merelygifted:

madrivervalleyicelandics:

barefootdressage:

Okay.  So I’ve gotten a few questions about overflexion and I figured I’d do another one of these because I can explain things better with visuals.

This is how I retrain bridlelame (chronically overflexed) horses.  You can take it or leave it, it really doesn’t matter to me whether you agree with this solution or not.  I learned this technique from a dressage master that I trust and respect, and then I went out and researched it and as it turns out almost all the old masters I looked up used some version of this method, so if it’s good enough for them it’s good enough for me. 

Also, I haven’t met a sound horse it didn’t work on.  It’s best if I spend some time educating them on the mouthwork in hand before I try it from on their back.

Awesome time to bring this back. When I got Burni in August, she was rein-lame and liked to curl behind the contact, holding a lot of tension in her head/neck and lower back. We are finally at the point now in December where curling behind the bit is no longer an issue, and while there is still very much work to be done, I am super pleased to have fixed that particular issue. This is the method I used (and have used with a number of other horses but I’m feeling so please about Burni’s progress right now that it’s on my mind) so I feel like this is worth sharing again😊😊

Having the horse’s neck and back checked out and adjusted as needed by a skilled specialist is also very helpful.