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Posted on Friday, Sep 3, 1999 - 1:11 pm:

I have a riding problem. I ride a horse who pulls on the reins and is heavy on the front end. When I try to stop him he ends up pulling me forward out of the saddle. My trainer is frustrated with me and says I am not keeping my heels down enough. However, I really feel that my heals are down and I am leaning back and trying hard not to come out of the saddle. Any suggestions on exercises or position changes? Thanks, Liz

Posted on Friday, Sep 3, 1999 - 2:37 pm:

Liz,

Actually, it isn't your heels, but your seat that needs work from what you describe. Try sitting up straighter, opening your front line, look at the top of the fence instead of your horse's head and keep your elbows at your waist. Ask your horse for a down transition through your seat - the second he pulls on your hands, close your fingers, keep your elbows at your side and urge him forward. Don't let him transition down unless he does it without pulling/diving on you.

It is important to develop an independent seat - meaning your seat doesn't affect your hands and your hands don't affect your seat ... one way if doing this is through lunge work. Lunging allows you to focus on your correct position, while not having to work on steering, etc. Perhaps several lunge lessons would be beneficial.

Some people put a pommel strap on the saddle. Then, on a down transition, you can hook a thumb on it and prevent the horse from pulling you forward.

This isn't easy to fix. But, with focus on correct seat position, nicely draped legs and improving the action of the seat, it can improve.

"Heels down" isn't enough. If your heels are coming up and the stirrups are not too long, the problem is orginating in the seat - often called a "chair seat." Concetrate on sitting on your seat bone, not gripping with your thigh and trying to keep your thigh, long and pushed back - all this opens the joint at your leg/pelvis.

Other images for an active seat are to imagine swinging and trying to go higher, sitting on a picnic table bench (not astride) and rocking the bench forward and backward with your pelvis ...

If it is any consolation, the folks at the Spanish Riding School spend a loooong time on the lunge developing seat (months to years!).

Good luck.

Posted on Tuesday, Sep 7, 1999 - 3:52 pm:

Hey Liz,
I have had a similar problem to you in that my guy decided to pull on the bit and I felt that generally I had to hold him up on the front end. I pulled so he pulled, so I pulled etc. He was hard work. My trainer and I worked a lot with transition changes (eg walk a couple paces, trot a few, walk a couple etc and canter/trot transitions as well) which lightens the front and this stopped him from bearing down on the bit. If done correctly, he should feel lighter at the front within a few transitions. Also if there is too much contact on the rein they will pull and certainly that is what I was experiencing. Lots of practice with a light contact with the horses mouth really went a long way to solve this problem.

I agree with Chris in that a good independant seat from your hands will go a long way to helping solve the pulling.

Carol

Posted on Wednesday, Sep 8, 1999 - 5:20 pm:

One last after thought, also offer the rein to your horse. The idea is take contact with one rein (keep the other rein loose) which may be a little dramatic (not abrupt) while continuing to ask the horse to step forward with energy, then give dramatically back (again not quick, just noticeably), like a one handed crest release. Then repeat several times at a walk and trot in both directions. You may find this helps the horse to unlock his throatlatch and then you can then riding in a more conventional manner, occasionally offering a rein to the horse.

This technique is often used at the beginning of the ride if the horse is locked in his jowl and heavy in your hands. The trick is to not make it a habit while riding, but a way of teaching the horse to carry his own head in relation to whatever rein length you choose.

You can see many of the European "greats" in the Aachen warmup tapes doing this. It has been called suppling.

It is a nice technique to offer the inside rein to the horse every so often as you ride. Kimke calls it "make the horse an offer."

Posted on Monday, Sep 4, 2000 - 12:17 am:

What you are talking about is "opposition reflex' which is a natural defensive reaction that causes a horse to oppose pressure. It is not disobedience - it is a right-brained instinctual, natural reaction for the horse which is a prey animal. I have started using the Parelli Natural Horsemanship methods with my horse (the reins used to hurt my hands from having to pull so hard) and the difference is amazing. It has helped me understand why horses respond the way they do. Your horse will learn to respond to the slightest bit of pressure. He will get so light you won't believe he is the same horse. I teaches you to be in harmony with your horse - to have that independent seat, balance, timing .... you and your horse will be one. It is a great method of training you and your horse!

Posted on Monday, Sep 4, 2000 - 7:47 am:

Liz,
I agree completely with the above. Here's a little more specific advice on how to get there if it helps... I had the same problem and 'heels down' as an instruction just didn't work for me at all.

Try asking your trainer to work with your leg position (not your heels - your leg). Is your leg on correctly? Spend a lesson or however many it takes on leg position alone. Ask your trainer to physically reposition your leg each time around the arena if necessary until you get it. Pay particular attention to how and where you position your leg (what parts) on the horse (what parts) and what muscles/leg position you use to 'put your leg on'.

You will know you are on the right track when expressions like 'horse in front of your leg' and 'sit into the horse' suddenly are things you can actually feel!

When I went through this, I found that to get my leg right, I ended up indirectly doing all the things Chris and Carol suggested (right down to putting on a bucking strap to help stabilize my hands). I also started doing stretching exercises (1/2 hour) before riding, focussing on my lower back, hips and upper legs.

Good luck!
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