Horrid short pony strides :( *vid*

[charleysummer]

They really are horrible! since rehab from the ddft i've brought her back into work very slowly and gently- obviously not aiming for impulsion and strain on the tendons but now 8 months later, with the vets approval she can begin to do a bit more work, including introducing canter (full work inc jumping by september/october if all goes well!)

She really does have quite crap movement , always has done but i was making the most of her short fast strides in jump offs now i want to get her moving nicer! she just lifts and plants without any stretching out forward and isn't really tracking up.

If i ask for impulsion i get his 10 x faster...

here is a video taken recently EXCUSE the canter! she hasn't cantered in a long time! but tips to improve much appreciated!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35g-G8Ohfdg

just to confirm the vet has clarified she can do this type of work now- she shows no sign of swelling, heat or pain at all so don't worry that she is being overworked regarding her injury! I don't ride for that long anyway on the side of caution #


the videos a bit music vid style sorry i didnt make it intending to use for this!

 

[splashgirl45]

nice looking horse, im no expert but i would try to improve the trot by using trot poles(not jumping at all) and keep the trot quite slow to start with so she has to use herself a bit more and this may help a bit with the canter. only suggestion for the canter would be to forget about head position and try to get her to stretch her whole frame and lengthen her stride mainly on the long side.....as you have had no other suggestions i thought i would try and help...hope it has

 

[charleysummer]

nice looking horse, im no expert but i would try to improve the trot by using trot poles(not jumping at all) and keep the trot quite slow to start with so she has to use herself a bit more and this may help a bit with the canter. only suggestion for the canter would be to forget about head position and try to get her to stretch her whole frame and lengthen her stride mainly on the long side.....as you have had no other suggestions i thought i would try and help...hope it has

thankyou for the reply
will get the trot poles out later and give it a whirl and work on canter next week i think once i've got trot established.
Yep it gave me some ideas!

 

[kerilli]

i think you look very preoccupied with what her head and neck look like (especially in canter, it looks as though you are fixing your hands down and fiddling/pulling to keep her neck arched and her nose vertical), you need to totally ignore what her neck is doing, let go in front, let her stretch her neck and stick her nose out if she wants to, and send her forward in a swinging loose way, and only when that is a habit, and she's taking bigger steps and loose over her back, and tracking up (which she isn't at the moment, that's the biggest tell-tale that she isn't working properly forward into the contact from behind), then worry about the outline... tbh if you get the back end working and allow her truly forward into an elastic contact with soft elbows and hands accepting/absorbing not blocking, then she'll take bigger steps and move much better, and you'll have a true outline. at the moment you are blocking/strangling the front end imho so she can't take a bigger step even if she wants to.
sorry if that all sounds v negative, you're a neat rider who just needs to be shown to relax the arms and hands and allow the horse forward, your rein contact should be elastic not blocking, the difference will be amazing once you allow her to swing forward, i promise.
hope that helps anyway.

 

[charleysummer]

i think you look very preoccupied with what her head and neck look like (especially in canter, it looks as though you are fixing your hands down and fiddling/pulling to keep her neck arched and her nose vertical), you need to totally ignore what her neck is doing, let go in front, let her stretch her neck and stick her nose out if she wants to, and send her forward in a swinging loose way, and only when that is a habit, and she's taking bigger steps and loose over her back, and tracking up (which she isn't at the moment, that's the biggest tell-tale that she isn't working properly forward into the contact from behind), then worry about the outline... tbh if you get the back end working and allow her truly forward into an elastic contact with soft elbows and hands accepting/absorbing not blocking, then she'll take bigger steps and move much better, and you'll have a true outline. at the moment you are blocking/strangling the front end imho so she can't take a bigger step even if she wants to.
sorry if that all sounds v negative, you're a neat rider who just needs to be shown to relax the arms and hands and allow the horse forward, your rein contact should be elastic not blocking, the difference will be amazing once you allow her to swing forward, i promise.
hope that helps anyway.

It does look like that in canter but i wasn't focusing on head position i was focusing on control really! she does like to stick her nose up and charge, getting faster and faster, i do agree i am focusing too much on head position though in trot, probably because she's just suddenly decided to adopt 'outline' after years of being a camel lol, so how do i ask for bigger elastic steps? because she doesn't seem to want to do it on her own, i have let go with the front end to allow her some freedom but she just gets super excited, ears pricked tail up and shetland trots away! i tried to let her go but slow my rising, didn't really work, or is this like stage one and then she will adopt a bigger step later?

thanks

 

[kerilli]

difficult to say without seeing you obviously, a few words on here aren't any substitute for a lesson with a good instructor, but... changes within the pace, working on half-steps for a few strides then sending forwards, bringing your shoulders up and back to slow her down, slowing with the seat more than the hand if at all possible, should all help. does she settle if you let her cruise on a bit for a few minutes, or does she get intoxicated and sillier?

 

[charleysummer]

difficult to say without seeing you obviously, a few words on here aren't any substitute for a lesson with a good instructor, but... changes within the pace, working on half-steps for a few strides then sending forwards, bringing your shoulders up and back to slow her down, slowing with the seat more than the hand if at all possible, should all help. does she settle if you let her cruise on a bit for a few minutes, or does she get intoxicated and sillier?

yes i should really book a lesson i can't actually remember the last time i had one... she collects brilliant but extension is the difficulty also she has quite a straight shoulder which doesn't help. She probably wouldn't get sillier if i let her cruise along but she would switch off and autopilot short stride. All i can do is have a go with what you've told me later and see what i can do ! will try poles too and probably put her in a snaffle so she doesn't feel strangled by the curb chain on her kimblewick.