Dressagists - ideas please

[JillA]

Having solved one problem (I think) it has revealed another. My horse has always been lacking on forward, and every instructor so far has offered solutions to engage his hind legs - shoulder in and transitions etc. But it has all been such hard work and this morning I took from a couple of clinicians and thought what will motivate him? Lots of forwards and when he dies on me (which he often does) I upward transition, with a whip to back up my leg if necessary, and lo and behold - he would rather maintain an active pace than have to go up a gear!!
So, onto the problem - having got some impulsion, I want to engage his hinds with lateral work - we can do shoulder in but for anything other than leading with a shoulder, he is escaping through the shoulder and presenting me with a bend I don't want - at walk to begin with.
Any ideas or exercises I can use to stop this escape through the shoulder and get renvers for example? At the moment the instant I ask for the haunches to move over I also get the shoulder in and the wrong flexion. (We are working on the flexions in hand and at halt, beginning to get them at walk BTW)

Pimms for anyone if it isn't too early

 

[be positive]

It sounds to me as if he lacks straightness, using his shoulders to avoid working through evenly, I would forget about trying to get the lateral work until he is more genuinely forward to a secure contact on both reins, concentrating on the straightness, use transitions within a pace to gain impulsion and more activity until he is forward then start to introduce lateral work.
I think if you try too much now you will either find he loses forwardness, which is what you have been striving for, or he will become less straight in his attempts to avoid working through.
Some simple turns on the forehand/ haunches and really active leg yielding with more forward than sideways can help gain the control of his shoulders, leg yield away from the track is particularly useful to keep the desired control as well as encouraging more active steps.

 

[blitznbobs]

I agree with the above get him more consistently forward - take it step by step but if he tries escaping thru the outside shoulder ride with an outside bend for a few strides and then let him come back to straight - this will teach him that he can't go thru outside shoulder.

 

[Eggshells]

I find doing one or two strides of eg. leg yield and then straightening for one or two and repeat, stops them running back to the track/falling out the shoulder. It gets them actually paying attention to what you are asking and gives you more chance to correct things if they go wrong. Good luck.

 

[JillA]

Thanks all - good stuff to work on. It's a joy to have a horse that will maintain a nice active pace - hope it is a permanent thing and he doesn't find an evasion for that!