Trying to get more Impulsion in Trot

[Shipley]

My youngster now works in a really nice balanced trot however it is a little flat. His canter is fine and light. But I can not seem to improve his trot he is very quick off your leg and it seems that when I try to ask for a bit more he takes that to be speed and trys to rush off. Does any one have any ideas how I can try to improve or exercises to help?

 

[CastleMouse]

Doing half-halts could really help

 

[Partoow]

Hi there . This is a common 'problem' especially in the development in the way of going of the young horse. He needs to understand that leg is not just 'go' but is actually connect to the contact and via this connection you can then aid him in his balance and therefore his ability to finish his steps. Bigger steps need more time to finish that step and therefore results in the hind leg coming more under the body. This is cadence. It is the 'expression of the step and involves 'impulsion'. Speed is the enemy of impulsion , for the reason i have briefly mensioned. that is why castlemouse has suggested the 'half halt'. Merely doing a half halt ' however is more about HOW we do this. Too often these suggestions are made but the true uderstanding has been lost as riding has become the use of 'jargon' in the place of understanding.
Your horse needs to work firstly in a relaxed way. Pay attension to your balance. Making sure the body above the hips is kept 'whole' and upright with each 'block' in your spine being balanced above the other, with the head being in balanced as the ultimate 'building block', on top. Ear, shoulder elbow, hip all in a line. The leg needs to hang in a relaxed way with the ankle under the body and the ankle being in line with the hip. The hand becoming part of the rein and connecting to the bit , with the thumbs on top and the knucklrs down the rein. This will give you the balanced , centralised position that is vital for you to keep the balance and then around that the hosre can balance themselves and from thet we can build the 'ask' for more from the work.
We must not, as riders chase the horse 'forward' with the legs this = speed. This is not what we want. Instead think of FORWARD as the forward step of the hindleg to step up to the footprint of the forleg on that side.That will then gives us another vital component and that is STRAIGHTNESS. Straightness will give the horse the ability to carry weight evenly on both hind legs this is felt by an even contact in both reins. 'What you feel in your hand is a 'symptom' of what is not happening behind you'. So a heavey dead feel , say in the left rein would indicate an insufficient 'carry' by the hindleg on that rein.
So hopefully you can now see alittle why your horse is having the problem with the understanding of why he thinks leg= go.
To teach him to understand that you want forward an expression i would start with making sure he is straight into both reins. Work on a square, about 20m.Really making sure he is straight between the two reins with the head and neck in the middle , sounds like commom sense but you will be suprised how difficult this is to acheive, to just walk in a sraight line. Make him wait at the corners, esecially on the left rein as the horse will commonly take control of the turn so that they dont have to engage the hind leg and therefore loose the inside leg to outside rein connection. At first just riding a halt in balance facing the fence, straight no both reins paying attension to ALL transitions always happening FIRST in the hind leg and being made by staying tall and light in the upper bdy and making the halt by resisting the movement and closing the fingers like you are squeezing the water out of a sponge, to give the final feel in the rein.Then make sure you turn you shoulder to the left (we are on the left rein here),This will open the rein on the inside an close the 'door 'on the shoulder on the out side giving him the guidance to where you want him to apply the hindleg. The contact forms the track, like rails down which you want him to flow forward.To get the hind legs to activate in the correct way the inside leg needs to tap at the girth to encourage the inside hind to pick up react and step forward; the outside leg supports the outside hind leg behind the girth to stop the outside hind stepping out and away . This will then give you your turn, or you corner to you square. What you get is Straight, turn, forward, straight. This done in walk to give you both the co-ordination required for the same thing in trot.The importance being the RHYTHMN, remembering, same rhythm in the corner same rhythm out. First by riding halt turn trot then by giving the aid to halt as descibed but then as you feel him react lift you breast bone support with the leg and ride the turn without halting. This is the half halt. This is the way i teach my horses and riders how to but the half halt together along the scales of training.
In the halt and the half halt always feel that the poll stays the highest point, that the contact is made by the hindleg filling the rein not the forhand pulling the rein.
This is a vast area of training and is why it is said that a trot can be made through following the correct training principles and form the basis to all flat work.
i hope that helps a bit and if you want any more help on this or want me to explain more please ask.
Good luck.