Minis]

Every horse is one sided indeed, but why not do the things you would do under saddle, in front of the cart? Things as leg yield, serpentines and shoulder in are things I alway's use in daily work. In front of the cart, under saddle, at grounddriving, no matter what.

Okay I HAVE to ask: how do you do leg yields and shoulder-in in a cart?

To the original poster: Yes they will get stiff over the winter if you haven't kept on driving them and you need to take a step back and start them over a bit but at least now it is not from scratch and you can expect them to come along a bit quicker in achieving bend then they did in the first place. I would work on exercises such as serpentines and circles or spirals once I had reestablished relaxation, rhythym and straightness and getting them on the bit. I would also, as Marsha suggested, take a look at their teeth to be sure they don't need a float or anything else dental. How old are they? I wouldn't worry too much about a physical problem until I get them out working and see if we can work it out. If they were bending nicely last summer then they should come to bending again unless they have developed a physical problem.

 

[targetsmom]

Thanks Lori - that really helps to know they might have just gotten stiff over the winter. It certainly makes sense, but I guess I never thought about it because I always had an indoor when I was riding dressage so I rode all winter! Ruby is 6 and her teeth will be checked soon, but not before the clinic. Fizz is 11 and is recovering from Lyme, but she was not as stiff as Ruby. And it helps to know that they might make faster progress than they did the first time.

BTW, I do try shoulder-in and leg yields when ground driving, and of course serpentines, spirals, and circles in the cart.

 

[RhineStone]

Yes, the driver can actually make the horse bend improperly, especially if heavy on one hand. "Throw the horse away" to see if this is the case.

Jeff is probably going to have you work in circles at a walk. Have the horse walk around a 20m circle or less obviously with a mini. Use your outside rein to keep the horse on the outside of the circle. Use your inside rein to get the bend. Don't shift your hands front and back for the bend, but keep the outside rein taut while you work the inside rein. You might also need to use the whip on the inside to get the horse to push his barrel out.

Myrna

 

[Ouburgia]

Okay I HAVE to ask: how do you do leg yields and shoulder-in in a cart?

The same as you will do under saddle. You only replace youre leg, by your whip

Shoulder in (first time)

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_o3VBBykwM54/Su2guf8L...12/IMG_0339.JPG

Off course you can always consult a chiropractor of other kind of therapist, but most problems are easy solved with the right training

 

[MiLo Minis]

Okay I HAVE to ask: how do you do leg yields and shoulder-in in a cart?

The same as you will do under saddle. You only replace youre leg, by your whip

Shoulder in (first time)

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_o3VBBykwM54/Su2guf8L...12/IMG_0339.JPG

That is in longlines though, how do you do it in a cart? There are lots of exercises that you can do in longlines that will help with your horse's flexibility but they always take a real set back when you hitch up to a cart because of the change in balance and I just can't see effecting a shoulder-in or leg yield in a cart with rigid shafts and which is not going to follow the same track. If a horse, who is always naturally crooked, is brought along in good training he can usually be brought straight and then asked to bend to help himself but if a horse has been injured and is feeling pain, quite often asking for any kind of flexing exercises will only make things worse.

I'm with Myrna, once you establish the basics of relaxation and straightness with a horse that has been let go over the winter, lots of work on circles with your outside hand supporting your horse and keeping the track while asking for the bend with your inside hand.

Targetsmom likely just didn't really notice how crooked her horses were to start and after working with them correctly got them bending nicely. After a winter of being left to their own devices they went back to their natural crookedness and now it is more than apparent to Target'smom that they are crooked because she has been used to them bending nicely. I had a horse that I trained that was badly crooked and needed physiotherapy, I think he had a previous injury which had left him travelling badly crooked to compensate. When he left me he was just beginning to effect a nice bend. He went home to breed ring driving with his inexperienced owner/driver. I had an opportunity to drive this horse a couple years later and when I put him on a circle and "gave" with my outside rein the poor guy fell in so badly he almost went down. His owner is now getting him chiro help and things are improving.

 

[hobbyhorse23]

Man, leave the forum for a day and you become obsolete!

You've gotten some great answers and I agree with all of them.

I doubt that the issue just developed, but I just noticed it when driving Ruby and ground driving Fizz today. I know that horses are one sided, and often hollow or stiff on one side, but it just seemed so obvious today. Does this get worse over the winter when not worked???? Both want to bend (or are hollow) to the left. How much of a role does the driver play in this? Anyway, for a riding horse I would be doing leg yields, serpentines, and shoulder -in but not sure what to do for a driving horse. I do have a clinic on Sunday with Jeff Morse (lucky, lucky me!!!!!), and of course I will ask him, but I would love to be just a half-step ahead of him!! I sure don't expect to have the problem solved by then.

Yes, they are naturally one-sided. Yes, it gets worse over the winter just as we lose our own flexibility if we stop doing exercises. The driver plays a very large role in this, especially if every horse a person has drives hollow to the same side. I know every horse I drive has a tendency to hold their heads cocked to the left when tracking right and amazingly, when I throw away the reins they suddenly go straight! Hmm, wonder whose fault that is....

I would do the exact same things for a driven horse as I would for a ridden one- you just have to do it in long-lines and with only a whip to help you.

Chiropractors are good, dentists are good, checking your equipment is good. I do all those things yearly or anytime there seems to be a particular problem but in your case this is far more likely to be a simple case of layoff backslide. Just get the girls back to work and you should see an improvement over the next few weeks! They do come along much faster the second time as now they know what they're supposed to be doing, they've just lost the strength and flexibility to do it right away.

By the way, I've done leg-yields in the cart moving from the quarterline to the arena wall but I don't think it's possible to do true shoulder-in or any sort of major lateral work while hitched just due to the restriction of the shafts. Maybe on a spiral?

Leia

 

[targetsmom]

Thank you all! I just came in from driving Ruby and I could see improvement already. It is reassuring to know that they both likely got a little stiff from the long layoff. I think I didn't notice it sooner because it seems every time I go to drive this spring one of my neighbors starts a chain saw, a leaf blower, or drives by on an ATV!! Those things kept my attention until yesterday. Oh, and I used a different harness and cart today trying to get her ready for that clinic Sunday. That might have helped too.

I am sure that part of the problem is me, and having scoliosis doesn't help.

 

[RhineStone]

Jeff should be a great help to you. He is all about bending. Have fun!