Slow Trot

[starrunner]

Back with more questions.

But on the topic of slow trot. Are there general ways that people can teach or encourage the slow trot without additional rein pressure?

I have a horse with a pretty soft mouth and I have been experimenting with the slow trot by using more of my core and perhaps a little bit more hold in my elbow.

I feel when riding, I would just kind of “lock in” and add a bit more leg or swing for impulsion, but not quite sure how I’d replicate that while driving. A bit of whip or?

My working trot and strong trot are fine. I just soften my elbows and sometimes a bit of encouragement and she’s been good at differentiating between those two.

But in the plus side, we went out to a clinic this past weekend and it was our first time driving off the farm. Everyone was lovely and so down to earth which was wonderful to experience. The horse was absolutely lovely and we drove our first cones course and I think she loved it.

[Christa_P]

I use half- halts with the outside rein.

[starrunner]

Thank you. Do people generally just aim for a slower temp with a slow trot rather than a more compressed gait?

I do modulate tempo a bit with a half halt via the outside rein going through corners but I’ll have to see if I can translate it a bit more rapidly to a slow trot.

[Christa_P]

I tried for a more collected trot, but it will vary. For pleasure driving you need 3 distinct trots, but the actual trots will vary depending on the type of horse or pony and the experience of the whip.

An old type Shetland will show different trots than a hackney or Welsh. Same with the horses, a Quarter Horse compared to a Friesian or Warmblood.

I recommend finding someone that can give you feedback for your turnout and horse. It doesn’t need to o be a driver, but they should be able to see the trots and maybe give some pointers. Sometimes it feels like your getting different trots, but it isn’t as clear to an observer.

[starrunner]

Yes. The clinic I went too I asked for that on the first day and had an easier time showing a difference between the working and strong trot and I could show a slow trot according to the clinicians I was working with but it just felt like a slower tempo. Which I suppose is fine but I’d love to figure out the way to compress or collect the trot a bit more. They didn’t have as much feedback on how to achieve the slow trot. My ‘dressage’ brain just wants a better way to dissect it and have better communication with my horse.

My dressage coach that has been helping me in my driving journey is discussing using the verbal cue we use for half steps to try and help build the bridge with her that a half halt pulse and the noise means more collection rather than just a decrease in tempo or a slower gait. My mare is just busy minded so a couple half halts in a row for the slow trot leaves her trying to figure out more of what gait and gets fussy about it rather than just go slower.

This is from our clinic. We definiately have more homework to do but it was a good outing.

[Christa_P]

I will type more when I’m on a computer, but don’t forget your whip. Remember, when driving the whip replaces your leg. You might get better results with a tap of the whip on the barrel*** when you would normally use your leg to ask for some engagement. Not hard, just enough they feel it.

***Your whip should be long enough to reach the barrel where your leg would be under saddle and that’s the correct place to use it.

[DMK]

It’s going to be hard until you get a horse that’s reliably on the outside rein and will lift those shoulders regularly, coming through the topline. I struggle with the ridden v. driven challenges as well, although this year was a bit of a breakthrough (it’s amazing what a winter of regular lessons topped off with a clinic with a legend will do for your game). But I always warm up with a ton of square circles (truly quarter turn - straight - quarter turn -straight and so on) almostbutnotquite counterbent, thinking about that nose on the outside point of shoulder instead of dead center if that makes sense, really over emphasizing the slowness regardless of what gait I’m in, then giving a big release on the straight line.

If you drive a pony, showing difference in gaits is a bit of showmanship, especially in the damn 2* test which has all 4 trots and thankfully I’ll never have to drive again. The key is to really exaggerate the transition, go down 2 notches and then come up one. But as several world class drivers have said, true collection while pulling is almost a myth. I’ll see it in leaders (but not many), but when you get down to a single pony pulling, there are understandable challenges. I go back and forth between 3rd level and the 3* test and I can see the difference everytime. Not that it’s non-existent in the carriage, but the oppositional force of pulling has an impact on pushing, because, physics…

Finally, I’ll disagree on the whip insofar as every horse has his own relationship with the whip and it’s up to us to understand what works for the driver - horse relationship. If I want my pony to yield his hindquarters in any direction, it’s tap on that side. If I want him to bump up his energy level like I’m applying both legs, it’s tap on top (which is also what I do when riding when I really want him to think about sitting more).

[starrunner]

I really like your idea of the square corners. I use that a lot while riding to emphasize the filling theoutside rein and to shift her weight back and I think that would be a great one to try and translate in harness without frustrating her. To be honest, for a green horse, she’s been super, but I just like to overthink things and I haven’t found as many driving resources to get down the rabbit hole of the nitty gritty of driven dressage (yet!).

[CHT]

There isn’t a slow trot in driven dressage as far as I recall, there is collected, but it isn’t the same. A slow Trot is to be driving on a lighter contact vs a collected trot which is more like a ridden dressage trot (more contact/clear change of outline).

When I have judged/shadow judged driving, the slow trot seems to be achieved with a strong half halt, and then a relaxing of contact. I imagine you train by half halting as often as needed until the horse learns to just keep the shorter steps while in self carriage (light contact). They are supposed to show good joint flexion/not be draggy, but its supposed to look easy/light and not the same pressure as a collected trot. It’s just supposed to look easy.