Medium trot or lack there of!

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BuzzLightyear

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Took my 6 yr old to do his first novice and elementary tests yesterday and over the moon to come away with two wins at 64.2 and 62.8% respectively (unafil).
Comments were very fair and constructive :)
Now we struggle with getting a true medium trot and I don't want to just 'run' as it flattens the trot and is damn uncomfortable!
Does anyone have any suggestions for exercises to help develop a proper medium?
(Should add that he is a highland pony and not a big leggy horse)
 
I have found with my "ordinary" moving horses that it is something that just takes time.

In the long term doing loads of transitions, walk to canters etc to get more weight on the hind leg.

With one of ours we found if she followed another horse doing medium trot, whether in the arena, in the field or out hacking helped.

With another I found that doing medium trot all the way around the field/arena helped her realise that it was a matter of letting go.

Remember at novice level they are looking for a gradual lengthening, and a lot of it is in the preparation for the movement - I know that if I don't gain control of my mares shoulders and collect slightly she wont be able to do a decent medium.

You need someone on the ground to watch you really :)
 
Have a read of this: http://www.scienceofmotion.com/medium_trot.html

Medium trot is incredibly hard for all horses regardless of being a fancy leggy thing or not, and really it is debatable whether it should be included in a novice/ele test as horses at this level are often not physically ready for the demands this movement places on them.

In all honesty, I wouldnt worry too much about your mediums - they are only two marks, and are never x2 multipliers so even if you get a 6 with not much difference shown, it isnt going to affect your overall mark hugely. Worry about the rest of it, get your marks up on the other movements and you'll score higher than if you were worrying about medium trots.

He's only 6, so it will come with time - the stronger your horse gets, the fitter he becomes and more the muscle develops the more he will be able to come through from behind, and the more the trot will lengthen.

Medium trot can be worked on with countless different exercises, but you ideally need your instructor to work on this with you as they'll know where your horse's strengths and weaknesses are, and how he'll respond best. I've seen my trainer do some baby piaffe-esque steps with one cob that is at nov/ele to improve the medium and that worked really well, but again you need a trainer to do this on the ground with you rather than just having a go at something that may do more harm than good. As the poster above said, out hacking where you naturally have a more forward horse, that can work well for mediums.

As a rule when doing the mediums in your test you want to collect as you come around the corner, so you have the power coiled up like a spring waiting to be released, then you bring your hands up slightly and release that power out the front end so you get that lengthened stride.

But honestly work on the other movements in the novices & ele's, get those really strong and you'll find your marks improve way more than if you spent your time working on the medium trot. Get a perfect straight entry and they'll have to give you an 8, ensure your halts are always square and again you've got yourself another 7 or 8, get your counter canter balanced and a smooth transition out of it (so many riders at this level cant do that), get your circles bang on size wise (again so many people ride an 18m circle instead of 15), work on suppleness for smooth half circles.....if you improved all of the other movements in your test other than the mediums you'll definitely increase your score by at least 5%!
 
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I always teach mine out hunting .
I would try going slightly uphill on a hack with another horse in front let the other go slightly faster than you and when the horse tries to canter just say trot and give the aid you use .
It just takes time and repetition and of course some horses are built for it better than others .
You need to fiddle on a bit in the school some need a few steps of difference and then back to working and then asked again ( that my way of choice ) some get it better being kept going round in a big circle .
Doing it from shoulder in often helps either across the school or bringing the horse back to two tracks and then asking .
My two best extended trot horses both learnt out hunting .
 
Bigger and smaller steps on a 20m circle works quite well with mine to get him pushing through without going wide behind.

Also, sounds obvious, but some people forget in the moment: in your test, don't feel like you have to push for bigger strides all the way - balance and rhythm is more important. If you feel about to fall onto the forehand, half halt, rebalance, and ride forward again; the judge will reward that more, and you'll get better marks for your next movement :)
 
How does he collect? Collection should come before extension (which is why I have an issue with the BD tests in the order they introduce movements!)

An exercise I have found useful in the past is to work on transitions within the pace around the school. Use working trot along the long side, ask to collect along the short side, then ask for lengthening along the diagonal. At first you find that they generally flatten and run, but with repetition and praise at the right point they get the idea. The first time you feel the shoulder lift as they stretch into the trot is an amazing feeling.

This is something I'm just beginning on my mare, as she has taken a long time just to find balance in her working trot. My baby boy finds it easier to collect than to extend - I'm not sure when I'm going to be ready to "let him go" as he has such a big stride to start with!
 
loads you can do to help this :)

spiral in to a 10m circle then leg yield out, then go forward towards medium trot as you reach the big circle.

shoulder in half way down long side then either straighten and medium rest of long side or medium across short diagonal.

eg on right rein turn at A and ride to the far left corner in medium, then collect,ride on short side and turn right at C then medium to far left corner so you stay on same rein all the time but doing diagonals.

and loads of gear changes, shorten the trot and almost walk, then trot on, then repeat several times and then start asking him to shorten just slightly then medium half a circle etc.

and once hes strong enough teach him passage, always improves the medium!
 
kc100 said:
Medium trot is incredibly hard for all horses regardless of being a fancy leggy thing or not, and really it is debatable whether it should be included in a novice/ele test as horses at this level are often not physically ready for the demands this movement places on them.
Click to expand...

That's a really interesting point of view - I've wondered for a while why lateral work (which I find relatively easy and very useful) isn't included until the more advanced tests yet medium (which I find extremely difficult) is in there almost from the start. I've just always thought that I was a bit rubbish and that's why I had it the wrong way round, but now I will consider that it's the test system that is a bit rubbish!
 
The tests do not ask for extension they ask for a medium trot ie a trot showing the beginnings of extension a test of are the building blocks for extension there .
Horses can go to medium trot from a good working trot the quality of medium pace will depend on how good the working trot is the off the forehand the working trot is the medium will be .
I completely disagree that all horses find learning to extend hard some once they have their balance in the working find it very easy indeed .
 
Getting a true lengthen/extension *is* difficult. I see a lot of horses who go faster (and also often flat and on the forehand), but who show no increase in amplitude of the stride.
 
Casey76 said:
Getting a true lengthen/extension *is* difficult. I see a lot of horses who go faster (and also often flat and on the forehand), but who show no increase in amplitude of the stride.
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I do thank you know how to recognise extension my natural extenders are exactly that ,they have ( or had ,ones gone now ) a natural ability to extend without going faster the one I have now struggled at first because he naturally extended behind rather than in front and I had to wait for him to work out the front end I think because he had worn draw reins a lot before he came .
But he's magic at it makes me smile every time .
Funnily I had a friends daughter on him this morning and she thought he was showing no difference I had to video it on my phone to show her she had obviously never felt a true extended pace .
She left with a huge grin on her face.
I am in a love my horse mood ,he was so generous with her .
 
Goldenstar said:
The tests do not ask for extension they ask for a medium trot ie a trot showing the beginnings of extension a test of are the building blocks for extension there .
Horses can go to medium trot from a good working trot the quality of medium pace will depend on how good the working trot is the off the forehand the working trot is the medium will be .
I completely disagree that all horses find learning to extend hard some once they have their balance in the working find it very easy indeed .
Click to expand...

A great post - totally agree :)
 
Goldenstar said:
Horses can go to medium trot from a good working trot the quality of medium pace will depend on how good the working trot is the off the forehand the working trot is the medium will be
Click to expand...
Yes, but how many horses at novice and elementary are truly consistently off the forehand and working from behind? If they were, they'd be able to do the higher level movements and transitions anyway and surely by definition wouldn't be working at the lower levels?
 
soloequestrian said:
Yes, but how many horses at novice and elementary are truly consistently off the forehand and working from behind? If they were, they'd be able to do the higher level movements and transitions anyway and surely by definition wouldn't be working at the lower levels?
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I don't consider a horse being able to do a good working trot for example as working at the higher levels , its just being able to do a correct trot .
 
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