How To Get Your Horse Off The Forehand Without Over Bitting

I have a 4-year-old 17.2-3 hh Holsteiner who I am training for the jumpers. He has come along nicely, but I have hit a bit of a roadblock. He has a tendency to get very heavy on the forehand while we are jumping a small course. I don’t want to over bit him to try and give me the control to get him off the forehand. What kind of exercises could you recommend to try an help with this habit? Thank you!

I couldn’t agree more that over bitting your young horse would not be the right decision.  He is young and quite big, so incorporating flatwork during your jumping schools (where as you say “he gets heavy on his forehand”) is the answer. The choice of bits for me would be some type of classical snaffle or as I say the mildest bit suitable to your horse.

Use lots of poles on the ground and low cavaletti daily along with all your normal flatwork and you will find this will enhance your progress rather than separating the two. Incorporate lots of upward and downward transitions: canter walk transitions, lengthening and shortening the stride both in the trot and canter, trot halt, canter halt, and combining these exercises with the poles and cavaletti. All of these transitions over time will have a great effect on improving the balance of your horse, thus lightening the forehand. The real key lies in the promptness of the transitions both ways, but especially downward. Repetition of prompt but smooth downward transitions should be a great benefit for your horse.

I have another technique I call the “Nip Up” which is useful in elevating the neck of the horse when done properly.  It’s a quick flick up of both wrists followed immediately by softening the contact. Below you will find a link to a free video tip where I demonstrate that.

The video topics Fundamentals of Flatwork: Basic and Fundamentals of Flatwork: Intermediate contain the schooling exercises described above.