Help me lighten up my riding

[Pehsness]

I have a 17 year old QH gelding, former roping horse, that I bought because he is absolutely bomb proof and safe. I love him (I have an affinity for QH’s anyway).

I’m attempting to turn him in to a dressage horse, and me in to a dressage rider. I keep getting in his way.

He is super light and sensitive to the aids. But I am not. If we have a good rhythm going and I feel him slow or hesitate, I slam on the leg. Until now, that is how I’ve had to ride, leg leg leg leg to keep any kind of momentum.

It flusters him, because he then immediately wants to canter (lope). Compounding it is the fact that his former owner (who created this bombproof gentleman, so I’m not knocking him) didn’t trot. He walked, loped or galloped. So then this poor boy gets himself wound up and tense because he’s not doing the right thing, but it’s because I’m not asking him the right way.

Any suggestions? We have trouble going from walk to trot (always wants to canter first), and keeping the trot through the diagonal (wants to stop or canter at the mid point, when I change diagonals).

He’s sound as far as we can see, feet xrayed clean, bodyworker says all good, lesson instructor says all good. I know there could be something deep-seated that is a problem, but for now I’m just looking for suggestions on how to improve my riding. I’m also looking in to a new saddle.

Many thanks!

[B-burg_Dressage]

Sounds like he’s just still confused as to what you want. If he was rarely trotted, I imagine that will take some time.

As far as keeping the trot, focus on your posting. Keep yourself as steady and consistent as possible with your seat and he’ll hopefully follow suit. Try to use that aid first when he slows (or speeds) instead of going to leg immediately.

Also keep it short and simple. If he’s getting tense going across the diagonal, go back to walk before the mid-point (that way it’s you asking and not him anticipating). Go a stride further next time. Do a circle when he tries to stop or canter, etc. Basically any time he gets confused or tense, change the subject so that he’s thinking and not anticipating.

And take some lessons. It is amazing how having some eyes on the ground and having someone talk you through stuff will help. Us dressage riders never stop taking lessons. I was having issues with straightness before my last lesson and she fixed me within the warm-up. Sometimes they can see stuff that you don’t realize you’re doing.

Welcome to the dressage club!

[Pehsness]

Thanks B-Burg! We are taking lessons, and they’ve been a huge help. He’s really come a long way. But we just haul in once a week, and I ride at home (alone) the rest of the week.

I’m just realizing that I’m so heavy with my leg aids, and it’s the opposite of what he needs. I just don’t know how to change it except maybe throw it all away for a while, and just work on rhythm? So no contact, no figures, just forward trot?

[Cocorona]

Whenever you feel tight, shake everything out in your body- almost like a yoga class where you consciously untighten your muscles and relax. Make sure your seat is not giving him a different cue than your legs are. I agree with B-Burg also and would add that you should be doing as many up and downward transitions and transitions within the gaits that you feel comfortable with- keep him focused on you and what you are asking, no anticipating allowed. Finally, I’d encourage you to let him make any mistakes me makes going forward, don’t teach him that if he gets anxious you will pull him up or youll have another problem to fix down the road. Hope you enjoy your lessons! Ask for homework!

[SuzieQNutter]

Try taking your legs off and asking with your seat instead.

This is not the same as shoving a kitchen chair across the floor. It is more to do with your core muscles than your seat. It is invisible to those not in the know.

Lift your tummy and take knees off for forward.

Drop your weight and jnees on for halt. Practice with walk halt transitions first.

He can feel a fly on his side, he doesn’t need more than that if he understands the aid.

If he doesn’t understand the aid then he needs training to understand it.

Yelling English at a person that does not understand English does not make them understand you.

Same that yelling at a horse with slamming the legs on does not make them understand.

Instead find the lightest aid possible and PRAISE.

[Ceffyl_Dwr]

Consider that it’s not just your legs asking your horse to change speed, but your seat and hands as well. When you ask your horse to move forward, your seat and hands must do the same. If you want your horse to walk faster, squeeze your legs at the same tempo you’d like him to move, allowing your hips to follow with matched swing. Your rein contact should follow the motion of the horse’s head. Otherwise, these mixed signals may cause confusion and frustration. To slow your horse’s movement, slow your aids. Consider taking your leg off until he’s at the pace you want. Slow the rhythm of your seat without stopping altogether (as you would for a halt). Be sure not to pull back on the reins to slow down, rather, let your hands slow their movement forward within “the box”. I hope this helps!

Heavy legs are better than heavy hands!

[joiedevie99]

If he gets upset when you change your diagonal, it is likely that he feels you losing/changing your balance. For now, just don’t. Trot across the ring and stay on the old posting diagonal. Somewhere on the rail in the new direction, transition to walk, and pick up trot on the new diagonal.

Practice changing your diagonal smoothly in the middle of the long side as a separate exercise.

Try playing a game with yourself. Walk around the ring, and just start thinking about trotting - what it feels like, what your hips do, what your hands do, what your legs do, etc. If he starts trotting, reach down and pet him. If he’s still walking, think about how seat feels in that first step of trot, and try to move your hips in that way - or make a very gentle posting motion with your hips. If he starts trotting, pet him. If he’s still walking, think about the lightest aid you could give him. Position your legs properly at the girth, and ever so slightly whisper with both legs at the same time. If he trots, praise him. If not, make the aid a little louder until he does, then praise him.

Then try another game. Posting trot around the ring, think about posting smaller and closing your thighs to make the trot smaller, then relaxing your leg and swinging your hips forward to make the trot bigger. No leg or hand allowed.

[merrygoround]

First off, relax. Second, let your legs hang down as a drape.With your relaxed legs hanging down, allow yourself to feel the rhythm of his sides as he moves. When you are ready to trot, quietly pick up your reins, allowing your hands to go forward, as you gently increase the pressure of your seat, and softly close your legs. Stay sitting, keep your hips following gently. If you cannot sit the trot properly, get some longe lessons. Only rise when he is in a steady rhythm. Changing the posting diagonal involves sitting a stride or two if necessary for you. That should help with your balance. When it is time to walk, stop rising. sit and stop following the trot, closing your thighs to stabilize your body and stop movement forward.

the more often you can get eyes on the ground, the easier it will be-sooner.

[Tyrus_Mom]

Does he know the trot verbal cue? Maybe try lunging him a bit and ask for trot in between walk and canter. My horse had problems cantering and always wanted to trot, so I worked him on a lunge line with verbal cues (and a little whip). Then when he learns the verbal cue while lunging, use it on him when riding too.

When I was trying to get my horse to extend his trot and he was confused and tried to canter, I used the trot verbal cue to help him understand I still wanted him to trot, just trot extended (also using seat and legs, of course). But don’t discount verbal cues. They are very helpful to begin with. Later you won’t need them.

Eventually you will mesh more with your horse with your ask and his obedience according to how he understands and it will all become smooth. This feels more like a training issue than your riding issue to me. If he is unaccustomed to trotting and every time you ask him to trot he accelerates into cantering he has to learn there is a second gear in between. Poor guy, no wonder he’s confused with that kind of riding style before you got him. He sounds like a good boy who is trying to please you. That’s sweet.

[Pehsness]

I’m so glad I asked this here - some really good ideas to think about and implement, thank you! He’s such a good boy and I’d like for us to get as far as we can before his age catches up with him.

[asa]

No additional advice for you. But wanted to say “lucky you”. Roping horses are the best! My husband was a team roper and I’ve ridden some of his horses. Hands down, they have been some of the most forward thinking, light to ride, athletic, yet sane horses I’ve ever had the pleasure of riding. Enjoy your guy!

[SillyHorse]

This may seem counter intuitive, but when you have a horse that is hot off the leg, you need to keep your legs draped softly against his sides all the time. Not only does this help him learn to accept the leg, but when you need to use your leg, it’s there and just a slight change in pressure is all it takes. Practice at the walk until your horse moves freely forward with no anxiety about the leg being on. Then a slight pressure (and maybe using the verbal cue to trot as Tyrus’s Mom suggested upthread) to ease him into the trot.

A horse that’s dull to the leg needs the opposite – legs off until you need than, then it’s quick and clear and off again.

[LilyandBaron]

Great suggestions already. I remember a trainer using an analogy about squeezing toothpaste out of the tube. If you slam your fist down on the tube, it all spurts out. That’s your legs slamming the horse. Think of just gently applying pressure, increasing gradually until he responds, making sure your seat and hands allow the forward movement.

[jonem004]

Trot poles can be a good way to improve rhythm and increase stride length without confusing him. I’m also a big fan of verbal cues for schooling. It’s one more way to communicate exactly what you want. As you develop a common language. Before you know it you won’t need the voice aids because you will understand each other better.

I’ve been using this to help my little mare with walk/canter/walk transitions because she’s a hot rod. If I do a big ask or reinforce with the whip she will definitely go from walk to canter, but it might get explosive. If I cue too gently she might thing I want a big trot instead. So I say canter as I cue and in maybe a week she’d put it all together.
Same thing canter to walk. I can stop following and close my thigh and she lo ’ll trot and slow down into this tiny jog from a previous life but with the “woah walk” she’s figured out exactly what I’m asking for and goes right to it.

Now we can go from canter to trot, walk, or even halt with no voice aids and if I had to explain how i cue differently I’m not sure I could. But she understands and using those voice aids really made it easier with a sensitive horse that wants to give the right answer.

[Dee-Vee]

Lately, I have been warming up my Appendix mare using cones. It allows me to focus on my seat and bends while giving her something to keep her mind busy. She was western broke. She loves cones and obstacles rather than going around. I change the patterns around the cones. Sometimes tight, sometimes serpentine. I have different goals as I ride them. Sometimes sorting out where I am. Sometimes where she is. Bending and suppling. Lots of options.

Might be helpful in the sense that it might be familiar to his previous training while allowing you to change it up a bit and see if there is something in the exercise that works for the both of you.

[jumpsnake]

I suffer from “yelling” with my aids too.

you’ve gotten a lot of great advice. I think what helps me the most is to take some part of my ride, maybe just after warm up, and really focus on the strength of my aids for a while. Do some transitions and the only thing you focus on is how small
of an aid can you use to get the desired result?
You have to retrain your body to use those smaller, lighter aids when the muscle memory is for the larger sod.

[Pehsness]

I got a PM that prompted me to update this thread. I am SO PLEASED to say we got it. We are finally coming together. While I was certainly part of the problem, the bigger issue was my sweet boy just figuring it out. I switched bits from a french link to the KK Ultra and saw immediate improvement in accepting contact, which allowed me to improve straightness and bend. That and some really, really good instruction got us over this hurdle. So now our w-t and t-w transitions are probably 75% of the way there, and we’ve just started working on canter.

Man those few moments of a really nice trot are enough to put you on a high for the rest of the day. My instructor is pleased and loves the athleticism of this gelding (she’s not a QH person) so I’m just excited all around.