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 A Gopher's Worst Nightmare
Posts: 5094
 
Location: Southern Oregon | One of my BIGGEST pet peeves in horses is the RUSH to a lope. I have a super neat gelding that I bought as a 5 year old. The people before me only trail rode him. They must have only loped(ran) while pitting him against other horses on the trails. ugggggggggg... I have spent alot of time getting him super broke. Starting with making his walk/ trot and collection spot on. He works super soft and collected, I really couldn't ask for anything more from him when it comes to a walk and trot. I have been trying every trick I know to get him loping comfortably. NOTHING is working. Out on the trail he lopes(faster then I would like) off and looks somewhat normal, in the arena he falls apart. On the lounge line and in the round pen he falls apart at a lope. Face goes up, heart rate goes up and everything he has learned flys out the window. He looks so awkward once I get him loping and he is so uncomfortable I can't seem to keep him in it safely long enough to work on getting him calm and collected. Any ground work, round pen work or arena work I can do to work on this would be great. |
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  Warmblood with Wings
Posts: 27846
  
Location: Florida.. | Sometimes 5 yr olds arent balanced enough to hold a collected canter or slow lope. if there isnt a pain issue .. getting him stronger in his hind end will help.
you said the people prior only loped but then you said ran so I am a lil confused but id work on his balance and strength in a round pen .. then id work on straight lines.. lots of transitions and half halts to get him to use his hind and roll back onto it.. once he carries his weight back there he can work slower and feel more balanced.. gets his back strong to and abdomen. little bits at a time.. that age collection also needs long and low work.. stretching over his back and topline.. he wil fall apart as you say if he doesnt have a strong back and hind end. |
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A Gopher's Worst Nightmare
Posts: 5094
Location: Southern Oregon | Thank you for the info. I'm pretty sure all they did was run on the trials non stop. |
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 Total Germophobe
Posts: 6443
Location: Montana | First, I will say that by NO MEANS am I a trainer. But my mare used to rush into a lope, and I noticed that I would tense up expecting her to rush her lope...sooo when I quit tensing and was more relaxed, she was more relaxed and did a better slow lope. Also, have you tried half halts? That helped us some as well. Another thing I read is once he finally has a lope like you want, don't pick on him or tell him where to go, let him go where ever is comfortable (as long as it is safe of course!), don't work on perfectness or circles, just let him slow lope. |
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The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| There is a ligament that runs from their poll to their tail, I had a mare that would never keep her head down always higher then I liked, had a massage/touch for health person out, released this, night and day difference, her headset went to pleasure level.
I would rule out muscle/chiro first, and teeth as he might be loosing caps |
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Expert
Posts: 1561
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Im no pro....
Lope him until he doesnt want to lope then lope him some more, turn it into a chore he no longer enjoys. |
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Folks on-line