Hollowing in trot?

[matt_m]

Hi,

My ex racer mare seems to hollow badly in trot and I wondered if anybody had any suggestions to overcome this? She is up to date with teeth, back, saddle etc (I will be getting back person out again soon for another routine treatment/check up).

I have only had her a few months and in that time she has come along really well, she has gained a lot of condition and started gaining some muscle. I am really happy with her way of going generally - her walk work is getting nice and supple and she will actively go long and low, working from behind properly and swinging through. She will also work nicely in the walk on a soft, elastic contact when bought up after initial stretching.

Her canter work is also coming along nicely although haven't done much of this with her.

Her trot work, however, is awful - particularly on the right rein which is her weaker side. However on both reins in trot she has a tendency to hollow up considerably. If I take any kind of a contact she backs off a little and doesn't go forward particularly well, she falls onto her front legs and out comes a horrible choppy short strided trot with her head up in the air like a giraffe which obviously is doing no good for her back.

Any ideas?

 

[Equi]

Just takes time. Work on long low frame like you would to make them stretch down but do it in trot. Really work on powering from behind so make him forward without picking up speed.

 

[Cowpony]

Get her back x-rayed.

 

[matt_m]

Thanks - I just can't seem to get a low frame at all in the trot and not sure how I would go about it. In the walk, I will have my hands set fairly low and wide apart and then she seems to know that this is me wanting her to stretch...but it doesn't work in the trot. She is 'fixed' in the high up giraffe position in trot...

 

[be positive]

As a racehorse she will have done plenty of walking and cantering and relatively little trot work so it will often be the weakest pace when you start retraining work with them. The better she goes in walk and canter the better she will become in trot, I would probably do some work on the lunge with her to get her moving freely, not in gadgets, find her own balance and rhythm without worrying about her being hollow, she should gradually relax and drop down once she finds she can lift her back and not fall over.

The horse I have here is better in walk and canter than trot although trots nicely out hacking now especially uphill, some basic polework can be useful to help keep the focus and length of stride.

 

[Pinkvboots]

Is this the same mare you posted about a while ago that was not tracking up in trot on the lunge?