Trotting up issue

[Olliepoppy]

Hi, I can't get my boy to trot up on the lead rope in his field. I've tried using taps of the crop to get him going but he's just 'yeah, whatever' and takes no notice. I can't seem to get him to trot without looking like I'm hauling his backside round the field with me at one end of the rope and him at the other! He is not the best at leading next to you as he tends to try to use you as a scratching post.. Any training tips gratefully received

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

First, teach him to lead properly in walk. At your side, without pulling, barging, scratching, planting, hanging back etc.

Then think about what you're doing. To start with staying in trot is not important, that can come later, getting the transition from walk to trot is important at this stage. When you've got the transition, you can repeat your ask whenever you notice him start to slow and therefore prevent him dropping back to walk before you asked him to.

Is he ridden or driven or does he lunge or long-rein, and does he respond to voice aids at those times or respond well to other cues? If so, use the ridden or driven or lungeing or long-reining work to two reinforce the voice aids or teach the voice aids from scratch if necessary. Get it so you can achieve the transition from walk to trot solely with voice aids, then you'll easily be able to transfer this to leading in hand.

Or you lead and ask with a voice aid while a friend also asks for the trot with a lunge whip, essentially you're lungeing without a lunge rein. The friend should have good control of the whip and be able to swish it at the heels or hocks, as well as flick it on the hocks or quarters as necessary. They need to be aware of body language, look the horse in the eye, stand level with the area just behind the girth and have a 'driving forwards' position almost facing forwards with their body rather than directly facing the horse. In short, the friend needs to be a good lunger (or learn fast!) not a random wielding a whip.

Whichever method you use, when you get a response and he trots, ensure you praise him each time so he knows he got it right. And do it quick, the second he trots, timing is key. IME the more hassle you had getting the trot, the bigger the praise needs to be. He will soon realise life is easier if he does as you ask.

Since he doesn't respond to a flick of the rope on his side or a tap there with a whip, its likely he is either very green or used to getting his own way and ignoring the rider/driver/handler. I suspect he is also sluggish to move forward when asked at other times eg ridden leg aids. The not trotting in hand is probably symptomatic of a general lack of respect for you and you will need to work on the horses education in all areas to achieve the sharp instant transitions that you want.

 

[Shay]

Why do you want to trot him in the field? It might help us to understand what you are wanting to achieve with him? Sugar & Spice is right about needing to teach him to lead correctly which is important regardless. But most people only need to walk to bring the horse in?

 

[Olliepoppy]

Thank you Sugar & Spice for your very comprehensive reply. Yes he is both green AND used to getting his own way. I have had him for nearly 5 months and we have come on a long way since then. Shay - I don't always have time to ride plus I think it is important to do ground work with him which is why I want to trot him in the field. I don't have access to a school so use his field for training. He is coming on with his lungeing but as stated in my op he is still learning to lead nicely and respond to commands. Since the date of posting he is now starting to respond to my voice on the ground and beginning to trot by my side nicely. For some reason if we go up the field in one direction he will trot most of the way but if we reverse the direction he does less before he drops back into walk. For now I am focussing on him doing what I ask, not the length of time he's doing it for. He does respond to voice and leg cues very well out hacking but not so well during lessons (held in his field). The hardest habit to get him out of at the moment is him trying to use me as a scratching post when leading. As he has an electric fence he currently doesn't have anywhere he can scratch so he thinks I am ideal! I am trying to get him out of this habit, hopefully when he moves into his winter field where he can scratch his head he will be less inclined to use me