This is the horse I have to work so hard on- vid-cc please

Only had a quick shufty, but I think you would benefit from wearing spurs on him. You seem to be nagging him constantly with your leg and hand which will only serve to switch him off. If you wore spurs you would be able to be sharper with your aids and not have to keep 'boring' him into submission!
Not meant to be offensive, but haven't got time to sugar coat the reply. Sorry!
 
He looks lovely and you ride him very nicely!!
How old is he?
Firstly (most importantly) is he forward going? Do you feel he is sufficiently infront of your leg?
If no, first establish this first...
If yes, then you are better thinking of it that he needs to be more supple in the body - the neck isn't really the problem, he needs to let go through his body :)
You can see when he is on a curved line (circle/corner) he is not as 'on his head' as when he is just allowed on the straight.
If you work on getting more suppleness initially, you should find that he starts to take more time in the pace himself- as he needs to slow a little but it won't do you any favours just to think 'slow down'.
As I said though, he is nice - with a good loose trot - me likey!!
 
I really like him and you reide very well. He is obviously a big horse for you to really get between hand and leg. He is a lovely mover though and I don't think he looks particularly tense, and although he is in a deep outline he always looks to be working nicely into the contact. Not sure how old he is and what you plan on doing with him but he obviously needs to come up into more of a "competition frame" at some point - and he doesn't always seem to respond to half halts by collecting, but instead becomes a bit slow and heavy in front. Perhaps he needs to be a bit more responsive to the aids (both forward and back) especially as you are quite small on him.
 
Generally looks very good. The only thing I would pick up on, as others have said, you seem to have to nag him with your leg an awful lot. Ideally if he was up from your leg and working as I like my horses to, he would be going from more of a squeeze than a kick and the leg aids would not be perceptible. You should find getting him more responsive to your leg will make your horse much easier to ride and it is the first step in working towards a nice consistent outline.
 
He is smart and he moves well - I just think he looks a bit stuck. A bit fixed and unresponsive. He looks to be moving forward but you seem to be working quite hard for it and there is no real swing there. It's tricky to try and get the swing without rushing him out of his rhythm but he is kind of putting the minimum amount of effort in. I'd whack some spurs on and insist he is sharp off the leg, I'd try and unstick his body with lots of lateral work, and also trying to free up the neck a little. Try riding him in walk on a small circle and bending him round your inside leg - almost like you are trying to make his body a 'C' around your leg so his whole body is stretched. It really helps but make sure he is warm when you ask for this and build up gradually as it is quite a stretch especially if he is used to holding himself. This might also help you to get some elasticity into the contact - at the moment he looks as though he would just get lower and deeper if you give him the rein - which is great, but he also needs to be as quick to 'come up' and be light as soon as you ask. By varying his outline throughout a session you will train and stretch his muscles and help the self carriage. With a bit more 'lycra' about him he'll be lovely :)
 
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its all very *samey*.......you need to juggle it up a bit and get him more active in his body AND mind.....he works in a very consistant outline, speed, and bend.......on lots of circles!!!

he does look rather behind your leg, ignore neck and work on getting him electric and in front of you, so one small touch of leg and if no response-GO GO GO in to a gallap, seriously, he needs to react to the leg by sitting his butt down and snapping his hocks wuicker, currently he either ignores you or flicks his tail-sure sign of being behind the leg.

once he's really taking you forward (and i wouldnt worry if you have to run the legs off him to get him forward initially), then you can work the front end. he needs to have more self carrige generally and the easiest way to start is to ride in off the track, going straight but asking him to flex to either the inside or outside, then relaxing the hand and asking him to hold that bend himself for a few strides before softly returning to neutral/straight, without falling on either shoulder or leg or backing off the leg. this should make him lighter and more elastic in the rein so you can then let him stretch right down long and low and get the back to flex and swing (at the mo he is in a very middling outline, neither stretching, nor up and at his stage-i believe he works at medium? i would expect more of a difference to be shown)

ride leg yeilds in trot and canter with him quite long and low and a fair bit of flexion to get him to *let go* in his body.

then pick him up, and mean it. i dont mean grab him and prop him up, but ask him to come up in front, then soften and let him carry himsel there, if he curls or drops on his head, ask him up again, be firm but fair and explain to him that he has to give it a go, only for a few mins at a time though.
do lots of transitions(in this uphill outline) between really collected trot (almost walk) and medium trot, and the same in canter to get him to sit, then push, then sit, then push, with a few give and re-takes thrown in to keep him off his head, until he can put the sit, push and carry all together(weeks or months down the line that is, not days!)

i think you just need to be a bit braver!

do transitions between paces, and gears, in shoulder in to get more engagement, then a give and re-take, then go medium, then a G&R, same thing other way. rein back to trot or canter-make him push and ping in to it, not dribble etc etc.

it wont take much to make a real, impressive difference.
 
In terms of exercises - (echoing everyone else) leg yield onto track, halfhalt - MEDIUM! works well - especially to teach yourself to demand an immediate response. And really ask for medium. Coming back when you ask is as important. (For the record though, I don't compete in dressage, just school a lot of horses)
 
I wouldn't work on mediums every day because that's just too stressful for the tendons and ligaments. There is no need to ask for a diagonal in medium trot, you're not going to gain anything for it and there is the risk the horse will fall even more on the forehand.

What you really need to work on is tempo control, you can't just trot round the school in the same tempo all the time, it's inevitable that the horse becomes heavier and heavier and more and more on the forehand. Who wouldn't! You really need to change the tempo constantly and never allow yourself to trot along in the same tempo for, say, more than one long side max. Reactions must be immediate. This is why it is not so important that you do a full-on medium; an immediate reaction to your forward aid, only for a few strides, is much more effective.

Half-steps can be a miracle worker to help you get him more 'up'.
 
he is lovely!! as others have mentioned you nag with your leg.

However there is a LOT to like. He is working in a lovely frame and consistent propelling himself forward lovely!!

AS someone else also said now is the time to pick him up. By this I mean teach him to carry weight rather than just propel forward.

You need to start in walk and slow the walk right down and shorten the stride lift his front end, then ask for trot and do the same, 'slow your rising, sit for a fraction longer'. You should feel his stride shorten and lift/ PRAISE

It's not easy but he will get the hang of it, as hard as it seems you do need to really really slow it down to get this, then you can work on increasing speed AFTER he has got the hang of it in all transitions, up and down them too

WEll done though from the sounds of it you have done a great job
 
He's lovely, how is he bred?
Is this a standard schooling session though or just you working him for the video? If the former agree with the comments above - even my little horse who I am working at nov/elem does a lot of work on shortening strides? And lateral work too. He is very nice tho!
 
I agree with Princess Sparkle and Frodo Beutlin.

There is a lot to like, moves nicely, has good presence, you ride him well.

But, as others have said, you are needing to work too hard. He needs to be quicker off your leg. It is all a little bit samey. Tempo changes, transitions, lateral work, more bend. He needs to let go through his body and 'swing' more. Be able to bring him up, put him down, go forward, come back, just mix it up a bit.

I like to establish a good working trot and move on from there, once fully warmed up. On different size circles, going large, inner tracks start to makes changes. Bring the trot right back, a near walk transition, soften, go forwards, working trot. Again, bring it right back, soften, go forwards, next time actually make a walk transition. Again trot, mix this up, make him wait til you decide to either walk, or go forwards, start including some bigger strides. Perhaps count how many you want until you want him back again, progress til you can go collected trot to medium, to collected, to halt, to working, to working canter, to collected etc etc etc.
Do some work on your leg yields, be able to come down the centre line and zig zag.

This should hopefully get him listening to you, waiting for what you are about to ask and free him up and that should get his neck better as his body works more.
 
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