Pivoting

[TacheteTreasures]

Schatze just isn't getting how to pivot on her hind foot when practicing showmanship. I have gotten other horses to pivot fine, but Schatze always moves her butt! Any suggestions?

[EnglishGuy]

Keep the opposite leg on when you ask her to pivot and have a dressage whip to better correct her hind end by tapping her butt back if she moves and stopping her immediately so she knows she is making the wrong choice.. Remember to ask her to move with your leg at the girth, if your moving your leg back too much your telling her to move her butt.

I do a lot of pivoting on the forehand with Tobey and we've also been working on pivoting on the hind end.

[TacheteTreasures]

I meant on the ground, like for a showmanship class.

[TLC97]

Are you rocking her back onto her hind for the pivot? Sometimes getting them to redistribute their weight before you ask really helps.

[IrisGreen]

I'm having this problem with Muffin too. He yields his hind end just fine and pivots but yielding his front end is the worst. He moves forward, back, side or even to wards me. He does step over but it's not a pivot and he usually moves his back end or walks forward while stepping over.

I think I'm going to try putting him in to a fence so he can't move forward. That way I can just focus on correcting him if he steps his hind end over instead of his front.

I like what Tanya said too, set them up on there hind end first before asking for the pivot. Get there weight off the front end and I bet that would help.

I'm going to work with Muffin some today and see if we can get a good pivot step or two today. I think if your horse knows not to squish you then standing them in front of a fence and asking for a step over would help them. The can't go forward and they can't step there back end to wards you while the front is stepping away or they are going to squish you into the fence. You can correct the back end stepping in to you by making then yield it and face the fence again...I don't know it's just an idea...I'm going to try it with Muffin and see how it works.

[TacheteTreasures]

How do you get them to put their weight on the back?

[IrisGreen]

You pull on the halter a little to get them "thinking" you are going to back them up so they will shift there wight to there back end. Then you can ask for the step over to get them to pivot on there back end. Or you can just back them up a few steps then ask for the step over...What ever works :)

[TacheteTreasures]

Alright, i'll try that. Thanks.

[Palogal]

It sounds like he needs to learn to move the forehand and the haunches independently. Those forehand yields are hard but practice makes perfect. It's a balance issue. If you rock back on the haunches that should help but he also needs the coordination to move the forehand by itself.