Establishing rhythm in trot

[wellsat]

My 16.3 PRE has been rebacked a couple of months and has progressed nicely in walk.

His trot is still v inconsistent in its rhythm, he'll do a few nice strides and then hollow, stick his head up and cross his jaw.

Any schooling suggestions? He's always after about 5mins but still struggles with an even rhythm nd is very quick, slow, quick, slow.

He's had his teeth done and I'm happy with his feet. Waiting for chiro to come and see him but he doesn't seem sore at all through his back.

 

[lauraandjack]

I've found trot roadwork really helpful, especially hillwork. I'm no dressage expert but I think not having to do corners in a school is helpful until they get more established. Nice "hound jog" steady pace, lots of leg and half halts asking them to work over the back. And the hacking aspect makes them forget you are asking them to work hard!

 

[wellsat]

Good idea, he hasn't done much hacking yet because I don't have anyone to nanny him but think he should be ready to start doing more on his own.

 

[FfionWinnie]

Yes I think hacking is definitely the way to go. My young mare had a very good rhythmic trot when I started schooling her, prior to that all we did was hack as no school.

 

[dianchi]

When I've backed youngsters before as soon as they are backed and happy to walk forward we take them out hacking as always found schools don't encourage them to go forward and out hacking no sharp corners all the time. Also I've always found helpful is using music helps both horse and rider!

 

[Dora5]

Also if he is recently backed and so still building muscle, it will be quite hard for him to stay in a good rhythem and this is why he is a bit inconsistent, just do short bursts of trot at a time to slowly build his strength and build it up. Also lunging is good to build muscle, balance and strength

 

[siennamum]

We have this issue to a degree with our young horse (p/b luso) he rushes and is really busy and it is hard to get and maintain a rythym in walk and trot. (canter is just a dream!)

He has spent a couple of months hacking and we have moments where he is super, but it is rather random, and horse still tries to improvise a bit which is unhelpful. His problems really stem from his lack of acceptance of the aids and his reaction which is to shorten his neck, the lack of rythym is really a symptom.

We are riding squares in walk and trot. We are making him ride to the outside rein and accept the leg and working in small teardrop shapes really getting him straight, (his natural inclination is to swing his quarters), and to control his shoulders with some baby shoulder in.

He is starting to stretch into the bit, instead of holding himself, which I think is due to his nature and type. As his neck lengthens, his stride lengthens and the rider is more able to influence the rythym.

Although I agree hacking is great, it is only good if you are actively influencing rythym etc. Our horse is bright and will shorten his neck at the drop of a hat (or leaf, sight of a puddle or bit of wind), which is what we have to fix. Your may be the same, we have started to have him stretch and swing along, which for a horse of his type is wonderful, the rythym just comes naturally then.

 

[wellsat]

Thanks for all comments. We've been lunging regularly to help him build up his strength and although its less of a wall of death than it used to be he is still alot faster on the lunge than I'd like.

Siennamum he sounds very similar, Genio's natural reaction is to come back and up, very different to riding a WB or IDX. I've been doing baby bits of shoulder in as well to encourage him to soften to the inside bend.

 

[Tonks]

If he is not maintaining his own rhythm and not staying in the pace YOU put him into this is to with 'obedience' to the four basic commands of stop/go/turn/yeild.

1. First of all, you ask your horse for a 'basic attempt'. You shape and reward ANY wanted behaviour from him, not matter how small.

2. Then you ask for obedience. Obedience to stop/go/turn/yeild [with hindquarters.] This should be an immediate response from him to any given cue (stop/go/turn/yeild.) This is trained throught light aid, harder aid, release in sequence with the right fore, left fore, right fore.

3. After you have obedience [in all 4 basic movements above], you establish rhythm. Your horse should stay in the pace in which you put him into, say medium walk, unless told otherwise by you and he should not speed up or slow down - thus changing the rhythm by himself. You should not 'nag' with your legs/hands just to 'keep' or maintain him in the pace in which you want. In order to maintain rhythm he should not speed up or slow down.

You bacially need to decide if he is SLOWING DOWN or SPEEDING UP from the pace you are asking him to work in, say working trot. (That is, is he not obedient to 'go' or is he not obedient to 'stop'.)

If he is speeding up - then you have a problem with 'stop' and 'slow' This should be worked on, shaped and trained.

If he is slowing down - then you have a problem with 'go' and 'faster'. This should be worked on, shaped and trained.

This can be trained through tranisitions within the pace from (longer/faster) or directly (trot to walk) can be helpful.

4. After rhythm comes straightness. Here, the horse should maintain his own line, through training. This is achieved through control over the shoulders using the direct/indirect rein. But you haven't got rhythm yet, so don't worry about this one.

However, it is very difficult to maintain rhythm, especially in more complex movements unless you've got straightness - but rhythm should come before straightness.

Best of luck.

 

[showqa]

I have a PRE and one thing that seems common to them all is that they are very late to mature (mentally and physically, relative to other breeds). Mine was at least 8 before he properly "grew" into his body if you know what I mean, and until that point he struggled a lot with his balance (and hence rhythm). Suddenly - ping - he knew what to do with his own weight and shape and right now is offering the most stunning medium trot that I could have ever imagined. Very light infront, with a helluva lot of lift and with seemingly little effort from him to achieve it. I wouldn't be at all surprised if one day we had a decent extended, something which a couple of years ago I'd have thought impossible.

However, I never rushed him and I did do loads and loads of hacking and hill work to strengthen him. When all my friends were out competing their horses already, I was just allowing him that time to grow up and doing very little in the school, but schooling mostly out hacking.