Which exercises help with a lively pony that likes to rush off?

Hello! The way I see it, a horse only reacts the way it believes is correct, which is wherever we have given it a release, whether knowingly or not. What is known as refining the aids (separating each influence to make things clearer for the horse) applies to us as riders too. We have to be consistent about what each aid means. If we want the horse to understand a restraining rein-aid, and we want that restraining rein-aid to work in every situation, then we can never let the horse speed up or make a transition when we soften (give a release). The horse must always wait for a forward-driving signal before going faster or adding energy.

With a lively horse, it is easy to end up in a catch-22 where the horse always speeds up the moment we soften. Here you need to go back to basics and explain to the horse what your signals and aids mean. I work to the motto "control with one rein, communication with two". In other words, if I do not have control I use only one rein, and through bend I create control over the horse's legs (it is the legs running off, after all, not the mouth). Once I have control of the legs in every gait, I can begin using both reins and build communication.