Can you teach a horse to move bigger???

I find it easiest to teach halfsteps from a slow, collected walk. You then pick up the rhythm of the steps with your seat and legs, give a small click-click, light brush on croup with the stick and activate. If you get a couple of steps in trot rhythm then immediately reward and walk on long rein then ask again somewhere else. I find most horses which are nicely on your seat already respond very quickly to this.

The other way I know of doing it is by compressing the trot down to mini steps but this didnt work for my horse who finds it hard to bring her hindleg underneath her anyway and just couldnt understand the concept.
 
LOL!! Teaching stuff like piaffe steps is not something you can learn by being told, its in the feel and timing. Basically, you collect the walk and then ask the horse to "diagonalise". I can't explain, its just something that you do by feel. I do it in hand first, then from the saddle, often with someone on the ground tapping the horse to indicate the rhythm.

With the canter, really the best exercise is simple: forward and back on a circle. Big canter steps, then collect but keep the jump and activity. More and more of this, and the stronger the canter will get.

Remind me how long Grace has been back in full work? It takes much longer that you'd think to get the strength back (as I've learned!).
 
Thank you Bossanova, I think the first way would suit her more than from the trot... will give it a whirl and report back
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If I end up in a full body cast, I'm sending her down to you
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Halfstep, I guess it is something that will be a bit of trial and error... and I am pretty sure that when I get it I will feel it if that makes sense
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Plus, she has never done anything like this so I am sure she will take some time to understand why I am asking her to do this.

Well, she came back in work in July 2008 but we didn't really get going because she badly bruised her left fore (required xrays!) and then when that had healed she then had some tenseness in the sacroiliac which if I am honest, I think was probably there from the injury itself.

I slowly brought her back from mid October really and have been consistently working since then. I would say that it is only in the last couple of months that things have been coming a bit more together though.
 
you can put poles on the floor and raise them on each oposite side going down to the last pole and raise them up off the floor as this will make you horse have to work her hind quaters more and teach her to reach up more in her shoulder and her hocks but dont raise the polls too high as you dont want your horse to think your jumping hope that helps p.s this cam make other horses more tens so i dont recommend you do this training programme if yr horse is a tense horse.

TheDressageRider
 
I think it helps to have feedback occasionally - or set up a camcorder from time to time.

With my horse coming back into work and having lost some strength and a bit of his natural spring, CB was getting me to do "sprint" strides - literally one or two strides of acceleration whilst maintaining the outline - and then immediately rounding and sitting into the more collected pace again. Once we both got the idea I could do it much more subtly and get the same effect. Got him much more responsive again, reactivated the hind leg and really got him working over his back - then when I asked for extended trot it felt awesome! It would be very useful for preventing the slower, collected work becoming "stuck".
 
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you can put poles on the floor and raise them on each oposite side going down to the last pole and raise them up off the floor as this will make you horse have to work her hind quaters more and teach her to reach up more in her shoulder and her hocks but dont raise the polls too high as you dont want your horse to think your jumping hope that helps p.s this cam make other horses more tens so i dont recommend you do this training programme if yr horse is a tense horse.

TheDressageRider

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It was the tension I was worried about if I did start to try this... perhaps this is something I could try once she becomes a bit more confident
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I think it helps to have feedback occasionally - or set up a camcorder from time to time.

With my horse coming back into work and having lost some strength and a bit of his natural spring, CB was getting me to do "sprint" strides - literally one or two strides of acceleration whilst maintaining the outline - and then immediately rounding and sitting into the more collected pace again. Once we both got the idea I could do it much more subtly and get the same effect. Got him much more responsive again, reactivated the hind leg and really got him working over his back - then when I asked for extended trot it felt awesome! It would be very useful for preventing the slower, collected work becoming "stuck".

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I definitely need to work on a more reactive hind leg, and some of that is partly me. I tend to forget my legs work at times, epecially when I am trying to concentrate on something else
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That sounds a great exercise though and one I will not only try on Grace, but on my other mare too. Thank you
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Yes, one of the horses I have ben riding here is naturally a 6 for his paces, but I have been learning how to get him moving and swinging through properly and at a recent combined training test got a 7 for his paces on him. It is all about making the most of what you have - yes, he goes in and it's a 6 to start with, but if you make him move as well as he can, and are as accurate as you can be, then your marks go up. The plus side is he is very ridable and if you know how to do it, then getting the better marks out of him is easy.

You must remember that Spencer is used to seeing top-end, pro dressage horses. It might really help you to have lessons with someone used to getting the most out of horses who are not necessarily blessed with that warmblood movement? I know it has helped me immensely!
 
Interesting about the raised poles...
As you know Snoopy has been off for some time and is now back in work.
The chiro guy is delighted with his progress but he feels Snoopy isnt *pushing* off with his hinds. Its no longer that he cant, just that he doesnt know how to.
So atm along with me riding him in straight lines with the odd bit of trotting, I have to do LOADS of pole work, in hand and under saddle. Under saddle hes a bit naughty as he loves jumping (I evented him so he sees a pole and thinks yeeehaa). In hand hes much quieter and really uses his hinds.

So maybe this would strengthen her back too?

Im starting to use this method with Winston also, as can only see it as beneficial
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Probably pole work from the ground would not get her tense so it is defnitely something I will have a go with
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I have been doing some loose jumping with her too which she has now decided she absolutely loves (after a few strange glances in my direction at first) but I am literally just doing a small cross pole with her because she really seems to have lost her confidence jumping since having the time off
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She was a very bold jumper when we first started, so I don't doubt we can get back to that as I quite fancy doing some unaffil show jumping
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BBs, do you do raised poles or just flat ones?
 
Poles on the ground to start with, but because he soon gets bored I raise them on those block things, just one side to start with.
I have 4-5 poles out.
Then raise both ends when hes really going well
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just building it up.

Yeah walk in hand will probably be best. Trotting isnt going to help too much apparently, the walking really makes them use those muscles. In snoops case, hes hasnt used this muscles before - definitely not properly anyway so hes having to learn to do it.

First few goes he clomps his way through, then soon starts to pick up and be more careful
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