Help me sharpen up my horse

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Rocky715

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Hi there

I have a 6 year old conniextrotter, who I have had for a year now. Over the past year we have taken everything very steady, making him very stretchy and since Christmas have been picking him up. We are managing to score on average 65% in dressage at prelim and 62% in novice (just started novice).

Our comments are always that he needs to sit more on his hind quarters so that he is not downhill. We have been doing lots of on and backs within the paces, and lots of transitions to try and strengthen him up. However, the biggest problem is, I believe, that he is not off my leg enough to enable me to push him uphill into the contact. I carry a stick and use it to reinforce my leg when he ignores it, however he doesn't really care about the whip either.

I have had the saddler out, his back checked, dentist out etc and there is nothing physical there. Does anyone have any tips for how to sharpen him up, when he doesn't really respect the stick?

Thanks
Fiona
 
My TB was exactly the same! Got a pair of blunt spurs, now goes like hot **** off a shovel :D Honestly. different horse and I am not constantly knackered!
 
I'll be watching this with interest, as mine is exactly the same. Well, except for the fact he's 21 and the laziness is deeply ingrained. He's improved a lot in the 4 years I've had him, but still has those "well, go on MAKE me" days. He has zero respect for a schooling whip. I've had some luck with spurs and a whip-***, but the clever old bugger knows when I'm not carrying it and I don't want to ride in spurs all the time. He won't go on the ground, either, so lunging is not a barrel of laughs, absolutely couldn't care less about a lunge-whip cracking behind him or even touching him lightly :o

I've tried doing lots and lots (and lots) of transitions and it works to a point, but it's still exhausting. At the moment, the only thing that works for me is trying to school on hacks, where he becomes a completely different horse, i.e. whizzy, spooky and idiotic :rolleyes:

Can't win!
 
Plenty of work in canter will really help the trot improve and strengthen, use counter canter to help get him really straight and into the contact, with a good forward downward transition to follow, then pick up canter again and repeat with more cc, once he is really working through he should end up almost relieved to be working in trot and should carry himself more :)
 
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