I have picked up a ride on a six year old WB who has spent his life thus far as a trail/pleasure horse. He is certainly not fighting fit but he isn’t completely flabby either. He has a solid brain, three good gaits and is willing to work. Due to his past pleasure riding lifestyle his version of normal work is a flat shuffle walk, something akin to a western jog and a balanced but very short canter stride. We are slowly building up a lounge routine with side reins which is helping but under saddle he sucks back behind my leg at all three gaits. When I am able to get him moving and balanced he is a lovely ride but I am constantly either trying to push him forward or I feel as though I’ve pushed too far and he becomes unbalanced. An example of this would be W-T-W transitions—very sticky upward steps into the trot and then when I have him balanced and begin the downward transition he locks up and braces against my hand before teetering into a running walk or collapsing into a shuffle walk. I am looking for simple exercises that I can use to build balance and encourage him to open his stride up and reach forward. Thank you for your suggestions.
So rhythm in dressage refers to the correct hoof-fall for true gaits. Tempo is speed of the gait. I think you’re actually asking about both rhythm and tempo? And in general as seen on training level tests ability to move freely forward?
I’m reflecting myself and my own flaws in my answer, so please don’t take offense if I’m off base on what you need to work on. 
For the bracing, I would ask if I am being as elastic as needed. In my case, the answer 99.9% of the time is no - and it’s still pretty high in the general population. I suspect this horse doesn’t truly understand bit acceptance and correct contact based on his history, which is ok. I’d rather that than taught poorly! My mare started off with a somewhat shuffling trot, just not aware she COULD lift in front and open up (and young and butt high, too!), but quite frequently I just hold too much instead of allowing her to move and it’s my fault.
I’d be working a lot of large circles and bending, and making sure I don’t restrain with my hands. Assuming this horse wants to get low in front, possibly even using hands a bit higher here and there to keep him up and open. A low head on a horse who is shuffling can really block movement and exaggerate that.
I think you need to back off on the contact. Instead of thinking about where his head is, think about his engine. He should learn to be in front of your leg all the time and be more sensitive to your aids - even if his head is up in the air. He is trying to change the subject on you - you have to make it about the hindquarters and he wants to make it about the ‘face’. Basically, with as little rein as you can have safely, add a little calf pressure. If he does not go forward, then stick. Repeat as needed until he learns that forward is not an option. Only then can you introduce the concept of contact.
Cavalletti work in both the trot and the canter. Cavaletti will help build the strength and help the horse find the rhythm in the movement. Start with poles on the 4 parts of the circle. I highly recommend that you look through exercises by Conrad Schumacher or Anders Lindgren, or Ingrid Klimke.
If you can, play music, music with a distinct beat. This is not for your horse, it is for you . Now set your body in a rhythm, this is easiest at the trot. When you want a downward transition, stop following that trot rhythm with your body. But do not stop riding. The minute your horse starts his downward transition, put your body in walk rhythm, with your legs on, actively letting your hips walk with him.
If you are holding anywhere in your body, you will inhibit forward.
You received some excellent suggestions on reinforcing forward with a tap of the whip, and of using less rein from other posters.
It takes time, strength, and balance. Don’t fuss over contact too much, and work at getting your body good at dictating the tempo. You have to get the horse to work forward before you can take more contact since they need to be ridden forward into the contact. I ask once, no responce, then I demand with the whip. Go means go. Of course the horse will either be behind the leg or be in a quick scramble because the correct inbetween is harder! You need to insist on forward and use a half halt to to bring him back if he gets too forward and all over the place.
A series of ground poles helps because the horse must keep a rhythm through them. Then the rider must try to maintain they rhythm after the poles.
My husband actually put a metronome app on my phone when I was riding one day and talking to him about rhythm and tempo with my green horse. Sometimes I keep my phone on me and quietly play the app while riding as a guide.
Thank you to all and I think every reply hit on something useful. Yes, it is both rhythm and tempo that we need to focus on and he is quite good at distracting me from the forward focus. I am trying not to have the same expectations that I have of my horse who is much further along in his training. I want to ride correctly, of course, but I am having trouble finding the right level of correction to move him off my leg and forward vs. pushing him too far, too fast and unbalancing or upsetting him. Trot poles do help but still feel like I’m missing a gear between dragging along behind my leg and scooting away because he got a kick and touch with the whip to move him forward. He is much flatter in his movements that past horses and I feel like I am trying to override him to create a “normal feeling” for me.
I wanted to add a follow up note after my ride this morning. I haven’t downloaded a metronome app yet (I think it’s a very good idea) but I did approach everything from a “as long as you are going forward willingly I will not interfere” mindset. It made a huge difference. He is still tight in his gaits and doesn’t swing or reach but I kept pushing from behind and focused on simply steering in the front and both of us felt better. Once this is the new normal we will begin to shape him a bit more but I am pleased with the first efforts–thanks again to all for the suggestions.
I had a similar moment with a young green horse fairly recently. I just thought, “maybe I should stop messing around with him so much and just let him GO. Just go” and sure enough it worked. Duh. I have to keep my tendencies to micromanage at bay. As mentioned, the process begins with properly installing forward.
Thanks Cantering Carrot; he is in the phase with his head up and his neck stiff but a least as of today he is moving forward!
If anyone has any suggestions for simple exercises to play as I’m working him I would love to hear them. Today I tried forward trot on the long side with a few steps of canter on the short side and trot again on the next long side. All in the spirit of stepping out and up. I want to keep it interesting and unpredictable to help him stay interested.
I can’t underestimate the power of the lateral exercises. This guy probably needs to live in the lateral movements. think of lateral exercises the yoga for horses.
I would also recommend lots, lots, and lots more leg yielding exercises. Leg yielding on a circle, leg yielding on the short diagonals, leg yielding from quarterline to the wall and back. This will help with tempo, balance, and also helping him loosen in his gaits and reach.
I would also recommend some shoulder in- helping him to learn to bend his body and freeing the shoulder while helping to load those hind legs, this will help him learn self carriage and build carrying power behind.
Reading 101!!!
The OP distinctly asked about Training Level exercises. LY on a circle, to be done properly requires a bit of skill, and last I knew, S/I was Second Level.
Got any Barry White CDs laying around? I agree with playing music, something that really gets your hips swinging and both of you to lock into. Forget about everything north of the shoulders and lock into a rhythm so you both have to commit to it. He might just be one of those very sensitive souls who feels every little piece of tension in your body. If you play something you really like, it will help you stay supple so he can move better underneath you.
You could do shallow loops on a longer, freeer contact. Figure 8s too. Serpentines if your ring is a good size, but if tight you might want to wait until he is going fwd in a contact.
A very simple exercise:
Trot or canter a 20 meter circle and count the strides. Do it again. Now pick one of those counts (when it felt “easy”) and try to match it–each and every circle. That will help you with a consistent tempo and also increase your awareness of your horse’s gait (and when it declines or rushes).
My recommendation, because it worked for my young horse
She had rhythm issues because she likes to go to much forward and if something goes wrong she just bucked off…
I trained the rhythm for some time on the lunge. I started without side reins, after I felt she did establish some rhythm, I introduced side reins, which she hated in the beginning. Its really important to find the right length. Not too short because that will make the horse tense, because it can’t balance it, but short enough to make him use his back.
I am sure it will take some time until you see progress, but you need to be patient with a horse which is used to go different. It needs to adjust to the new way of moving.
On the lunge also introduce transitions inside the gaits. Let him go more forward and take him back. Also canter trot transitions. That will help him to find his balance. Don’t do this for hours but every day before you get on him for about 10min. Its a good way to warm him up controlled.
When riding him try to get the moments you liked on the lunge. If you saw a specific tempo on the lunge which you liked, try to get that tempo under the rider. Each horse has a specific tempo which is ideal for him and you need to find out which one it is for your horse, because the right tempo will help him to find the rhythm and to loosen up.
Once you find this tempo, try to keep it for some time.
Don’t to too many movements. Your horse is not strong enough yet to do all this. do a nice round circle and try to keep that tempo. if you feel you loose it, try to fresh up the tempo… Most of the time everybody is riding too slow… After you establish the right tempo (and rhythm) you can start with transitions.
Also I hope you have a mirror or maybe somebody videotaping you once in a while because that helps tremendously to see what you are doing. I have a video of my young horse where I try to do transitions and also some circles as well as some poles… All things which might help your horse as well… If you are interested, I could post it…
I second the video camera. I find ground poles are more helpful for me than cavaletti at the beginning (I tend to mentality anticipate a jump and tense). Lots of changes of bend keeping the same rhythm without playing with tempo too much to start. That you can start to alter after the horse is steady. Add rubber band exercises, string of pearls, etc… And of course music playing! This can be some of the most fun with a young or green horse because there’s usually lots of lightfbulb moments.
We did a similar exercise with my remedial horse Melly… on a 20M, we trotted each 1/4 of the circle in the same # of strides [for Melly that was 6] that I counted out loud. IT was really helpful.
World’s worst dressage rider here! But, I figured I’d chime in because your problems sound similar to some I experience.
This doesn’t sound like a “rhythm” problem to me per se. Rather, it sounds like a balance/strength/leg response problem, which is affecting rhythm in the end. My horse gets “sticky footed” because she only sort of half listens to my leg aides. Instead of truly being on my aides, she takes them as a suggestion and responds to them on her time. And she will “shut down the engine” and fall into in her downward transitions if I don’t apply my aides correctly.
My previous trainer used to always say, “a good transition equals a good gait.” Along the same lines, by current trainer is very insistent on making sure I apply my aides clearly and decisively the first time, and follow through immediately if my horse does not respond on my time. My horse is a too smart mare who will anticipate and hates repetition, so we work in a lot of transitions throughout our entire lessons. When she is truly on my aides, the upward transition seems to come together on its own.
On the downward transitions, counting backwards before the transition is something that helps me ride through so my horse doesn’t just shut down, brace, or start shuffling. “5…4…3…2…1… then walk.” And in that time, I am self-checking my position and aides in preparation.
For tempo itself, I just go back to old school counting when I need to. 1-2-1-2-1-2. But the majority of the time, if I don’t flub my transitions, I don’t have too many problems with tempo. But when I did, my old trainer also used to put me on a 20m circle with ground poles at 3, 6, 9, and 12 o’clock and make me count strides, as others have already suggested.
Sorry if this is already stuff you do or if it is totally not applicable.
If you can get out hacking, making use of hills can also increase fitness, making it easier for him to go forward. At the Charlotte duJardin clinic, she had many people ‘go for a gallop’. If I canter my horse earlier in the ride and get up in my 2point, his trot afterward is significantly better. Once you get a decent trot, increase and decrease it with your hips. I agree that ground poles and raised poles also help, as well as shallow loops. I also find that going over small jumps makes less work for me and I have them as part of my transitions.
