ottb training

Question
i have a 6 year old ottb. when we rescued him, he hadnt been ridden in a year. he had only been raced 6 times. I love this horse! he is the most loyal fun loving horse i have ever had! he loves to be ridden and loves people. he just lights up when he sees me coming with my helmet and bridle(yes, he actually likes the bit!) i ride him in a plain sweet iron snaffle with copper inlays. he loves to be ridden. he is so sweet under saddle and tries so hard to please. he is calm and eager in his work. nothing like the stereotypes ive heard of ottbs.

my problem however is that he was trained just like a race horse. 2 speeds, walk and run. absolutely no heed of leg or seat(he has come along great with that though), and a hard heavy, unresponsive mouth. I try to ride natural. doing plenty of flexing at a stop and working on one rein stops at a walk but for the life of me i cannot get him to drop his head and give in to the bit. He likes the bit and i refuse to use anything harsher than a snaffle. he flexes fine but i dont know how to ask him to give to the bit instead of matching me pound-for-pound when i ask him to give. This is not about head set for show. just so i can make him safe when i ask him to stop and so he will drop his head a little so he can see where he is going on the trails. i would like to show him but that is not and never will be a priority. Im just trying to further his education and make him safer. but i dont know how to ask him to drop to the bit. he ust seems to take it and run.

Answer
Hello Allie,
I would work with your guy on feeling differently about riding. You want to do everything differently then he would expect to show him that this new life of his is not like his old racing days. I would get on and have him stand with his bum against an arena wall. Then slowly I would pick up your reins and as soon as you feel pressure on the bit keep it steady and wait for him to think about giving to the bit, yes I said think about! The reason for that is right now it is like the feel in his mouth is dead, if you go slow and wait for as long as you need until you feel something change, anything change and then you immediately give on the pressure you are showing him that he has the power to make pressure go away. Wait for a breath or two and then pick up the reins and repeat, always going slowly. Soon he will see the pattern and start to give to you before he even feels the pressure. Work on this and when you have it going pretty well for you I will give you some other exercises to work on.
Best Wishes,
Caitlin Day Huntress