lengthening a 'skippy' trot

[GlamourPuss86]

Afternoon!

The horse I ride is a lovely but green 16.1hh TB ex racer. He has a very short striding skippy trot until he's settled into it (both lunged and ridden).

He's overcome his terror of poles (they're horse eating monsters don't ya know?!), so have been doing some pole work with him lately of different distances to get him to lengthen his stride and adjust himself.

Problem is we're working on grass as there's no surface and can't box to anywhere, and he's slipping quite a bit (seems to forget he has 4 legs!). The flat area isn't very big (rest of the field is uphill).

Does anyone have any suggestions of exercises I could do to get him to stretch out? He's prone to mini rears when he doesn't understand something too. Oh yes and only riding him once a week as he's not mine!

Pink wafers and buttermint tea for any who want it!

 

[LiffWee93]

is it a sort of rushy trot along with being short striding, or just short? if the former, what i did with my welsh who had a tendency to do it - was collect using the seat, making the trot really small (sometimes helps to make it on a very small circle) almost like you are going to walk, so it is hard work, then when you get the softness, relax, open the thigh, breathe and allow the trot forward - usually they relax and take lovely long steps, and soften over the back - it takes a few repetitions, but now i can collect him up and let him out/ half halt with minor seat movements - which is good on a busy horse ps, you have to make sure you dont ride the trot out of the small circle, just let it go otherwise you will be in the same situation if its just short striding, with my little "busy" (as my instructor calls it) forester mare, the best thing i have found is rising very high and noticably pushing your hips rather forward as you do so, so you take more time out of the saddle, it makes them speed up but they tend to lengthen (our girl did) and softened really sweetly, then once you've got it to where you want it, just quieten the rise a little and sit up and it brought her back to a working trot, without the speed but still the stride length... thats what worked on my two VERY different ponies! sorry if that was a bit of a ramble/ no help whatsoever! good luck!

 

[GlamourPuss86]

It was helpful, thanks!

He was rather fizzy tonight so did lunge work of poles and jumping. He's getting the hang of jumping, I refuse to help him, if he cuts the circle then he can jump it from there. He can step over them if needs be as they're tiny. By the end he has using all the line he was given and staying out and popping then without fussing (no style but early days!). Putting bandages on (he doesn't like boots at all) seems to have reminded him there are 4 legs to maneuver and his trot was nice and long and tracking up well

Jump back on next time and hope for less fizz. Wouldn't mind but fizz tends to mean standing up or sodding off round the field!

 

[Welshie Dressage]

My welsh is the same. Bought a new iride training download yesterday, and rode to it this morning, called 'simple steps to long and low', was really good, and ended up with a much longer and looser trot afterwards. Don't see whi you couldn't ride to it in a field, so long as you make the movements bigger so the horse doesn't slip?