HOW TO DEVELOP A STEADIER CONTACT ON A YOUNG HORSE

[@JosephNewcomb]

Do you guys have horses who are unsteady in the contact? Let me know what things you're working on that help them.

[@katherina7307]

I have a 23y old Hannoverian mare, I own her for 15 years now and also rode her on a few jumping tournaments when I was younger. She have had always the problem that she can't stay stable in the contact on her left side even after a very long forward-downward stretched neck. I always have to ride her with much bending and streching areas where she can really find her comfort zone, some days it's more of a ''hard work'' and some days it's easier done, that's how it goes when the babies grow really old. On the Other hand I own a 22y old Irish Tinker gelding, who was a wild horse from Ireland when I got him 18y ago. In the beginning he was a wildfire , scared of literally anything with really much power and not scared to use it, he bucked of nearly anyone who tried to get on his back for a little longer than 5 minutes, back then. For a few years I ride him bareback, he left his kinky days behind, but the thing he taught me over the years is, that much patience, trust and believe is bringing your team of two everywhere you want. In the first years he was hard to stay in contact and always pulled the rein through my fingers. Every time I get him from a long forward-downward stretch, in the right position to comfort himself, and get himself swinging in his own motion he learned that it's easier for him and much more comfi to run. Since years now, he like to position his head himself in the right position if I begin to tighten the reins. Sorry for the long text, I was stuck to fondly looking back on past times. And if my english is not that perfect either, I'm from germany, hope u'll understand what I wanted to tell there. :) P.S. I really enjoy watching your videos, they're really calming, informative and you have some stunning horses. + You're a really good rider and you're reflecting something I don't see that much often, my gradma always used to say ''there are people with horses and there are horse-people who really understand their kind of own language and have their own language.'' Always nice to see that exact those people still exist and still do a unbelievable good job.

[@JosephNewcomb]

Thank you Katherina. Cool to hear about your horses.

[@elio08]

Hi Joseph, I have a young thoroughbred off the track who is unsteady in the contact and fussy in the mouth. I do a lot of lateral work with him and transitions.He is better than he was but we still have a ways to go.

[@katiekayla1]

Hi Joe! Love watching you & your sister, you guys are fantastic! I have a horse with similiar contact issues. Particularly struggling with staying connected from walk to trot & trot to canter. She braces quite badly and throws her head in the air despite my half halting & bending. I have done extensive groundwork & flexing/bending work. Any suggestions other than what you worked on in this video & time?? Any exercises that would help? Thanks very much :)

[@Pferdecoach]

thinking about unsteady contact i would first look how is the rider doing with the outside rein, most instructors tell the students "outside rein, outside rein" but how? its not a half halt to get the outside rein ! from my old trainer i learned to imagine that i also have an elastic rein bridge between my hands/reins and with this bridge i can work to both sides of horses neck as opening the rein if its necessary a little but not pullin only strechtching and therefore sitting better against my communicating hands, but it implies a balanced seat, and have you felt that hands coummunicate with the hind legs and not only with the horses mouth ?....smile.....test it, riding with a rein bridge

[@shirleybroady1844]

Copying or imitating what you show and explain in your videos is helping me with the contact on a coming 6 year old Hannovarian gelding I just purchased. I'm riding him in a slower trot and canter to try to find where he's most comfortable and balanced as you advise. It's working better than driving forward all the time which I realize tips him onto his forehand, makes him run and strong in the bridle. As he got more comfortable and confident he also got steadier in the contact and then I could ask for just a little more forward and bring him back before he lost his balance. This is much better than fwd and back in a fast tempo driving effort. I also kept my half halts weaker than the the pressure against me and repeated them until I could give the rein for a stride. I work with a trainer but it's very helpful to have you to sort out a bunch of "tools" in my head that I use randomly instead of timely to what I feel. I've been riding for many years........but not enough hours. LOL For me, it's important to watch your videos over and over between rides because I see something I missed every time. Thank you so much for helping us.

[@JosephNewcomb]

Thank you Shirley. I’m glad you like them.

[@shirleybroady1844]

@@JosephNewcomb Thanks for thanking me! LOL Your reply is like a call from KZbin!

[@janekiceniuk1578]

Thank you Shirley, my post is your post worded differently. More proof that I'm headed in the right direction. This is my second "positive" in the last 3 days. Yay, for me. I haven't been able to say that in a very long time.

[@jenniferkeeling1126]

Really glad you do the drone thing based on your early days. Sure makes for beautiful combo of video and great dressage info ❤️

[@elio08]

Your videos are so honest and helpful. Thank you for sharing your work.

[@c5nest]

Thanks: It’s really helpful to see most of a entire schooling session with a young horse demonstrated. Very cool you can ride and fly at the same time! Not many dressage trainers can do that🙃

[@JosephNewcomb]

c5nest haha. Thank you. My claim to fame. :)

[@JennKreiberg]

Your lucky....sweet horse....I had a drone fly overhead from the neighbor once...I thought I was going to die...never felt the panic like that before. Enjoying your channel from Nova Scotia, Canada's Ocean Playground❤

[@SusannMarieDye]

Hi, Great video. You are great to watch so is your sister. The artsy video stuff is nice and beautiful too. Your behind the scenes stuff is cool too. I really like it when you get to the nuts and bolts The best. The video about the contact you are working on with Finn is so real and very important to see you slow down to develop the impulsion without it he can't come through. My horse is quick and so am I, so my trainer slowed us down a lot my last lesson, because I had him on the forehand because we were to quick for his hind legs to step under. When I slowed him down his balance shifted to more level and I could feel his hind legs. His neck steadied more. We have a long way to go, but it felt great that his ability to connect and to relax could be shifted so easily by slowing the trot tempo. Thanks!

[@maggierobbins4511]

Hi Joseph. Love your videos. I’ve learnt so much from you

[@verasid5126]

Ha, find one that doesn’t have contact issues😉. So hard to fix and takes so much patience. But you have good skills, harder for us amateurs!

[@RDLThecoreofhorses]

Fin is already doing so great! This is really informative. Thanks for this again. 😊 Love the droneshots!

[@lennisemann2002]

My 10 year old gelding has trouble with contact but is starting to get better! I had no idea what contact was for many years though so when I did he fought me on it! But now he understands it and is much more content with and is using his hind end alot more!

[@reneebevilacqua9953]

Wow! Wow! What a treat- this is beautiful.

[@JosephNewcomb]

Thank you. Fun stuff.

[@janekiceniuk1578]

I just sent you a reply to your question. But this video is exactly what I am doing.(including the bird at 19) Minus the walk - canter transitions. But I do need to start working on them. Thanks again.

[@N12S10S]

I have a cute connemara who is lovely in dressage but lately I didn't give him enough things to work on so he started working against the frame again 😹but he does come into the contact if I ask with the rein but before he would just go there like a natural position So I'm finding all kind of videos of exercises I can use to get his attention and how to keep it 😹

[@khaulein]

Wasn't expecting the drone! Cool! I want to ride in that arena :D

[@maggierobbins4511]

Quick question. What are the specific aids for hands and legs in the rein back? I have many different answers to this question Thanks so much I wish I lived closer. I would definitely come to you for lessons. Any chance of a clinic in a great barn in Nor Cal?

[@AmeliaNewcombDressage]

Finn looks awesome!! Del Mar national 😄😄

[@marysmith-wp9ip]

I have been watching many dressage videos and as a retired dressage rider due to arthritis ya its a nasty word i know! I have alot of questions for you as I feel you will give honest answers and not just the fluffy answers ppl love to hear so here goes. Please tell me why there are so many riders see sawing on the horses mouth not just a gentle bend an give the rein but see sawing it is driving me nuts to watch this go on and so far the only one to "cough" firmly adress this with a rider at PSG level was Robert D

[@kingtroopy8633]

What is the aid to canter my coach says inside leg to ask for canter but every KZbin video and article I've read says outside leg behind the girth to canter. Any ideas why she would be teaching me and all her other students this way she does have an eventing background

[@taylormasse6932]

( a little late for some sort of reply but maybe this can help if you haven't found your answer yet.) Both foot positions work. I've seen some European backgrounded trainers use the inside leg very effectively for a lead departure, but for me, I find your outside leg back behind the girth makes more sense. My reasoning; the foot fall sequence of a canter lead. The first foot to move is always the outside hind leg in a canter so if you want to pick up the left lead the sequence is Right Hind 1st Left hind and Right fore move together and then the Left fore leg. Hope that gives some sort of insight for you!

[@dianetoeniskoetter4973]

Can I ask why you are not using a stick? I have always carried one whether needed or not it’s there IF I need it. I usually ride some spiral in and spiral out for improvement in contact and then do the 3 tests of thoroughness on a circle - shoulder-in, haunches out, and medium or a bit more forward at the trot.

[@JosephNewcomb]

Hi Diane, I try to ride some without the whip and pick one up if I need it. It is helpful with him. But i try to mix it up. :)

[@kimkrienke5880]

Joseph Newcomb l

[@odetotove]

What is your horse's breeding? It may open a gate to a road you don' care to go down but I'd love to hear your impressions/trends of horses from different pedigrees on a vlog. You ride so many from Europe is where there is such sire/dam sire variations in the inventory of horses.

[@PercheronAppLVR]

Finnie's such a handsome boy ..and your drone shots are just amazing ! I don't have a 'young' horse but my boy has issues with evading contact by going behind the bit. When he does this I usually add leg to try and get him more 'forward' .. advice on other aids to use to get him out of doing this ?

[@larissam.dressage1443]

Is there a video somewhere we’re you’re riding a horse maybe a couple of moths after it’s been broken in? I have my first young horse who someone else broke in for me and I’d find it really interesting to see what someone else’s horse looks like a short time after it’s been broken in 😊 (Don’t know how long Fin‘s been broken in)

[@graciesizemore4895]

love this video found it very useful!

[@JosephNewcomb]

Thank you. Glad you liked it.

[@sarahmiller4511]

Your not at Arroyo anymore?

[@roseonthemove]

I have an unrelated question if you have time to listen. First off, I love all your videos!! the way you work with your animals is inspiring. I am waiting on an Appaloosa Sporthorse foal due in May. This is my second attempt at a baby from this same mare and stallion. I tragically lost the first foal due to a mystery paddock accident that caused a severe break in the back leg. Needless to say this baby is coming home almost immediately after being weaned. The actual question I have is how can I increase muscle in the hind end from an early age? I want this Horse primarily for dressage and possibly some light jumping and trails. I see a lot of young dressage prospects looking quite lean and untoned in the rear. I have experienced this myself helping others bring along younger horses. I am having such a hard time finding any information about how to really increase muscle tone and strength specifically in the hind end of a horse that is younger than two. Thank you so much! ( sorry for the rambling)

[@RDLThecoreofhorses]

nailwitch87 Goodluck with your future foal! Appaloosas are amazing in caracter. I own one myself! 😁

[@JG-mt3rp]

Sorry to hear about losing the foal, that is heartbreaking :( I don't know if this suggestion is helpful but I had to rehab a horse with a hind end injury, and before I got on him I wound up spending a ton of time walking him over ground poles, then raising them to cavaletti. Eventually he could trot the cavaletti and in time he became a sound first level horse and is still working. The process took quite some time. A friend suggested lightly lunging the horse on a gentle hill but our facility wasn't set up for that. Have fun with your new baby!

[@roseonthemove]

Jess G that does help quite a bit! Thanks so much for the suggestion!

[@janekiceniuk1578]

If you have access to a hill- use it. I think Joseph did a video-in hand- backing up hills to strengthen the hind end. Sorry for your loss. Good luck with the new baby!

[@marysmith-wp9ip]

om my dog jumped on my keys i will finish this tho so sorry. ne way yes Robert Dover was as bugged as i was about this see sawing and made it clear not to do it also I see alot of riders leaning way back in the movements that are harder to sit in but we were not taught to lean back and almost do a back bend . More questions for you, please explain the fit of the dbl bridle and the use of the the reins and the fit of the curb chain, and there are some comments made by ppl about abuse if the horse has foam on his mouth this is new to me I dont see that as abuse but maybe you can explain why the horse has a foamy mouth.Thankyou so much for your videos Joseph I love them. You are a joy to watch and the horses appreciate your tact and love for them! Hope you see the first part of my comments or this might not make sense. Thankyou so much.

[@brendawhite6540]

Looks like a bug landing... (drone) lol

[@jenniferbarnes2119]

Dji maverick

[@saldressage7380]

You are such an enthusiastic and pleasant person, who obviously tries very hard! However, please do not demonstrate a horse ridden behind the vertical with busy hands as being the way to build correct connection. I believe it really hurts dressage/training as people watch this and think it is correct. Ride your horse up to heaven, not down to hell ( W Zettl), quiet your legs (they're pumping every stride at trot); do not move your hands- place them in front of the pommel, close together and keep them quiet (see 21:16 of video to see busy hands and slightly before where legs are busy, use quiet invisible aids) - do not nag your horse with you hands; in posting trot you are landing too hard on the back of your saddle with your derriere- rise gently over your thighs and land lightly keeping your balance forward over your thighs, not landing hard each stride - which contributes to pumping with your body on the horse's back and also causes your legs to become unstable and wobble away. Finally look UP! The tell-tale sign someone is hand-riding is they look down and fixate their gaze on their hands and the horse's neck. Hope this helps

[@bnicetoday]

"Gustav Steinbrecht (1808-1885) is considered one of the masters of dressage. His advice to ride the horse "forward and straight" is one of the foundation principles of German dressage training." Amigo, your horse is not forward or straight. Not doing working gaits. Over-bent in his neck on the left. You need to "look up" and ride him forward. Use a crop on his shoulder to help raise the withers. Get him going. Then use lots of transitions to get him on the aids. He is sluggish and behind your leg. When he is forward he will be more balanced and contact will result. Stop staring at his neck. Best wishes.

[@JG-mt3rp]

I'm sensing you don't start a ton of youngsters/ride a lot of green? He's better off to establish a soft, sensitive relationship with the horse, even if that means he's a touch behind or a touch over flexed at times. I can live with this method of starting a horse, he'll probably start working on a crisper response to the leg quite soon but as the type of ammy who rides and buys green horses I'm quite pleased with what I'm seeing here. This is a four year old any halfwit could get on and have a safe and enjoyable ride. By the way if you can ride a green horse 100% straight 100% of the time come to CA and I'll hire you.

[@bnicetoday]

Trying to collect a crooked horse is not a good idea. Developing working gaits is the beginning to success. Knowing when a horse is crooked takes experience. That is why lessons and eyes on the ground are important. Best wishes.

[@JG-mt3rp]

First, if you are referring to canter stuff he was doing, the horse was fairly straight and tracking up for most of those steps. You non-rider/non-trainer types love to armchair quarterback real peoples' videos, but what you see as an attempt at collection actual riders and actual trainers see as this rider checking in with the horse that he'll simply come back when asked without bracing. So, have fun reading books, the actual riders and actual trainers will keep actually riding instead of quoting the old masters from behind a keyboard.

[@JG-mt3rp]

I actually don't mean to drag you this hard in the comments, I just get very tired of seeing keyboard warriors attack people who are brave enough to post their own riding publicly. This guy is local to my area, has a great reputation as a nice person and is a gentle, fair rider.

[@bnicetoday]

Sorry you think i am attacking Joseph. I am just responding to his pinned comment. I like Joseph too and would like to see him succeed. Best wishes.