Hi Nancy,
I'm 52, and started riding at 36. I've had a string of rather difficult horses including a warmblood with great movement, but a difficult temperament. I am now riding a 9 year-old T'bred (off the track) and have had him for 3 years. It's been slow going and only now is he turning into a dressage horse and leaving the ex-race horse behind.
My question is: how do I get an extended trot from him? I was able to get it quite easily with my warmblood, but Matrix just looses balance so quickly and runs. He is able to do a good shoulder-in, renvers, travers and the beginning of half-pass at trot. We can ride a well balanced 10 meter circle in canter and are starting our walk pirouettes. I have tried a few exercises to engage him before I ask for some length in his trot, but we either lose our rhythm or he just flattens and runs. My instructor has me doing shoulder-fore through the corner and then wants an extension straight away accross the diagonal. My feeling is that I should keep the engagement out of the corner and slowly build a bigger trot, even if only for a few strides to start.
I look forward to hearing from you. I can't tell you how much I enjoy watching you on Dressage OnLine. I feel like I am your biggest Australian campaigner. I look forward to your advice. I think I'm getting them hooked onto Dressage Training On-line.
Thank you in anticipation.
Very kind regards ..........
Lisa McCann Herbs
Australia
Hi Lisa,
I am very happy that you enjoy DTO. It is such a great tool, and wonderful that we can reach people so far away!
Anyway, about your TB:
The basic confirmation is very different from the warmbloods to the thoroughbreds. Warmbloods have been bred to have that swing in their back and strength and suppleness to carry collected and extended movements. TB's have been bred for a completely different purpose. However this does not mean that you can not train and strengthen him to make it the best you can.
Some cross training exercises that will help to build the strength and swing are cavaletti' and hills. If he is relaxed with cavaletti this is a very good tool to use several times per week. Set up your cavaletti poles on the ground in a straight line about 4 feet from the track in the middle of the long side. If this is something he has done before set up 3 if not set up 2. Measure the distance between the poles with your shoe length. You will be opening the distance over the weeks and months to come, so you want to have a clear and easy way to measure. Start with them close together, 3 1/2 foot lengths or so. If you have someone to watch make sure that the starting distance is very easy for him. If he has never done them before after your normal warm up walk over them a couple of times in each direction. Best not to walk over 3 in a row, that is too difficult for the horse to manage. Walk over 2 in a row. After you walk several times pick up a normal working trot. As you come around from the short side of the arena take an inside track and trot over your cavaletti. Stay in a normal working trot. The goal is to keep him between your aids, still round, in front of your leg in working trot, posting. Have someone help you adjust the poles so that they are correct distance for working trot. Do this with 2 poles until it is easy in both directions, 3 or 4 times each way. Not more. Then leave it, do the same thing 2 to 3 times per week after your warm up. When he is good at 2 do 3 poles. When he is good at 3 do 4 poles. Distance is important, do not make it hard, make it normal working trot. You want to feel that he relaxes with it and that the exercise starts to teach him to bounce in his back over the poles. You want to do as little as possible over the poles. Let him do the work. If he goes against the hand or backs off teach him to accept the half halts and leg in a different part of the arena, so when you get to the poles it is easy, let him learn the lesson.
After weeks of this getting easy then you can start to make the poles 1/2 foot farther apart at a time. Do the poles 3 to 4 times in each direction only 3 times a week. Do not make them too far apart all at one time. Just 1/2 a shoe every couple of weeks, make it easy, he is working even if you think the progress is slow. When the poles are easy 4 poles 1 1/2 shoes longer then you started then go back to 3 poles and lie 2 extra poles under the outsides of the 3 so they are raised up 2 inches off the ground. Take time with this. Again, let him do the work. If it seems too much, put them slightly closer together until he gets good at the height then make them slightly farther apart again. Do not ride him strong in the poles. As you come off the track ride half halts to prepare him, as you would for your lengthening, ride forward to the poles, but over the poles do not pull, hold or push, let him be looking to stay between your aids, you let him work.
These exercises will help him get stronger and build resilience in his hind legs and swing in his back. Still work on the lengthenings in your normal work. One thing to think about is it is not such a big deal to make mistakes. Build up the understanding of your aids in other parts of the ride, so when you ask for the lengthening he already is trying to stay between your aids. Accept whatever lengthening he can do at this time. Make that your lengthening, and make it the same everyday. When it becomes easy ask for more. If he makes mistakes do not worry. Encourage him to try. Eventually the next level of lengthening will become easy. Then ask for more. Do not pull back if he looses his balance. Ride forward with proper half halts. Treat it like a game, not job. Keep it loose. Do not create pressure in the reins, supple.
The other thing you can use to help him get strong if you have them is hills. If this is an option with good footing once a week take him out, before or instead of your normal work. Pick a nice slow incline. Walk down on the bit, and trot up, on the bit. Keep him straight between your aids but do not help him too much. Let him do the work.
As far as riding the actual lengthening, your trainer has to help you with this. There are specific exercises with in dressage movements that I use to help the horse understand the aids better. It sounds as though you have been working on the appropriate movements for suppleness and obedience.
Keep me informed of your progress.
Nancy
Dear Nancy,
I have a very athletic warmblood gelding. He is 6 years old, he has had good basics and he is very safe. My question is : I am an amateur rider, still learning to get my seat and I feel like I spend the whole ride trying to get things right. At the end I have five minutes of good work and then we are both pooped. What is the best way for us to warm up so that we can
get beyond the warm up sooner and spend more time working. Thank you for your time, Directionless in NY
Dear
Directionless, I do have a very good basic warm up for you. With this warm up you should feel that you and your horse become warmed up more quickly and are able to move
on to more advanced work.
When
I first get on I walk on mostly long reins for at least 10 minutes to let the horse loosen up and start moving in his back. Mostly long reins means that the neck is long and low the back stretching thru to the bit, the contact can be very light, or almost completely loose, but when I touch the mouth the horse is giving in, not ever pulling at the reins. I make sure right from
the start that he moves away from my legs, meaning that whenever I give a forward aid with my leg that my horse immediately responds by going more forward..accelerating, goes from here to there with a more vigorous step. At this point in the ride that does not have to be pretty. A quick step, jig step or rushing is acceptable for a second, just checking that he is listening to my legs. Eventually for him to be more enthusiastic without loosing the gait is preferable. Do not pull on the reins if he gives too much reaction, just settle him with the
seat and perhaps massage the mouth with the wrists so that he does not get strong, most of all do not pull back. It also helps that you have the idea that your horse is flexed to the inside around your inside leg right from the start. Even though the beginning work is long and low remember that you have and inside leg and an outside leg. It is much easier to collect a horse
that is supple to the inside and not too "straight".
After
the walk I do the same work in trot and then in canter. The work will consist of trot circles 20 meters, long diagonals to change direction and trot canter, canter trot transitions. The warm up is done in half long reins, the horse should be round, stretching down and bending nicely to the inside. To get the bending you will need to supple the inside rein as well as keep him nicely
obedient to your inside leg. Your outside rein will have a nice light contact
and be the rein in the future that determines the length of frame, in the beginning you may need to let loose on the outside rein to allow the horse to bend his neck easily to the inside, later he will need to respond to half halts that will encourage him to stay more collected as he accepts the bending. It is important to remember that the warm up is used to loosen you and your horse up, however, it is also used to prime the horse again about your aids and what they mean........... so for instance if you ask him to go forward to your leg....... and he does not go............... you must not think he is not warmed up enough. Even if it is not pretty he must understand
what the aid means, he must accelerate. If you ignore that he ignored you then you will not have legs that mean anything to him later in the ride, he will be thinking "she does not care if I go forward when she puts her legs on" Later in the ride you will combine forward aids and half halts to create more balance and collection. Now you are just checking the gas pedal and the breaks, it does not all have to look perfect it has to feel like he
is listening.
Trot
canter do not walk canter or canter walk yet, this requires more balance and collection and you are still warming up. Also remember to sit 5 or 6 steps of trot before you canter and after you canter to practice sitting. Just walking to avoid sitting trot is not teaching you anything. Also he needs to feel you sitting before your canter depart. You want to practice small stretches
of sitting trot with your horse so he gets used to swinging in his back under your seat, and so you get used to letting him move under you without using your hands for balance. It is very important that you do not feel that he stiffens in his neck and mouth when you give him a rein aid. You always want him to find the place of give in the reins. For this the neck needs to be round and poll giving in. If the neck is too long and the horse is going too fast this will be difficult to achieve. It will be the response to your go aids and wait aids that will turn it into give. Do not spend too much time waiting for a reaction. If you use your legs do not get a response, ask immediately again a bit stronger and then praise him for a positive reaction by relaxing the aid and with your voice. The same with the reins, when you ask him to slow down or make a downward transition do not wait too long, if he does not respond use the aid a bit stronger and then relax it. Do be careful not to create pressure in the hands or legs because your horse is not reacting. Use a stronger aid and then relax. Remember always with the hand it is not pulling back, it is pressure against the forwardness and then going with or accepting the forwardness through the wrists.
Okay that is the warm up. That should take 10 of walking and then another 10 - 5 minutes or so. More after days off or cold days or when they get no turn out.
I hope this helps! Good luck, Nancy
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