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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
  
Location: USA | Ok, so I have this horse who walks, trots, lopes with her head down in WP style, but I'm having a hard time getting her to round her back and move with some momentum. I feel like she's just going through the motions of each gait without any oomph in her step. Does that make sense? How can I encourage her to use her hind end more and round her back? Do I teach her to be more on the bit or what? |
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Sock Snob
Posts: 3021
 
| Long trot is your friend, once you get movement. Just frame her up in the long trot. I had one who did like to stayin frame, i would domthe same thing drive her forward then pick her up. Used to do it,in my field. |
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  Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | IMO, you have to get the forward movement and impulsion and energy before you even begin to think about contact on the reins or collection. You get a horse moving out really well with a lot of energy first then slowly start adding the contact. The energy is the foundation for the contact, without it you can't go anywhere and they just shut down.
When I work one like this, I basically throw away the reins and ride with my hands way forward like riding a colt with a ton of slack and no contact because my first and foremost goal is to get that horse moving forward with some energy -- nothing else matters at that point but forward energy. I only pick up and get any contact on the rein when I need to change direction or stop and even then I pick it up and drop it like it's a hot potato.
Also, I let them stretch all the way down when I'm riding like that. I want them stretching and reaching down because they're rounding their back and building that top line without me having to hang on to them.
AFTER they are really moving forward and they have some energy, I'll start adding a little bit of contact but only for say 3-5 strides at a time and keep pushing them forward with my seat and leg. Then I progress from there adding more strides. Once they excel at that level of contact at a lot of strides,then I'll start to add more contact. But I basically wade in with it.
One thing that I do is try to ride out of the pen as much as possible -- that tends to free one up. They get bored in a pen and they shut down. I will mix up my routine for the same reason -- I want to keep them interested because interest keeps their energy levels up.
Something else I do is I'll work one with a surcingle and elastic side reins on the lungeline or in the round pen. That way I can push them from the ground and they get used to moving forward with some contact. BUT you can't just slap a set of side reins on one and go -- they have to be eased into it and you have to know your horse and know what you're doing or they can get seriously hurt. But in the right hands it can be a good tool.
Calvaletti is another good tool for getting one rounding and reaching and moving.
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 Go For It!
Location: Texas |
Here is what I like to do to get a horse to "frame up" correctly... I use an O-ring, a twisted wire snaffle on most horses, and gather the horse up in my hands, then I squeeeeeze that horse up into the bridle with my legs (no spurs)... I "irritate" them with my heals and never release my hands. I'm looking for that dressage type of collection, they are just on the bit at this point, but I'm not allowing them to pull on me.
It's easier to coach you through it, lol. You're looking for what I call the "sweet spot". If you're not sure how to do it, then it is great to have someone on the ground that can coach you into it. I don't agree that a horse has to know how to move out in order to do this. What you're looking for is a totally different thing than that and can be accomplished even on the laziest horses.
I hope that helps some, just keep at it and you'll get it figured out. Good luck!
PS... At least you know what it is you're looking for, lots of folks don't. You just need to figure out the steps to get there.
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 Money Eating Baggage Owner
Posts: 9586
Location: Phoenix | Fair weather made some fantastic points.
I like to to get them out of the arena. Mine lugs and barely makes it out if a lope in the arena. If I must ride in the arena, I don't mind carrying an over and under to encourage some speed and energy. Using my legs just slows him down. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 974
Location: USA | Yeah I've never had one like this. I've had lazy horses before but it was like they naturally wanted to be collected and round their back. This girl doesn't. Not sure if it's bc of how the previous owner rode her or what. I do have some cavalettis and have used those with her and it's helped. She just doesn't want to engage those abs and round her back and have a little pep in her step. If I did give her a loose rein and encouraged her to move out, she would always try to break into a lope. It's like she only knows WP trot and lope. Getting her to long trot was like pulling teeth, and this was all done in an open field, no arena. She actually would do better in an arena! Shes been off for a bit and I'm about to start legging her back up so I'll take it slow since she's out of shape. |
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I just read the headlines
Posts: 4483
| Sounds like my horse, but thank goodness he doesn't have the WP style. This is what the conformation specialist at the Lynn Mckenzie clinic told me a few years ago. Place cavaletti poles in a jumble, not neatly spaced out because you want to him to pay attention to his feet and not just go in rhythm. Walk him over these a couple of times. Also do walk-trot-walk transitions as quickly and smoothly as you can the length of the areana (shortend). Do this only a couple of times, building up to more over time. Then she had me get off and back in a circle each way once, again adding more over time. Then I was to back in a straight line slowly with his head as close to level as he could. Sounds useless, I know, but after doing this for a month his belly had definition and less sag in his topline. He was using his back more when riding him. I must add that finding a saddle that really fit him has helped his forward momentum more than anything. He never bucked, kicked or bit, so I didn't realize the saddle was that ill fitting except for some dry spots on his shoulders, but in the south Texas heat those would also sweat so I wasnt too worried. I should have, because now he has a working trot and we even do some trot extensions and I can feel his back coming up to meet me. He didn't do this until I bought a good fitting saddle. |
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Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | Dreamingofcans - 2014-12-29 11:06 AM Yeah I've never had one like this. I've had lazy horses before but it was like they naturally wanted to be collected and round their back. This girl doesn't. Not sure if it's bc of how the previous owner rode her or what. I do have some cavalettis and have used those with her and it's helped. She just doesn't want to engage those abs and round her back and have a little pep in her step. If I did give her a loose rein and encouraged her to move out, she would always try to break into a lope. It's like she only knows WP trot and lope. Getting her to long trot was like pulling teeth, and this was all done in an open field, no arena. She actually would do better in an arena! Shes been off for a bit and I'm about to start legging her back up so I'll take it slow since she's out of shape.
This makes me wonder if it's a balance issue. Horses that aren't balanced will usually break into canter when they're given a loose rein. A Horse that's not balanced also won't round because they're not able to balance as it is. A lot of up and down transitions, and transitions on circles can help with balance, along with some hill work.
Another thing that I would look at is if the reason she's not moving out at a trot is because she's sore. Horses will usually be short strided at a trot if there's a soundness issue but they'll lope. I had a trainer tell me years ago that for some injuries , a trot is harder for them than a canter. Might explain why she's not rounding too. |
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