Exercises to increase length of stride

[lachelle]

I got my new guy in February and we have basically spent the last 8 months figuring each other out. I’ve mostly been working on slowing him down and getting him to settle during the lines. He had a tendency to rush/leave long, so I’ve been taking my time and showing him it’s ok to putz around and and add in extra strides and take a short spot. We’ve kept the jumps teeny tiny (2’) so that I have room to add strides in the lines.

I just watched a video from our last show of the season…ok, we are sloooooowwww! He’s basically loping down the lines now :lol:

So, I’m looking for some exercises to help me figure out how to open his stride back up (without running).

I’m thinking working on shortening and lengthening the canter, and maybe practicing getting “the step” over some poles on the ground? Does anyone have any other suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

[Obiwan]

Try doing some transitions within the gait, at walk and trot first? With the horses I ride, I’ll send them forward in the walk using my seat until they begin to fall apart, and then bring them back until we allllmost halt, then forward again… It’s also an exercise in responsiveness.

It should’t take an entire lap around the ring to complete a ‘set’ but maybe 5 times per lap. Same thing at trot. This exercise is mean to slowly push the bounds of what your horse is currently capable of, into something more collected, more extended, and more responsive.

It’s also important to make sure your not holding your horse up while in this exercise.

I wouldn’t use poles to try and get ‘the step’, unless your thinking a do the add then then leave out situation. Regardless everything is easier at canter if you can first do it at walk and trot!

[merrygoround]

Transitions within the gait. Each time you rise, rise longer and slower to lengthen the stride, to shorten the stride rise and sit quickly. The last can be a challenge for the rider to rise slowly and vertically, w/o losing balance.

The same principles follow in the canter.

Dressage riders have it easier as they sit the trot a lot, and sit the canter.

Don’t expect a lot from your horse in your first attempts, it takes some a bit of time to figure it out.

[Pally]

Agreed on the transitions within the gaits, and very much agreed with Obiwan that doing them with frequency (ie. you don’t stay in either the lengthened and shortened state too long).

I would say poles can be useful, in showing you what kind of a canter you have. I mostly ride without someone to yell at me to ride more forward and can easily get lulled into a canter that ahem lacks impulsion. Heading for a single pole can really tell me something about that…if it comes up smoothly and easily, I know I have “enough”…if we have to awkwardly fit it in, well, that’s information.

The classic exercise putting down a line of poles and doing different numbers through it is also informative. A variation of this is to set two poles equal distance apart on a circle (or advanced version, 4 poles aka circle of death, but that comes up quick). First just count and see how many strides you put on each side of the circle, and see if they are the same. If not, evaluate where the wavering is happening. It may be a problem of track, so make your circle cleaner. But if the number still varies on a perfect circle, the rhythm is probably changing. Once you can get staying the same and smooth, experiment with changing the number of strides you get, by changing the stride length, not the track. This is a helpful exercise if you have a hard time riding a forward stride through a turn. It looks deceptively simple, but it can keep you busy for awhile.

[tbchick84]

Pick up 8 of those little orange cones in your local hunting/camping store and set them up on a circle at 3,6,9,12 o’clock on a large circle, putting 2 at each location. Ride through each set of cones and establish your current canter stride. Then practice getting to each set of cones one stride sooner, one stride later, etc. Is sounds easy, but when you factor in having to keep your horse between the cones at each junction, it puts more accountability in the equation. It was this exercise which finally had me understanding when they talk about having the right canter. When you have “it”, you can adjust it merely by thinking about it. You magically get there in the amount of strides you want without losing any quality in the canter. It’s an awesome exercise.

[Lord_Helpus]

Cavaletti, set first at 10’ apart, then lengthening the spaces until they are on a full 12’ - 12’6" distance.

This not only helps the horse learn to lengthen his stride, but it teaches the rider what pace he needs to establish to get the correct stride.

If you lean what the necessary pace is, and establish it on your circle, then the horse has a fair chance to make it down the lines on rhythmic strides, without rushing to get the job done.

[lachelle]

[QUOTE=Pally;8908331]
I would say poles can be useful, in showing you what kind of a canter you have. I mostly ride without someone to yell at me to ride more forward and can easily get lulled into a canter that ahem lacks impulsion. [/QUOTE]

YES. I am in the same boat. I sold my tow vehicle a few months ago and have had a total of 1 lesson in the last 6 months. I’m DYING.

I think to myself “what a lovely canter”. And then I see the video. He is LOPING down the lines and getting the adds.

@Lord Helpus;8910995

This not only helps the horse learn to lengthen his stride, but it teaches the rider what pace he needs to establish to get the correct stride.

This is exactly what I need help with. I don’t know what this horse’s canter should feel like on a 12’ stride. I can shorten and lengthen all day long but I feel like my regular working canter needs some umph to it. This horse is so different than the horse I had been riding for the last 4 years. I feel like I get tricked into feeling like we are GALLOPING around the ring but in reality it’s 100% fine and probably exactly where our canter needs to be.

Thanks everyone!

[ace]

I got into a similar situation with my old TB - got so used to thinking “slow, slow, slow” that I was taking his power away. I don’t have any suggestions for exercises, but I had an event coach say to me in a cross country clinic “A little less ride-in-the-park, a little more steeplechase” about my canter.:lol: It actually made me think and ride a more ground covering stride.

[Janet]

Set rails on the ground a multiple of 12’ apart (say 72’ or 84’).

Canter through the line, counting your strides. Work on it until you get the “right” number of strides consistnetly.

Then practice one more stride (“the add”) and one less stride (“teh leave out”) then the “right” number.

[equisusan]

I had a jumper who needed to learn to balance and jump around the jumps. He did not have that “born with it” natural up in front of you balance. Weak behind and on his forehand. So we went slow, slow, slow and added, added, added building strength and muscle until I had a 16.2H horse that couldn’t make the strides through the triple.

So to fix the stride now that we had a horse that jumped well and engaged himself behind… we cantered rails on the ground 5 strides apart 66-69’ for just poles. I actually no longer did a lot of collection and extension… this time was spent creating his new normal canter from an 10’ or 11’ stride to a 12’ or 13’ stride. I only cantered on the real step… every ride… over and over until it was his and my new norm. It felt fast at first but then became “normal”.

Then I added back in all the collection and extension.

[lachelle]

So, I rode today with my friend. I told her my goal “I need to fix our canter.” And asked her to watch us go. She helped me focus on sitting down and balancing him back while sending him forward.

I cantered, I thought it was nice and forward and told her I knew I wasn’t galloping but it felt fast. So she videod it for me. Holy cow…we still looked so slow! Went to a jump with our new canter, and it was amazing how much easier it was to adjust his stride to find a distance. Go figure… :lol:

So clearly this is a mental thing for me, but I am happy to have homework for the winter!

[retired4now]

OMG this is so my problem. My 17 hand mare is perfectly happy and feels absolutely amazing on an 11 foot canter. She is super rhythmic and you almost can’t miss a distance. This makes it super easy to get lulled into this being “the” canter.
Until you are going down a line and get long and weak to the oxer. Which makes me want to hurl. Or you’re galloping like hell and have the feeling that you’re on a speed hunter.
I just can’t find that happy medium. Add in my mare having a “peek” just makes this uncertain ammy a wreck.

I’ll be trying some of these ideas. Please keep them coming!

[specifiedcupcake]

[QUOTE=lachelle;8914143]
I don’t know what this horse’s canter should feel like on a 12’ stride. I can shorten and lengthen all day long but I feel like my regular working canter needs some umph to it.[/QUOTE]

Poles. Many many poles. It also helps my horse lengthen without getting fast if I post the canter and kind of “rock” to the stride I want before hitting the poles, which tell me if I hit or missed the length.

[lachelle]

Bumping this thread back up to ask a clarifying (perhaps stupid) question:

When I set up a “line” of poles, what should they be measuring? Do I add distance for takeoff/landing? Adding an extra 6’ each for takeoff and landing sounds excessive lol. Say I want to set up a 6 stride line of poles, what should that measure in feet?

[tbchick84]

[QUOTE=lachelle;8939347]
Bumping this thread back up to ask a clarifying (perhaps stupid) question:

When I set up a “line” of poles, what should they be measuring? Do I add distance for takeoff/landing? Adding an extra 6’ each for takeoff and landing sounds excessive lol. Say I want to set up a 6 stride line of poles, what should that measure in feet?[/QUOTE]

No takeoff/landing space needed. Poles for cantering should be 9’.

[lachelle]

[QUOTE=tbchick84;8939372]
No takeoff/landing space needed. Poles for cantering should be 9’.[/QUOTE]

Wouldn’t if I’m trying to get the feel for a 12’ stride…I’d want to set the poles at a 12’ stride right? So then would a 6 stride line of poles just need to be set at 72’ apart?

[equisusan]

We use 3-4’ for landing and takeoff when it’s just poles so a 5 stride line is 66-68’
A 9’ canter rail is what you would put in front of a jump if you wanted to canter in 3’ landing and then 6’ for takeoff to the jump