Roanie goes to school.

After quite a few years being ridden in a western bar bit without any emphasis on balance, I knew the transition into the dressage bridle was going to be a tough one. The first step for Roanie was to get her to understand that she could touch the bit without there being any repercussions. At first, whenever I touched her mouth she would throw her head up in the air and try to stop. After we established that when I touch the bit AND put my legs on that she should not come to a screeching halt, she began the "I don't want the bit to touch my mouth with my head up here so I'm going to try to run away from it by putting my chin on my chest" phase. Again, with time, patience, and steady constant contact she began to put some pressure on the bit and bring her poll up.

The next big challenge for Roanie was teaching her that her life would be so much easier if she would use her hind end efficiently. Roanie, being a quarter horse bred to work on a ranch, has an enormous hind end that likes to travel too far inside. To begin addressing that problem I taught her to do a turn on the forehand. I installed a button that spoke to the hind quarters. Me being able to push her hind end around using my seat and my legs is crucial for me to be able to balance her. Roanie was also worked on the lunge line and on the ground to reiterate that she should constantly be stepping up underneath herself with her inside hind leg to create balance.

Aside from learning dressage, Roanie also had to learn to trust me. So, what better way to gain trust than to successfully try new things: