Reach for a contact - how?

[JillA]

I am trying to get my big lad to lift his back to engage his hind legs, and I want him to strengthen his back by reaching down. He can do it fine in walk, so long as I raise my hands and ask, but in trot, if I lose the contact he doesn't seek it, he just goes freely forward without it. If I raise my hands like in walk, he just offers an outline but doesn't round his back to engage behind. Any ideas how I can get him to reach down and forward in trot? Or is it a case of waiting until he has developed the strength by doing it loads in walk?

 

[DabDab]

If you ride him up to the bit on a working contact first and really moving forwards in the trot and then ask for him to drop his head by opening your hands and lowering them a little. Because he has just had his muscles semi-tensed in a in a more collected position he should be keen to stretch down and you can let your reins slip to allow this. Make sure you keep him actively moving forwards while you ask for the lower head carriage. Once he has got used to the idea you should be able to raise your hands and bring them together after putting him in the lower frame to encourage him to lift his shoulder and round through his back to a greater extent. Hope that helps

 

[Fanatical]

It's hard to advise without seeing it happen but I would suggest that you need to keep your hands up in front of you and maintain the contact and use lots of bending and suppling exercises (basic lateral work) to encourange him to take the contact forwards and down so that he is working more over his back. If you really get him bending properly on one rein and then the other it should help to supple him up through his whole body (ie: rib cage etc) as opposed to just his neck. Also make sure you keep the rhythm truly forward into a consistent contact, in theory this should help him seek the contact.

 

[JillA]

Thanks both - chicken and egg really, he doesn't have a fifth gear and I was hoping to get him tracking up better by doing this. But from what you say he needs to be working through from behind before he gets it?