"I've broken-in and retrained lots of TB, Welshes and Arabs succesfully into all areas. I have recently been given an ex-carriage horse. He was ridden a little bit before and jumped small xc fences. He had the past year off as a field ornamant - he has nothing physically wrong with him. He is six-years-old. I have him in a D ring snaffle as he leans against straight bars. I would rather keep him in a snaffle if I can as I can just about do emergancy halt with him. Even though he is heavy in the hand, he isn't strong. He's been learning quickly and now has clear upward transitions and downward single transitions, i.e. canter to trot, trot to walk. He's starting to work well on softening his poll and neck and now can stretch downwards. However, he is very stiff on both reins when turning as he is used to turning with a straight body, but if I do turning and bending exercises in a snaffle, he gets rather set through his mouth. I don't know what will help him relax and settle in the exercises or any exercises that would help him. He does like to jump and he as a good jump. As all my other horses have been really bendy and hot-headed, he is very different to them - he is level headed and stiff. His paces are good loose but when saddled he likes to shorten up if left to do his own thing." Simon Walker

Editor's note: Due to the complexity of Simon's question, we asked two of our experts to reply.

H&C blogger and Olympic eventer Sharon Hunt replies: "Hi Simon, I would recommend lots of lunging - I make the inside rein slightly shorter to get some bend, I also change them from draw reins to side reins so I'm always varying the outline to get the neck more supple. Have you considered physio? This could be very helpful. Also long reining from behind can encourage bending. I would do lots of leg yield when on him to get softness through the body. Aim for body bend as well and don't worry if he can't cope with too much at the start as you can build it up over time as he gets more supple.

Hope it goes well.
Best wishes,
Sharon."

H&C blogger and equine massage therapist Katharine Jackson replies: "“The neck and back play such vital roles in the horse’s movement and balance, and so ideally these areas will always maintain suppleness and flexibility to allow optimum performance. The neck is a highly mobile structure whereas the back is built for stability, although the back is obviously a continuation of the neck and therefore both must be approached in any treatment.

Once your horse is warmed up, daily stretches could help increase his flexibility, but it is important to only do these once the tissues are warm so they are less likely to tear. By stretching the neck this should increase his flexibility and consequently should enhance the overall movement and balance of the neck, which in turn will encourage the horse to move with a more comfortable and fluid action. Hold each stretch for five to 15 seconds, and only stretch until you can feel the resistance, or the horse indicates he is not comfortable; do not force the stretch.

Lateral neck stretches - you may find that he does not want to stretch to both sides equally, as, like many horses, he may be naturally one sided.

Standing beside your horse’s neck facing forwards, put your outside hand over his cheek and with your near hand put it under his jaw and round onto his nose bone. Holding onto his head, turn your body away to the outside bringing his head around your body as you turn in a smooth, fluid, gentle action, making sure that his head remains in the vertical position to achieve the desired stretch.

Extension neck stretches - stretching the neck downwards. Even though he is softening his poll and able to stretch downwards, I would keep encouraging him to do this with some extension neck stretches together with the lateral neck stretches to enhance the overall suppleness of the neck.

With a carrot or tit-bit, encourage the horse to stretch his neck down by moving the carrot downwards; by moving your hand downwards between his front legs this will give a good stretch on his dorsal muscle chain (top line) and allow the ventral muscle chain (bottom line) to strengthen, which in turn will provide support for the back musculature.

Having done so much carriage driving and working on the straight, he may need to build up his lateral neck musculature particularly his splenius, semispinalis capitis, multifidus cervicus. The muscles around his shoulder area, notably his supraspinatus, infraspinatus, subclavius and serrated ventralis muscles, also needs to be strong and supple to support his body when he turns. Riding serpentines may help to strengthen his neck musculature and also increase his lateral neck suppleness. Starting with 20m loops, then getting smaller, keeping the neck supple, aiming for about 16 loops in the ménage.

You mentioned that he shortens his paces when under saddle compared to when he is loose, which indicates he is uncomfortable, - have you had his saddle fitting checked recently? An uncomfortable back may be the cause of the stiff neck or just as likely his shortened paces may be caused by his stiff neck as stiffness in the neck will promote stiffness in the back, and vice versa due to the anatomy of the spine and the surrounding structures. A combination of Sports Massage and stretches could really help to increase his suppleness, release any tension and improve his overall performance.”

Editor's note: Always seek advice from a vet and watch a professional therapist before attempting to treat your own horse. Katharine's advice does not replace veterinary care.