Teaching my horse the headset.

Question
I am fourteen years old and have been riding since I was four. In November of 2005 I started leasing a horse that is 11 years old. I take a lesson on him once a week but ride a lot more during the week. I ride only hunter jumper on him, but my instructor likes to add some very basic dressage to each lesson to teach him how to get collected. When I started riding him he was very overweight because his owner had not ridden him in almost a year. When she did ride him, she was very successful in jumping him, but she concentrated on how high he was jumping and not his headset and how rounded he was. Therefore, he never truly learned how to get collected. He knows a little about it, but he definately needs to get finished. I know he is not behind my leg, and I know his neck is definately the problem. My instructor has often said his neck is tight and he needs to loosen up. It might be the saddle, which I have a saddle fitter coming out to look at. But I know the saddle isn't just the problem because I ride him bareback often and he still will not give me the headset. My question for you is do you know any stretches that I could do before, or during the ride, or any exercises that would help him learn how to get collected and so it is comfortable for him. I would also like to know is there a certian type of bridle or bit that would help teach him what to do. Thank you so much!  

Answer
Dear Mary,

 Thank you for your question.  Sorry it has taken me so long to respond but I was in a car wreck the other day so I've been a little under the weather but I'm glad to have your question as it will help keep me busy while I'm not able to be at the barn.  = )

 It is very nice to see someone your age who has such an understanding of collection and that a headset is something that takes a long time to develop and isn't something a horse can be forced into.  It's really wonderful that you can tell the difference between a headset and collection.  Many people twice your age can't tell the difference hehe...

Anyhow...There are some simple stretching exercises that I like to do with my horses that helps them to relax and also for me to get better control of their forehand.  First I like to ask the horse to turn his head to the left for a count of five to ten seconds.  I usually achieve this with my shoulder somewhat facing the horses neck and ask him to bend his head around me.  I do the same exercise to the right for the same amount of time.  It may take a few tries for the horse to get used to streching his head in this way without moving his front feet.  That is a common response so don't get discouraged if your horse doesn't 'give' to the pressure right away.

The next exercise I like to do is to place one hand lightly on the horses poll and the other on the bridge of his nose and by placing a light pressure on his poll and nose (and i emphasize LIGHT) keep steady contact until he drops his head even just the tiniest bit.  Once that is achieved release the pressure immediately.  These exercises can be repeated when you are in the saddle but instead of asking the horse to drop his head you would apply just a light steady pressure to the bit with your hands a little bit lower than normal and ask him to give his head and bring his head closer to his chest.  

Once this is accomplished (usually after two or three times the horse gets the hang of it) then you can start doing some exercises under saddle such as keeping a light steady pressure on the bit and 'riding the horse forward' into the bit with a little more pressure from your seat (kind of a driving motion) and a bit more pressure from your legs...The horse will start to collect and move into the bit but doing this for more than a few minutes at a time will be hard for him at first because he hasn't developed the muscles to do so yet.  

Keep working at it and his muscle tone and collection will improve.  Also driving him into the bit and keeping a light contact may encourage him to stretch his neck out and lower his head (something Anne Kursinski refers to in her book as 'long and low' exercise).  This is the horse seeking out contact with the bit and stretching.  

I'm not a big advocate of using aids for training but occasionally draw reins or a simple martingale (the Y shaped ones you commonly see in western riding where a piece attaches to or around the girth and then two seperate lines come up and attach to the reins) might be somewhat beneficial.  

Doing exercises such as asking your horse to keep his head bent to the inside or outside while trotting around the arena are also helpful.  

As far as bits or bridles I try not to use them to encourage headset too much.  Usually a regular eggbutt or o-ring snaffle works just fine.   = )

Hope some of this helps!

Thanks!

*Nicole @ Dark Horse Farm