heavy on the front end

Question
Hi Denise, i asked you a question about my Haffie a few months ago. He was extremely shocked when I was only on him for a few minutes. He was so shocked that he refused to come out of the arena. He just stood there for 15 minutes before he would move. I had to un-tack him right in the arena before he knew it was for real. Ever since then he's been getting different riding times and different "jobs". One day it was trimming trees, the next it was dragging branches, another jumping logs. He has gotten a lot better on his front end. I've been doing a lot of ground work with yeilding the hindquarters and forequarters, and backing on the ground in circles, squares and triangles. The problem that I am having now is that when Im on the ground having him pivot, after a few pivots, his front end "sticks" and his back end moves for him. Undersaddle, i back him a lot now but that only seems to work for 10 minutes or so before he gets heavy again. He is getting heavy again while loping, turnarounds, rollbacks and stops. People are joking that he was built backwards. Is there a way that I can shut down his hind end and open up his front? Ive tried everything I know adn nothing seems to be working.
I've also have started doing flying lead changes with him but he only does so many before he drops to his front end.
Thank You for your time and God bless.

Answer
Hi Ashley!

I'm so excited to hear about your and your Haffie!  Great changes!  Keep things changing for him.  This is one smart horse and needs these real jobs to keep him alive!

Your horse is not built backwards.  Good grief!  A horse carries 70% of their weight on their front end.  They have a neck and a head dangling out over the whole front, so keeping them light can be a challenge.  

The key to your sticky pivots is that you are doing too much.  You say that after a few pivots his front end sticks...your horse is saying " My best is never good enough for her, I guess I'll just quit trying!"  You are riding your horse INTO dullness and INTO a brace by continuing to ask for the same movement over and over.  I'm going to tell you the same thing Ray Hunt told me, "stop training on your horse!"  I was my hunter mare with Ray and I was getting frustrated with her.  She would back with softness and carry a soft feel and then would just get stiffer and duller the more we rode.  I told Ray that for the better part of the ride it was like having silk and cream and then watching it turn to concrete.  His answer to me was blunt and simple "Quit."  I was riding my mare into dullness.  It seemed to her she could never get it right, there was no release of the pressure and for her that was causing her to lose all the softness and building some real resentment.  So, I'm saying the same thing to you, quit.  Stop training on your horse!  With this Haffie, I would try not to ever work on one movement, ever.  I would mix up fast and slow and do lots of work on a long rein.  If I were trying to clean up a pivot on the haunches, I may only to one or two and then move on to something else.  You are really going to have to have a big game plan when working with this horse.  Toss in a pivot or two every once in a while and then get to doing other things.  Don't do so much that you are causing the brace.  If you had him soft once and he is getting heavy again, it is doing too much and not rewarding the softness and the "try" in this guy.  

There is another exercise I'll try and explain...I wish I could just show you, but I'll do my best to use words.  This is a new exercise I just learned from Ricky Quinn, new to me that is...You will try and get your horse to beat you in the turn around...on the ground as you are doing hindquarters when you open up for the front to come through you create a "hole" toward the new direction, you want to try and beat your horse (or have your horse beat you) to the hole, as you open up you will run to the open direction and really drive your horse to get there as well.  You will use the energy in your body and maybe even the tail end of your lead to bring up the energy so that your horse has to really rock back over his hocks and really reach for the new direction.  This is a good one to be very accurate with.  ONLY with you Ashley, you only get to do this no more than three times in a row and no more!  Next I want you working on some slow and accurate stuff.  For example, use the inside hind as the pivot foot and then use the Outside hind and back around the pivot.  Then get an old car tire and practice putting each foot in the tire one at a time.  Now, have your Haffie rest each toe on the tire.  limit your time at each of these to no more than 5 minutes.  I also want you on the ground several/many times during the course of your rides.  Don't spend your whole ride in the saddle.  Periodically get off and do some something from the ground, then get back on and do something mounted, then back off again.  I'm getting the feeling you may be a bit of a drill sargent with your horse and he is too smart for it!  You sound like quite the pair!  

What is the quality of your backing like?  Is your horse reaching with his hind legs while backing or pushing and driving back with his hinds staying powerful and balanced under his body.  Is he dragging backwards and leaving 11's on the ground?  I'm thinking that he is.  If so, from the ground have him lift his whole head and neck in the backup.  Remember to keep him flexed at the poll with his nose down and in, but elevate the whole front structure.  This will keep him from dragging back and maintain the proper frame to drive back.  In the saddle do the same thing, elevate the whole front with head flexed at the poll, nose at the vertical.  Do not allow his hind feet to stretch and reach out to back up.  This is how you lose softness, balance and power.  Keep his rear end under him and drive back with a lot of push off the ground.  Again don't over do this.  Make SURE you release with every soft step.  The most common cause of dullness in the backup is due to a late release or no release.  You may have to pick up and hold to get him back to backing soft, but you had better RELEASE the SECOND his feet come free or you will be building a bigger brace.

Think, think, think about this horse.  You will really have to work to keep things fresh and to not over do anything.  Your Haffie is quite a gift to you.  Enjoy every second with him!

Keep me posted!  Smiles, Denise