The horse is heavy on the forehand what should we do?

A horse that is heavy on the forehand is one of the most common training challenges in all of riding and one of the most important to address correctly, because the forehand-heavy way of going creates a cascade of problems that affect every aspect of the horse's performance and long-term soundness. A horse carrying excessive weight on his front end is harder to steer, harder to stop, harder to collect, and physically more prone to front leg injuries and joint wear. Understanding why a horse is heavy on the forehand is the starting point. Some horses are naturally more downhill in their conformation — built with their hindquarters higher than their withers — which creates a natural predisposition toward carrying more weight on the front end. Other horses are heavy on the forehand purely from training — allowed to travel with hind legs trailing and backs hollow for long enough that it has become their default way of going. And some horses are heavy on the forehand because they are young, unfit, or simply have not yet developed the muscular strength in their hindquarters to carry weight behind. The training correction begins with developing genuine forward energy from an active, engaged hindquarter and then containing that energy with a soft, elastic hand. Pulling on the reins to lighten the front end produces a horse that is behind the bit and even more disconnected from the hindquarters — because the pulling blocks the forward energy rather than redirecting it. More leg, softer hand, and patience to develop the carrying capacity of the hindquarters through correct gymnastic work is the only training path that produces genuine and lasting improvement. Transitions are the most powerful single tool for shifting weight from front to back. Every downward transition ridden with leg into a soft hand asks the horse to shift his weight rearward and step under with his hindquarters to support the deceleration. A horse that makes a hundred correct downward transitions over a week develops the habit of shifting weight behind and the muscular strength to support that shift. Hill work is the most efficient physical developer of hindquarter strength. Walking and trotting uphill forces the horse to push with his hindquarters to move his entire body weight up the incline. Shoulder-in is the refinement tool — the inside hind steps under the body and carries weight with each stride, developing the specific muscle groups that lighten the forehand in ways that flat work transitions alone cannot fully produce.