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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1087
 
Location: Midland, MI | What's the best way to let a horse open up, relax and lengthen her stride? I have a young one and everytime I lunge her or ride her she clams up and doesn't really relax and stride out. When I watch her run in the field she's flawless and can cover some ground and open right up. I've thought of laying down some poles and making her trot through them. I've been suggested hill work but I'm in mid-Michigan with NO HILLS. And I'm just not quite ready to breeze her yet because I know that helps too. I'm just looking for some other suggestions.
***Please note, I know how this forum immediately responds... I'm not getting her hocks done she's not going to go through a thorough vet exam, she's not having her teeth done, she's not going to be chiropracticed, I'm not checking for saddle fit or epm, I'm not doing any other crazy things, SHE'S FINE! I properly maintain my horses and most of this has already been done in my usual routine horse care. Thanks! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 448
Location: lone star state | Long trot. Especially helpful if you have some trails you can go ride on away from arena. |
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I Am a Snake Killer
Posts: 1927
Location: Golden Gulf Coast of Texas | Ok so I will say long trotting is the best way to lengthen stride. I know you don't want to hear it but I had a horse that would not stride out either until I put a sportsaddle on him. It was like riding a different horse. It would be worth borrowing one just to see. Not like u would have to buy one. Makes me think of mine because u said he strides normal in pasture . |
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  Sock eating dog owner
Posts: 4557
Location: Where the pavement ends and the West begins Utah | Long trotting is the best way to strectch the underline muscles. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1087
Location: Midland, MI | I have a meleta brown crates that fits her and I have also rode her in a Circle Y TF treeless that fits as well and she still does it with both. I can lunge her naked with just a halter and she still does it. It's like she just has some tension when being worked with and won't relax 100%. She's gotten way better since I first started working her, but this issue is our latest hump because it's preventing me from teaching her some of the next stages. I did start teaching her to long trot. |
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I Am a Snake Killer
Posts: 1927
Location: Golden Gulf Coast of Texas | runnin_turquoise - 2014-10-04 3:51 PM
I have a meleta brown crates that fits her and I have also rode her in a Circle Y TF treeless that fits as well and she still does it with both. I can lunge her naked with just a halter and she still does it. It's like she just has some tension when being worked with and won't relax 100%. She's gotten way better since I first started working her, but this issue is our latest hump because it's preventing me from teaching her some of the next stages. I did start teaching her to long trot.
In that case I would concentrate on a lot of the long trotting. Placing poles on ground would help along with trotting out in pasture or on trail where she has to watch her step and has other things for her mind to dwell on. I used to work for a large cutting horse place and I had a few in my string that were really hot and I mostly long trotted in pasture and woods to settle them. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 1087
Location: Midland, MI | I'll definitely focus a lot on the long trotting! I have plenty of trails and a big pasture and basically next to my house is an old dirt road I trot and breeze my other horses on. I'll start stretching her legs too like I do with my performance ones, I know that can only help as well.
Thanks for the tips! |
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 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| ***Please note, I know how this forum immediately responds... I'm not getting her hocks done she's not going to go through a thorough vet exam, she's not having her teeth done, she's not going to be chiropracticed, I'm not checking for saddle fit or epm, I'm not doing any other crazy things, SHE'S FINE! I properly maintain my horses and most of this has already been done in my usual routine horse care. Thanks!
^^^------Ha ha ha!
Anyway, now that my initial response to that is over...still smiling. Of course everyone recommends these things because there are SO many horse owners that REFUSE to even try to take care of their animals. I wouldn't take any of those recommendations personally. Enough said.
I'd get her off the lunge line. You can't put any real pressure on her and get her moving out on that lunge line. I'd get her into a good wide round pen and get her moving out good. Sometimes it takes a couple of times before they learn that they really can move! After she's working good in the round pen, I'd start to pony her a bit. Have someone go with you that can follow her and smooch her up if she starts to balk. When all your ground work is done, then go to a lunge line for warming up and fitness purposes. A lunge line is pretty worthless to use getting colts going, there are all sorts of things that they can do wrong, and there you are, with no authority and no way to put pressure on them.
Edited by classicpotatochip 2014-10-04 5:29 PM
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 Texas Taco
Posts: 7499
Location: Bandera, TX | I like to long trot with a friend. We trot side by side, horses get competitive and move by themselves, and we can talk while being productive. :) |
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| It took my mare getting loose and hauling @$$ around a fairgrounds to figure it out LOL 
Seriously though, no advice. . . It seems like it just takes them growing up and figuring it out on their own sometimes. Long trotting would help I bet. |
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Expert
Posts: 1561
| Im not sure if it would help in this instance or not but we love ground poles. It helps young horses learn they can shorten and lengthen their stride at any moment and helps big time with foot placement. You can see the switch flip in their head when they figure it out, its pretty cool to see one going from tripping and hitting every pole to floating a front leg a little more to actually clear it. |
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 Accident Prone
Posts: 22277
Location: 100 miles from Nowhere, AR | Ground poles. Not only learning to get in the rhythm of the poles, and stretching them out wider over time, but also getting her head down to look where her feet are going will soften her back and make extension easier. Once she gets the hang of it, you should be able to transfer this to long and low in a straight line without the poles. The poles are an aid to make it easier.
You can long trot a horse all day long and never improve their stride if you're not getting them to use their bodies correctly. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | Three 4 Luck - 2014-10-05 10:34 AM Ground poles. Not only learning to get in the rhythm of the poles, and stretching them out wider over time, but also getting her head down to look where her feet are going will soften her back and make extension easier. Once she gets the hang of it, you should be able to transfer this to long and low in a straight line without the poles. The poles are an aid to make it easier.
You can long trot a horse all day long and never improve their stride if you're not getting them to use their bodies correctly.
This. I use these and they work awesome. The poles do all the work for you until the horse can figure out what you're wanting. You may need to tweak the distance between each pole depending on her natural stride. I think mine are about 3 1/2 feet apart. They really make them round their back and lengthen their stride. I start off with going over about 3 poles, and I do it a few times - they're using their body differently and different muscles are working so you have to build them up. You want to make sure you keep the horse straight, don't let them try to trot over it at an angle. They'll want to avoid going over them at first so keep them between your legs. You can also set them up about 9 feet apart and lope over them too. |
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