Improving quality in one gait but losing it in another?

[GoldenWillow]

Probably the most basic of idiot questions but is it "normal" to lose quality in one gait, trot and to a lesser degree walk, whilst improving another, canter? As a background we've not done a lot of either schooling or in fact consistent work since Autumn 2019 and most of our work in that time has been hacking. I've now been able to get nearly 4 months work into J and I am really wanting to improve his canter.

He has the comfiest, sofa, canter but unfortunately it doesn't really go anywhere! We were getting it more active and uphill summer 2018/19 with semi regular lessons but lessons are not currently an option, and we hit the same issue then but I think with time we would have got through it.

Out hacking I've done a lot of moving up and down the canter pace and he'll leg yield nicely in canter all of which give me a good canter and I can transfer that to schooling area but I'm losing relaxation in the trot, he's getting tight in his neck and coming behind the contact and this is happening a little in walk as well. This only happens after I've asked for "more" in canter, allowing him to stay in sofa canter and I can keep softness and relaxation. His default always has been to curl up but it hasn't appeared for years. Do we just need to consolidate the "new" canter and for it to be the normal and relaxation will come back or is it showing up holes in his schooling? Interestingly we can do a nice walk to uphill active canter and as long as I don't ask for too much canter (or do a lot of transitions back to back) we can come back to walk and keep relaxation.

I do know that if I ride him physically strongly I can get him to stretch out with some degree of relaxation but I can't physically really ride like that and neither do I want to.

I'm wondering if I'm missing something really obvious?

 

[Jellymoon]

I would say it’s probably not uncommon for this to happen, but really, it shouldn’t. I wonder if the increased pressure on the canter work is causing some discomfort and tightness. If it were me, I’d maybe just do less of the canter work, shorter sessions, and see if your relaxed trot and walk returns. I’m not saying at all that you haven’t built up to this gradually, but maybe not quite gradually enough for this horse. Perhaps even stop cantering for a while, get the trot back to normal, and then introduce it again at a lower intensity.

And obviously check all his ‘vitals’ (saddle/teeth/physio/whatever) which goes without saying and I’m sure you do!

 

[GoldenWillow]

Thank you. He had his yearly mot last week so I'm happy there's nothing physical going on and I'm as sure as you can be his saddle is fine, he has very strong opinions on saddles and saddle fit and lets you know quite clearly if it's not to his liking.

As long as I stick to his comfy sofa canter trot/walk work is fine in all schooling sessions and the relaxation and softness is there and even in short bursts of walk to active uphill canter, which he finds very easy, it's fine. It could well be that expecting him to keep this for longer periods is a little too much for him at the moment, physically or mentally and although he's at a good level of fitness now I maybe needed a reality check about what I'm asking him to do.

 

[AmyMay]

Yep, really common.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would also say it's common it's just what happens when your trying to improve on something often other things just go out the window for a bit.

 

[GoldenWillow]

Yep, really common.

I would also say it's common it's just what happens when your trying to improve on something often other things just go out the window for a bit.

Thank you, this is what it feels like and I've had it before in a lesser way when I was asking for more in his lateral work but wondered if I was missing something obvious.