Advice needed dressage ppl!!... Trot to walk transitions...?!

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HorseyStar

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Hello all....

Just schooling my welsh cob at mo and he's really starting to go into a lovely outline... It was just a consistent outline in walk then he'd hollow in trot now after weeks of regular work he's bevomming v light of leg aids very fit and forwards and now starting to go into a lovely outline at trot but still a little unbalanced on circles etc.... But improving weekly...

However once in a nice at trot and i ask for a down ward transition back to walk he always goes above the bit so the whole transition becomes a hairy mess specially as he has such a bouncy big fast welsh trot...

Any exercises or queues etc that i can do to get this trot - walk transition keeping him consistent on the bit without him hollowing etc etc... Im sure it may be more me than him lol
 
I had similar prob with v young horse, I was told by v good trainer to do a very gradual transition down from trot to walk and keep rising trot as long as poss, even up to the point of walk, the transition upwards from walk should be sharper. When the horse accepts the downward trans without hollowing, only then try to make it more sharper.
 
It's difficult to know exactly what he is reacting to without seeing you ride so getting an instructor or someone you trust to have a look at you some time would probably be the best way forwards. I would imagine that he is either resisting your hand or reacting to your seat. If it is the hand causing the problem then you need to look at how you are asking him to slow down - the hand shouldn't do anything more than close on the rein to block the forward movement. Obviously with some horses this doesn't have much of an effect but you want to work towards slowing him with your seat rather than with the hand. If you're already doing this is it may be that he is hollowing as a result of too much from the seat. You say he has quite a bouncy trot - it's possible that as you go sitting and then ask with your seat you are actually tensing up which would cause the reaction you're getting. If this seems the more likely then I'd try slowing the trot in increments - so stay rising to begin and hold a little to ask for a slower pace (you still want him going forwards though so keep the leg there!) then ask for a little more and then sit and use your seat just before he comes to walk. You could also practice sitting trot if it's not something you do a lot of and really concentrate on relaxing your seat and going with the movement. There's no shame in holding on the first few times either - if it helps you establish the right position then it can be invaluble. You can then practice adjusting the pace within the trot - so maybe sitting trot for half a circle while slowing the pace a little then back to rising and more forward strides. Once you're both comfortable coming back to the slower pace you're just asking for more of the same to come back to walk. You can then gradually make the transition more acute. It's a bit like walk to canter. You wouldn't expect a horse to do it straight away - you need a good transition to trot and then a good transition to canter and you shorten the time inbetween until the trot transition disappears. When asking for downward transitions I'd also make it even easier for him by doing them e.g. as you come towards a corner, or as you circle across the school, so you're choosing moments when he's naturally slowing a bit anyway, which gives you a bit of a head start.

Apologies for rambling on, I hope there is something of use in there. As I said to begin, there are several reasons he could be doing this and the best way to sort it would be to get someone on the ground to have a look. Good luck with it. Sounds as though you've started off well. :)
 
I was always taught that if they hollow in the downwards transition to walk you send them back into trot going properly forwards and ask again. You may have to repeat a few times but they do get the idea eventually.
 
Booboos said:
I was always taught that if they hollow in the downwards transition to walk you send them back into trot going properly forwards and ask again. You may have to repeat a few times but they do get the idea eventually.
Click to expand...

This ^
The transition down should still be forward, energy should be pushing forward and through, meaning when done correctly, they shouldnt hollow! ;)
 
Yep I keep rising as long as possible when teaching the trot to walk transition on the youngsters too, and have them trained to my voice on the lunge (where they do effortlessly smooth downwards transitions keeping the "forwards" movement) so with ones that tend to back off and hollow I use seat/legs only, plus voice, to ask them to go forward into walk....

My pet hate is riding horses that back off into downwards transitions.
 
Thanks for all ur great advice everyone!! Iv clicked today that he performs this transition great on a hack or walking bk to stable from a schooling sesh.... Just not actually in the menege? Weird! X
 
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