Advice for stretching out paces

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Lucy_Nottingham

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I am currently riding a welsh d show cob.
He is for sale, but the people who have come to see him so far keep commenting on how short/stompy he is.........

to me this is a) a bit extreme, yes he is stompy but he covers the ground and b) arent welsh d's often stompy?!! the ones I have seen have been..........

So my question is how can I get him to cover the ground a bit more/stretch out a bit more without losing contact and all sort of "smartness" and look like a long draw out donkey?!!

Or am I right its the way some welsh D's move, and the people are just not looking for this sort of horse?
 
If that is the horses way of going and he is working forwards he doesn't need to change. If you want to try some things to lengthen the stride you could work with poles - gradually lengthening trotting poles or putting 2 poles several strides apart and adjusting the stride for example from 5 strides to 8 strides.
 
Most welsh ds have quite extravagent paces......

Not quite sure what you mean by stompy.

I'd try transitions within the pace, particularly pushing for some extension. I'd also try giving him a good blast occasionally, a lot of cobs can come out quite short and not really covering the ground but if you give them a bit of a blast it really improves the trot and canter.
 
Hi.

I think working over lengthened trot poles and transitions within the paces will really help. Alongside these exercises i would also use some leg yield and maybe some shoulder in/fore if he is capable. This will improve his suppleness allowing him to be more open/loose in his stride!

Hope this is some help
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thanks guys,

Yes he can extend (and my god when he does don't you just know it!)

Part of it I know is that he is lazy, but when people are coming to view him its difficult to get him out and get him straight into flashy paces.

Part of this is the that he is not 100% fit (been off due to xmas and bad weather etc whilst I have been home from uni) so thats not particularly helping.

ok, so I will try to do the transitions in the paces, he isnt a fan of poles (has never jumped in his life so kind of looks at poles like "huh?!!" )

He is such a fabulous horse he just needs someone who has the time to spend with him every day to bring back his full potential (before the woman we are selling him for got him he was a beutiful extravagant stallion, the woman that now owns him castrated him and just left him!!!) But he is just the sweetest horse, and has all the potential etc there, he just need someone with the time to bring it out of him! (As I say that extention is there!! but also its been so wet the arena is a big boggy which doesnt help him!)
And you wanna talk about a bomb proof hack!? we went on a hack, and he had a bird fly out of a bush into his head (I sh*t myself!) and he just shook it off, looked round and carried on down the road!!!
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Argh! Id buy him if I wasnt such a poor lowly student!
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It quite common of D's that show at a higher level (in my experience), they are after extravagant flashy paces which tends to come from not really ever letting them forward properly...they may look to be working properly but more often than not the back end is trailing behind...sorry but thats just my opinion of D's in the show ring.

Mine often starts like that, short and choppy, he takes his time to warm up properly. I find a slow warm up, lots of transitions and changes within the paces (especially in the canter) tends to help. My boy is also quite lazy so needs to be reminded to use his back end.
 
Trendybraincell

Yup sounds like him down to a t!!! his 1st owner took him to HOYS and RIHS, so he knows his job! and trying to get him to feel like any more of a tb/wb/ID sort of thing, takes a) a lot of time and b) doesnt really happen!!!

He feels stompy, but as you say, flashy stompy! and yes he is lazy, but if you ride in spurs its not a problem (which you have to do in the showing anyway so its what he is used to!)
and then when you arent schooling he will just happily walk/trot/canter along at whatever you tell him to, but not exert himself too much! (which is very comfy and safe feeling which I personally love!
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ooooo sounds like he'd be my cup of tea
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Do you have any pics of him?

Sounds exactly like my boy, well aside from the going to HOYs & RIHS!! I let my YO nervous daughter ride last week, I rode him first, so he was doing lateral work, collection & extension and working towards changes...then she gets on and he just plods round at what ever pace she asks of him...you couldn't ask for a nicer chap!!

Their conformation also compounds the stompy problem. Shadow is not the most chunky of D's but it taken a long time to get him comfortably off the forehand...but once you do get it...SO WORTH IT!!
 
Here is his advert:

http://www.horsedeals.co.uk/horses-for-sale/cobs/Stunning-Proven-Welsh-Sec-D-__29-1-10-748127

but this is when he was show fit with his first owner, he is sitll as lovely looking just a bit more "well wintered" lets say (as in a bit shaggier! but not much! still a fab contendor for a loreal hair advert! suck it cheryl cole!
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He is a nice chunky D but not too extreme, he is light enough to move nicely! his only flaw is he is a puff when it comes to walking through water!!! He will do it if you persuade him its ok (as in sit on top and just talk him through it!) but if he can avoid it he will do (but will never EVER fight you for it!!! he has not put a foot wrong, or upwards, since I have been working with him!! I would be happy to put a 5yo on him and walk off and know they are ok!

He is a lovely horse and I just so want him to get a nice home!
 
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