Trotting tension...

.. I feel that if I could blindfold myself, take away my stirrups and just *feel* my way around a schooling session it would be a million times better.

I there anything that's stopping you from doing that? I appreciate it probably isn't high on your to do list if he's tense and rushing, but could you try just letting go of everything, give him the reins a bit and play around with your body? Close your eyes periodically if it helps.

I find with my boy, who is a bit of a stress head, that what I'm feeling and thinking is as important as what I'm actually doing. He doesn't hack well alone so I've been having lessons where my instructor walks behind me and advises me. The most useful thing she's taught me is that my attitude makes or breaks a ride. If I go out with anything other than a grin on my face, throwing my energy out through my chest, he naps, spins and loses his confidence. If I act full of energy and confidence, even if it is just an act, he follows suit and marches out, full of enthusiasm and confidence. I don't consciously ride any differently but it clearly feels different to him. Might it be worth a try playing around with something like that, instead of actively schooling him for a bit?
 
BayLady said:
.. I feel that if I could blindfold myself, take away my stirrups and just *feel* my way around a schooling session it would be a million times better.

I there anything that's stopping you from doing that? I appreciate it probably isn't high on your to do list if he's tense and rushing, but could you try just letting go of everything, give him the reins a bit and play around with your body? Close your eyes periodically if it helps.

I find with my boy, who is a bit of a stress head, that what I'm feeling and thinking is as important as what I'm actually doing. He doesn't hack well alone so I've been having lessons where my instructor walks behind me and advises me. The most useful thing she's taught me is that my attitude makes or breaks a ride. If I go out with anything other than a grin on my face, throwing my energy out through my chest, he naps, spins and loses his confidence. If I act full of energy and confidence, even if it is just an act, he follows suit and marches out, full of enthusiasm and confidence. I don't consciously ride any differently but it clearly feels different to him. Might it be worth a try playing around with something like that, instead of actively schooling him for a bit?
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I actually have seriously considered it, it's how I taught him to rein back, ok I was in the saddle etc but I remember asking for rein back and getting nowhere fast, so I kind of cleared my mind and steadied my breathing closed my eyes and *imagined* it if that makes sense? He reined back perfectly. We had a lovely hack today with claire_r jumping in the woods, playing in the stream, some gallops and very controlled canters, I'm hoping to go in the school tomorrow, I will be working on all those transitions, going straight onto canter from walk then working the trot and trying out some diamond exercises in walk... Think I may close do some of this too, wish me luck!
 
I've just remembered something, as I said he is a total tool when lunging, two reins is ok, but the only way I ever really had him controlled lunging was off the bit, very quickly he learnt not to pull or tank, for obvious reasons this is not something I want to do with him. However, I just remembered that I did experiment with the draw rein method a couple of times where it loops over their back - think it was rhino that first posted about this? It wasn't a strap it down system, he had quite a loose set up but that did keep him calm and manageable. I could give this a try too. :)
 
I would not be sitting on this horse until I was sure it was properly 'working through '
And swinging in the back correctly .
 
Goldenstar said:
I would not be sitting on this horse until I was sure it was properly 'working through '
And swinging in the back correctly .
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No YOU might not, however, he is properly working through and swinging his back correctly while hacking, there is nothing wrong with the horse other than he gets tense from anticipation and excitement, perhaps I should just leave him in the field, because my only other alternative is to work him in the school and work out a way to combat this, not getting on him isn't going to solve the issue, neither is not taking him in there.
 
Queenbee said:
No YOU might not, however, he is properly working through and swinging his back correctly while hacking, there is nothing wrong with the horse other than he gets tense from anticipation and excitement, perhaps I should just leave him in the field, because my only other alternative is to work him in the school and work out a way to combat this, not getting on him isn't going to solve the issue, neither is not taking him in there.
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Er. I think GS meant no sitting trot - and I'd agree with that.
 
Goldenstar said:
Yes obviously I meant doing sitting trot .
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Well, the linguistics of your statement didn't make it obvious, "I wouldn't be sitting on this horse" does not mean the same thing as "I wouldn't be doing sitting trot on this horse"

FWIW, we do not generally tend to do extended periods of sitting trot, we use it to regain control, for example if he is rushing and evading, we sit he becomes calmer slower and softer after a handful of strides and then we resume rising trot.
 
Queenbee said:
he gets tense from anticipation and excitement
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So remove from the equation that that he is anticipating and which is causing excitement! :)

Take the horse for a short hack to warm up muscles, then put it in the school. From what you have written you seem to give this horse a lot to think about when in the school, which is fine with some, but with others it can fry their brains and cause tension/anxiety.

Put him on a 20m circle (or even bigger if your school allows), put him in to trot (ignore the quality of the transition for the moment) and keep it in trot on the same circle. Ignore where the head and neck are. Concentrate on obtaining a steady rhythm whilst rising, riding from your legs and seat.....count out loud like a metronome .....do not go sitting under any circumstance and make sure that you sit lightly when sitting to the rising trot - ie merely brush the saddle with your butt!!!! Maintain a contact with the outside rein, give the inside/or put both reins into outside hand and use inside hand to continually stroke down the horse's crest. Talk to it in a low, calm voice. When you can get a complete circle in a steady relaxed rhythm do a simple change of rein and repeat in opposite direction. To be successful in the above you need to have good balance yourself and not be influenced or thrown off balance by the horse; he needs to learn to find his own balance and become confident. (Sorry to harp on, but this is why lunging is so good as it allows the horse to develop balance without the incumbrance of a jockey.) If you cannot be causal in your riding then you will not succeed with the above method and will need to overcome the lunging issue or find a more experienced rider to help you.

Once you can achieve the above exercises you can start to introduce variation within the pace by using your body and weight and voice, whilst maintaining a steady rein contact. Once you can get this variety within the trot then it is but a small step to transitions. However, you do not move off the large circle or introduce anything new until the horse is relaxed in what you are initially asking.

Another option to consider as an experiment would be the use of a calmer (the syringe type you give a couple of hours before riding.)

Final suggestion is to get your instructor or the experienced person you used to break the horse to ride it and school it to make it easier for you, then give you lessons to establish/cement the work. In any instance, I always think it is interesting to see how the horse performs with a different rider when I am faced with a problem.
 
I neck strap train mine to stop .
I teach them that two or three sharp jerks and whoa whoa means stop .when dealing with this type of issue I stop the horses using that rather than the rein I also use one jerk to mean slow down .
I would use martingale strap as it's thin and you get a better reaction .
I also teach mine ahaa as my don't do that warning .
I also teach them no and I am quick to use good boy ( or girl ) when I am pleased
I know voice training is frowned upon by many but when I took up driving I lost any inhibitions I had about it I believe it helps horses to learn to focus on us
It's also why I am so strict on their lunging training because that's where I teach it .
 
A quick update from today, we warmed up in walk, no stirrups, long rein, lots of changes of rein, collected him up and worked on circles, serpentines and in changes etc he didn't jog and remained nice and relaxed, he was then allowed to stretch out. When I then collected up the reins (this would be the point at which we would trot) he started to tense and anticipate a trot... I pushed him straight into a canter, we cantered large, circled up and down the school, ended up with a wonderful steady calm canter with a lovely head carriage... No rushing, back to a nice trot then walk. Same on the other rein - we had to repeat this one twice to get the same effect but we actually did halt to canter which made me very proud, again back to a really nice trot and then walk. We probably had a couple of circuits of trot... Really quite nice trot although he was still a bit tense as he was not tracking up as much as he should, then cue his stupid antics again. He was rushing, evading, hollowing. Trying to canter off where we had last cantered. He tried this on both reins so I circled in trot, and kept trotting the circle until he did it in a nice steady rhythm on both reins. We varied between a nice walk and a crabby trot doing lots of transitions and leg yielding, we would repeat every crabby bit where he had rushed or reisted the bend until he did it well then moved on. Finally we had a walk and a stretch and I sent him into canter on a circle... Again, a good canter and more steady from the start, changed the rein with a flying change and another steady 20 m circle in canter, then back to trot... We did a lovely trot on both reins (once round the school) lots of praise and I called it a day before he got tense in trot again.

I have booked a lesson with a classical instructor who comes to cornwall a couple of times a month, they will ride him for me and then teach me... I think that this will really help me, I veer between assuming it's him, perhaps tension due to boredom or hating that kind of work or a desire to be jumping, and believing it is just me. His canter is improving so much, but I just can't understand this deterioration in trot... He used to nail the trot in the school. Infact schooling at a competiton - his trot is good, it's just at home. We don't over do it either, h never gets to a point where he is sweating or even puffing (sometimes I wonder if he ever will) and we probably school a max of twice a week.


Tomorrow, I am going to try lunging with the DR method, I will focus on his trot more than anything I think.

Thanks to everyone, just thought I'd update... Few positives from today but his attitude to trot and evading is down right naughty. I do know horses can get a bit full of themselves at this age but grrrr!
 
gunnergundog said:
So remove from the equation that that he is anticipating and which is causing excitement! :)

Take the horse for a short hack to warm up muscles, then put it in the school. From what you have written you seem to give this horse a lot to think about when in the school, which is fine with some, but with others it can fry their brains and cause tension/anxiety.

Put him on a 20m circle (or even bigger if your school allows), put him in to trot (ignore the quality of the transition for the moment) and keep it in trot on the same circle. Ignore where the head and neck are. Concentrate on obtaining a steady rhythm whilst rising, riding from your legs and seat.....count out loud like a metronome .....do not go sitting under any circumstance and make sure that you sit lightly when sitting to the rising trot - ie merely brush the saddle with your butt!!!! Maintain a contact with the outside rein, give the inside/or put both reins into outside hand and use inside hand to continually stroke down the horse's crest. Talk to it in a low, calm voice. When you can get a complete circle in a steady relaxed rhythm do a simple change of rein and repeat in opposite direction. To be successful in the above you need to have good balance yourself and not be influenced or thrown off balance by the horse; he needs to learn to find his own balance and become confident. (Sorry to harp on, but this is why lunging is so good as it allows the horse to develop balance without the incumbrance of a jockey.) If you cannot be causal in your riding then you will not succeed with the above method and will need to overcome the lunging issue or find a more experienced rider to help you.

Once you can achieve the above exercises you can start to introduce variation within the pace by using your body and weight and voice, whilst maintaining a steady rein contact. Once you can get this variety within the trot then it is but a small step to transitions. However, you do not move off the large circle or introduce anything new until the horse is relaxed in what you are initially asking.

Another option to consider as an experiment would be the use of a calmer (the syringe type you give a couple of hours before riding.)

Final suggestion is to get your instructor or the experienced person you used to break the horse to ride it and school it to make it easier for you, then give you lessons to establish/cement the work. In any instance, I always think it is interesting to see how the horse performs with a different rider when I am faced with a problem.
Click to expand...

I have done what I can to remove things that excite him, for example his primary excitement is jumps... so we often school with not even a pole on the ground.

Hacking is something we have tried numerous times, I am on the fence as to whether this does or does not help. Certainly the trot is always an issue in the school regardless nowadays.

I do like the idea of a calmer, magnesium doesnt do a thing but L-tryptophan does... I have a stock of them for shows this year... I may well break into that and try it.

I agree re someone else riding, certainly I know that those who have tried jumping him have had a battle - more so than I. I have however contacted a husband/wife classical dressage instructor team who will be coming in the first week in april. I hope that they will ride him and teach me on him, this is something I feel would be really helpful, Ive also asked my regular instructor to be present so we can impliment what they say into our lessons.
 
I am glad you had a good day .
Just keep repeating , sometimes you have to into the school more than you would perhaps like for a while .
 
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