Can anyone help me to get my gelding to track up?

[Fabforester]

My pony is really long in the back and struggles to track up in any gait. He naturally has a very short stroppy stride and will never be an 'amazing' mover but I am still having problems that I would appreciate some advice on.

He has never scored over 56% in a prelim test and I really love dressage and dont want to give up hope. Last time I rode him on a day ticket and he was actually disqualified for stiffness in his back end. The judge was very nice but said I needed to get his hindquarters to engage because they really arent doing anything.
I have worked really hard with this little chap but dont seem to be getting any further at the moment.

He is schooled and hacked 5 times a week, and is treated like a king.
I use the pessoa regularly, every 2 to 3 times he is schooled.
We have Weekly lessons with a lovely AI (who has said he is just not built to do dressage and I should stick to jumping him).
I religeously have his Back Teeth Saddle checked to no avail. Have had several second opinions.
Bitting Advice has got us back to basics and he goes well in a plain loose ring sweet iron snaffle.

I literally now am at the point that I will pay anything or do anything to help him. I have had so many second opinions and most are of the idea I should just give dressage a miss with him but Im just not convinced. I will do anything to get this little guy tracking up and not disqualified from his dressage !! Please get in touch if you can help. x

 

[Caritas]

Is he lasy when you ride? If so you could get someone on the ground to help you with a lunge line behind him when you school to get him more active behind!!

 

[Partoow]

hi dont give up! thats the first bit of advise. All horses are capable of work at this basic level its not really dressage until you get to advance medium anyway ,up to that point any sound horse with a leg in each corner should be able to do the work so that he can do the other jobs we ask him to do like jumping. Being long in the back means he will find carrying himself difficult for him but that is not to say impossible at this basic level. you've done the right thing in terms of bitting so well done. Using the Pessoa is good but try not to have it attached so that it puts his head too low with horses like yours you need to not work him with his head too low ,doing this will put him on his forehand and he will not have the space in an up way to engage hia quaters through think of keeping his neck in a more natural position . this will enable his shoulders to stay open. Next make sure you pay close attension to your rhythm this is closely related to balance and this is the vital first step in the scales of training . next think about contact you need to make sure you have an even elastic contact in both reins dont chase him with your legs remember speed is the enemy of engagement concentrate on straightnes ,that is not just geometric straightness but where the hind leg steps into the corresponding foreleg hoofprint so that includes turns and circles .Try and concentrate on your position so that you can help him stay in balance remember to keep your hands level and sit evenly in the saddle make sure you have a clear inside leg on the girth and very important an outside leg that helps hold his hindleg onto any cicle or turn thus making sure that all the energy the hindleg generates goes downthe pathway of the connection.start off with simple halt walk transitions stay tall and light imagine that your elbows slightly suck back not that you pull but you stop the hinleg under the shoulder so that he responds to your body you think of keeping gis pole up infront of you not dropping down this way you encourage him to balance the halt on his hindlegs . to move off dont fiddle with the contact keep his neck in the middle of his chest with his head on the end of that feep your nose pointing through his ears so you are both staight and looking in the dirrection you are about to move into. Keep your leg long hips open and relaxed and imagine letting your tail bone down through the saddle but stretch your spine upwards so that you are encouraging his back to step up under your seatbones this is a really important aspect of hindleg engagement he must want to carry you forward not fall foward again concentrate on his poll staying out infront of you so try to avoid that head raising effect as this is a symptom of the foreleg dragging him forward rather like a swimmer doing front crawl not what we want. when you can both co-ordinate this simple transition the the same applies to any transition up and down and then you will begining to get him to use the hindleg to carry and his back to swing .hope this makes a little bit of sense .Maybe you should look at getting some help from a British Dressage trainer they have a very extensive list of trainers in regions you sound just like the kind of enthusiastic owner rider that someone would like to help. all these trainers understand these principles of training that i have in a very basic way begun to explain. Goodluck <font color="brown"> </font> <font color="brown"> </font> <font color="brown"> </font> <font color="brown"> </font> <font color="brown"> </font> <font color="brown"> </font> <font color="brown"> </font>

 

[siennamum]

I have exactly this problem with Sienna. She has a short choppy stride and naturallu barely tracks up. I have to do all my work at the start of the season to get her 're-engaged' and then have specific techniques for keeping her there.
In your place I would get an instructor who is more experienced, I've had a couple who have had no idea about how to get her working beyond going round and roung. A good instructor will highlight ways you may be making th situation worse with your position for instance.
I would do masses of hill work - up and down hills
I lunge Sienna in a chambon, it makes her swing through her back and start to step through more actively.
The key excercise for us is spiralling in and out, it makes her more supple and engages her hind legs.

 

[the watcher]

Spiralling is a brilliant exercise, as is serpentines with leg yield - anything that encourages the horse to work slightly laterally behind will encourage it to really engage the hind legs and bring them under him more effectively. I would also recommend a dressage trainer (possibly as a one off) to show you these techniques which will make a difference. they can also check your position as to whether you are really asking for engagement at the same time

 

[Fabforester]

Wow - thank you everyone for your advice, esp 'partoow' I only signed up yesterday. I am now definately not going to give up and just need to re-motivate myself. Re exercises for George, we are starting with the leg yielding (although at the moment that consists of us falling out on our outside shoulder) and lots of spiralling, and transitions.

Re the pessoa you are right, and have had a couple of lessons to try to use it effectively, rather than just shoving his nose down!. I am not really a fan of 'gadgets', but do feel that this is the best, all the others he just uses his massively strong front end to over compensate for the lack of use with his back end.

Whilst like so many I do like to think the problem is with George, I need to keep reading Sylvia Loch's Centered riding again and again as this has taught me so much about what we can do to ride in a balanced, sympathetic manner.

I have thought previously about having a 'one off' lesson with someone amazing, I wouldnt know where to start looking (being about as far away from civilisation as you can get, near the Lizard Cornwall). My friend did something similar and had the session videoed, and learnt from it hugely.

Everyone's advice so far has been amazing on this forum, thank you, and its good to know that Im not the only one. Until yesterday I was looking at H&amp;H classifieds rather than the forum!

 

[AmyMay]

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