Anyone have any tips for stopping jogging in medium walk?

[shortstuff99]

Evening all . Does anyone have any good tips for stopping jogging in a medium walk, particularly after a free walk? Unfortunately this is my nemesis in tests and I have tried all of the standard techniques including slowly retaking, taking the outside rein first, scratching the neck, making sure to keep the body still keeping the leg on etc. All to no avail ?. She is a very keen bean and she gets eager to trot/canter I practice free to medium to free etc.

Any tips I haven't thought of gratefully received!

 

[twiggy2]

Practice medium walk over poles may help, if not try to increase the walk at a rate ponio is comfortable with, if she is jogging then she is likely being pushed out of her rhythm.

 

[shortstuff99]

Practice medium walk over poles may help, if not try to increase the walk at a rate ponio is comfortable with, if she is jogging then she is likely being pushed out of her rhythm.

I only have to vaguely think about picking her up for the jogging to start, don't even have a chance to be pushing her but will try a light seat to check.

 

[daffy44]

How often do you work on the transitions between free and medium walk at home? And how does it go when you practise it at home?

 

[twiggy2]

I only have to vaguely think about picking her up for the jogging to start, don't even have a chance to be pushing her but will try a light seat to check.

Tricky when they are like that but she must be anticipating and getting anxious.

 

[shortstuff99]

How often do you work on the transitions between free and medium walk at home? And how does it go when you practise it at home?

I try and practice it every session, and it usually takes a few goes before it is relaxed. As soon as there is any sort of pressure situation it goes straight out the window. She anticipates a lot, and if I have been working on canter transitions or simple changes etc then it gets worse. She is a very tricky character and it has taken a lot of work to get this far but this is the last sticking point!

 

[shortstuff99]

Tricky when they are like that but she must be anticipating and getting anxious.

Yes she does anticipate a lot! Taken a lot of work to get her as relaxed as she is now but this is the last sticking point.

 

[daffy44]

I try and practice it every session, and it usually takes a few goes before it is relaxed. As soon as there is any sort of pressure situation it goes straight out the window. She anticipates a lot, and if I have been working on canter transitions or simple changes etc then it gets worse. She is a very tricky character and it has taken a lot of work to get this far but this is the last sticking point!

When you do it at home, do you mix it up? So sometimes into halt, sometimes rein back, a lttle leg yield if she jogs, turn into a smallish circle etc?

 

[be positive]

How good is her free walk? if it does not get an 8 then sacrifice that for a few tests and only allow a token amount of rein, trying just putting your hands forward a little instead of letting the rein slip through the fingers, so picking her up is not such a big deal, many horses do not take the rein properly in free walk, it is more of a loose rein than long, and then anticipate being picked up onto the contact which should never have been lost in the first place.

 

[shortstuff99]

When you do it at home, do you mix it up? So sometimes into halt, sometimes rein back, a lttle leg yield if she jogs, turn into a smallish circle etc?

At home I often do the small circle to a leg yield and that does help release the back but that is difficult to do in a test! I am wary of using rein back too much as she can be backwards thinking and her go to used to be reverse.

 

[shortstuff99]

How good is her free walk? if it does not get an 8 then sacrifice that for a few tests and only allow a token amount of rein, trying just putting your hands forward a little instead of letting the rein slip through the fingers, so picking her up is not such a big deal, many horses do not take the rein properly in free walk, it is more of a loose rein than long, and then anticipate being picked up onto the contact which should never have been lost in the first place.

She free walks for an 8 or higher most times and if I get the medium it scores very well too, this is why it is so frustrating as it is all there just need to find the relaxation key! I could sacrifice that for a while until it becomes less of an issue.

 

[daffy44]

At home I often do the small circle to a leg yield and that does help release the back but that is difficult to do in a test! I am wary of using rein back too much as she can be backwards thinking and her go to used to be reverse.

I understand that, then forget the rein back. If leg yield helps you can sneak a little bit of that into a test, just pushing her away from your leg a little as you pick up the reins, or you can try to just fake it a bit in the test, and shorten your reins without actually taking more contact.

 

[be positive]

She free walks for an 8 or higher most times and if I get the medium it scores very well too, this is why it is so frustrating as it is all there just need to find the relaxation key! I could sacrifice that for a while until it becomes less of an issue.

That makes it harder but still worth a try, throwing away a few decent scores to get to the end goal can be worthwhile especially if you are doing 2 tests in one day, I have cheated with a few by giving just the rein nearest the judge and having a more secure contact on the other one, a bit of trial and error at home, thinking slightly outside the box, if she anticipates putting her straight back down may help, also I have found doing trot/ canter work on a long rein, picking up and back down can stop them being so precious in walk.

 

[Circe2]

Boring as it sounds (and is), I would probably start by focusing on free walk - medium walk - halt transitions at home. Lots of them. And in the warm-up ring, if being in a new place excites her - even if that means lunging in the morning before the show and arriving slightly earlier to blow off some steam!
Personally, my boy seems to find poles exciting, so I wouldn’t go down that route - you just want her to get really familiar with the transition and basically manage her expectations re what’s about to happen.

I can imagine doing something like this:
Medium walk
Half halt
Medium walk
Halt
Medium walk
Free walk
Halt
Free walk
Medium walk
Halt
Medium walk
Half halt
(Repeat from start)

You’ll definitely go a bit loopy, but it’s worth practicing until there isn’t a shred of excitement left! ?

Once she’s mastered that, start with a canter or working trot (to get her excited) and then go into the mind-numbing exercise above. Once complete, ask her to trot/canter straight after (ideally from a halt)! That way she’ll slowly unlearn that just because the pace is picking up, she can skip the boring bits and go straight back into faster work.

 

[shortstuff99]

Thank you all, you have given me some new things to try!

 

[oldie48]

Generally I don't we practice the walk as much as we should. A few years ago we had a very hot dry spell and I used to do most of a schooling session in walk with Mr B, who was also a very anxious onward bound sort of chap. It improved his walk hugely, particularly the trans within the walk but it also improved pretty much everything else too, particularly the lateral work.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Lots of good tips above, both Topaz and Skylla get tense and can jog. I had to do a lot of walk practice and getting them to listen in the walk and not anticipate (simple changes can still occasionally go squiffy for Topaz!), I've found that if they are properly on my aids they don't tend to jog.

Things that worked for Topaz were starting the walk pirouettes as I had to collect her but it led to a walk movement rather than a transition to another pace, so she figured out collection doesn't just mean canter/trot/halt is going to happen. The other thing I do at home, is if she gets her knickers in a knot I ask her to do some half steps/ jog deliberately, this works best when shes jogging as an evasion rather than anticipating. Half steps are hard work, she is always happy to walk after them .

Skylla, well to be honest I didn't think she knew how to walk between the ages of 4-6... So she did everything in either SI or travers in walk, just to get the swing and her to walk properly the lateral work is great and they will find it very hard to jog so getting that feeling of leg yield/ SI out of the free walk to medium can really help in tests. It took a long time with Skylla but we can walk on a loose rein now, though admittedly she was a bit of a special case.

 

[shortstuff99]

Lots of good tips above, both Topaz and Skylla get tense and can jog. I had to do a lot of walk practice and getting them to listen in the walk and not anticipate (simple changes can still occasionally go squiffy for Topaz!), I've found that if they are properly on my aids they don't tend to jog.

Things that worked for Topaz were starting the walk pirouettes as I had to collect her but it led to a walk movement rather than a transition to another pace, so she figured out collection doesn't just mean canter/trot/halt is going to happen. The other thing I do at home, is if she gets her knickers in a knot I ask her to do some half steps/ jog deliberately, this works best when shes jogging as an evasion rather than anticipating. Half steps are hard work, she is always happy to walk after them .

Skylla, well to be honest I didn't think she knew how to walk between the ages of 4-6... So she did everything in either SI or travers in walk, just to get the swing and her to walk properly the lateral work is great and they will find it very hard to jog so getting that feeling of leg yield/ SI out of the free walk to medium can really help in tests. It took a long time with Skylla but we can walk on a loose rein now, though admittedly she was a bit of a special case.

I think some of the problem is she is too smart for her own good and I probably telegraph a bit too much! She does lovely walk piris and if I put her in one if shes jogging then she stops but starts again as soon as it's a straight line. I do also do the half steps but being Spanish this her favourite and she will just start offering me them instead of walking! I'm going to try the above of making the walk a bit boring and try a little bit of leg yield in the walk.

 

[HufflyPuffly]

I think some of the problem is she is too smart for her own good and I probably telegraph a bit too much! She does lovely walk piris and if I put her in one if shes jogging then she stops but starts again as soon as it's a straight line. I do also do the half steps but being Spanish this her favourite and she will just start offering me them instead of walking! I'm going to try the above of making the walk a bit boring and try a little bit of leg yield in the walk.

Yeah half steps only work if they are evading rather than anticipating otherwise walk can be lost entirely lol.
The more I've schooled the walk the more reliable it's become, even if it is rather tedious , Skylla did nearly break me as it was honestly months/ years of work!

 

[shortstuff99]

Yeah half steps only work if they are evading rather than anticipating otherwise walk can be lost entirely lol.
The more I've schooled the walk the more reliable it's become, even if it is rather tedious , Skylla did nearly break me as it was honestly months/ years of work!

I have a feeling it's going to be a long time for me too! It has already improved a lot, before I couldn't even get a free walk and picking up for a medium would involve sideways leaping etc at least now it's only a bit of jogging in the medium!