Tight, tense trot but phenomenal walk and canter?

[ihearttbs]

I have a 5 yo warmblood on consignment who has one of the nicest, most uphill canters. He is progressing nicely and did phenomenal at his first show with a long warmup. The problem is he doesn’t show well to buyers/ his trot takes forever to open up, it starts out jiggy and tense and extremely uncomfortable to ride , even if he’s been relaxed at the walk. Before he came to me, his back was very underdeveloped and he had been started western and cranked into a super tight, behind-the-bit frame, so I attributed a lot of it to that training, but I’ve had him 9 months now and done tons of stretching under saddle and long-lining etc, his back has filled out a ton and no longer seems sore, but the trot still takes a long time to open up both under saddle and on long lines.

So I’m starting to worry it is it not just a training issue, but a physical one. His owner isn’t willing to invest any money into having him seen by vet, and I’m hesitant to do so myself as I’ve already put far more money and time into him than I had planned.

He is a little bit post legged behind, so wondering if maybe he’s just feeling too much concussion in hind legs at the trot and needs hind shoes?

Does anybody have any suggestions or ideas as to what could be going on here?

[Pehsness]

I think you’re probably on to something with the concussion idea.

My QH had a terrible trot, but lovely canter/lope. He was a rope horse and it was chalked up to him never being asked to trot, ever. And that was part of it, but I started playing around with glue on shoes and boots with/without pads.

I’ve tested bare, shoes with no pads, boots with no pads and boots with pads. He goes the best with boots and pads (which I assume would transfer to shoes and pads).

No big warmup needed, he just immediately goes in to a nice trot (which remember is relative, he’s an aged QH. Nice for him).

That could be something for you to pursue without needed owner investment or vet intervention.

[beowulf]

Try the hind shoes. IME the trot is a big tell all for foot soreness and sometimes their canter seems better than it is because they’re staying under tempo and not moving out because it hurts. It’s easier for them to move up than out when their feet hurt.

Have you incorporated some pole work into this horse’s regimen?

[exvet]

A few questions…does he do better when his warm up is mostly canter? I have one that if I spend 15-20 minutes warming up in walk doing a lot of lateral work in addition to his initial long and low, then trot maybe 5 minutes accepting the pony trot then go straight to canter, first letting him canter long and low then picking him up the trot transforms into something that is quite presentable. This I realize is HIS warm up. In terms of buyers, if he’s got a specific warm up need then you simply tell them before they come out to look. If that’s too much for them then tell them to move on to something else because it won’t be a good fit.

Does he do better if lunged first before riding? If so, then that’s his repertoire. Lunging over poles, small jumps? I also find this to help.

Hill work at the trot?

Does lateral work, assuming he can handle leg yield at the canter at his stage of training, help loosen his back? I can often get a better trot soon after I start riding almost any horse if they’re far enough along to do some leg yield at the canter to help loosen up their lumbosacral area.

I agree that hind shoes could help A LOT. I am one who tends to do barefoot or all four for balance but I’ve had the occasional exception (front shoes needed and back could stay bare). Sounds like shoeing him all the way around would be a decent next step in terms of making sure he’s comfortable, balanced and then go to exercises under saddle that will help loosen his SI/LS area.

[OverandOnward]

Strictly IMO suggestion as a possibility, haven’t seen the horse & rider in action …

Rider grabby hands and overall stiffness at the trot. A rider who is more comfortable with the horse’s motion at the walk and canter, but rider gets tight and worried at the trot. Maybe pulling elbows in and back, a human instinctual defensive reaction. Maybe grabbing at the bit if the horse is annoyingly inconsistent and/or quick at the trot.

From behind this screen, can’t know which rider’s hands the horse is still reacting to. But sometimes a horse behavior that begins for a reason, becomes a habit. If this was happening from the beginning, the behavior might have come from the previous rider(s).

OP, do you feel comfortable posting a video?

[RedHorses]

Does he do the tight trot if taken out and longed with/without tack?

Has he been tested for PSSM?

Does the temperature/weather affect warm up time?

[Libby2563]

@exvet

A few questions…does he do better when his warm up is mostly canter? I have one that if I spend 15-20 minutes warming up in walk doing a lot of lateral work in addition to his initial long and low, then trot maybe 5 minutes accepting the pony trot then go straight to canter, first letting him canter long and low then picking him up the trot transforms into something that is quite presentable.

Wondering about this as well, or trying lots and lots of transitions between canter and trot in the warm-up, which is very good for loosening up the back. I will also say that a couple vets have told me canter is easier on the back than the trot, and to warm up KS horses in the canter first. So I wouldn’t be shocked if back pain is part of your issue.

[OverandOnward]

@RedHorses

Does he do the tight trot if taken out and longed with/without tack?

And without side reins. Also observe him moving at the trot in turnout. Let him move naturally and see how that looks.

[Bonnie2]

Seconding exvet! I’ve had a couple horses that took a long time to warm into their trot. Lots of walk, lots of canter in the warm up. No “real” work until the trot is loosened up. Depending upon time constraints sometimes warm up is all that gets done. Interestingly, both improved significantly over time (as in a year or two) with just conservative work. I always suspected pelvis/SI issues but imaging/injecting that area wasn’t available at the time.

[ihearttbs]

Hi yes, he’s done well at pole work and recently was started over fences and does well, same issue though with the trot trotting towards fences

[ihearttbs]

Hi, that’s good to know about leg yields specifically at the canter. He knows shoulder in and haunches in at the trot and those do help, and yes lunging helps/doing a lot of canter helps. I’m just worried with the amount of warmup that he needs that there is something going on, and worrying about him not passing a ppe.

[ihearttbs]

Hi, he’s mostly ridden by me and I’ve started a lot of young horses/ridden through prelim eventing, and never used anything but a snaffle on all of them because teach them to listen to sinking into my lower leg as the woah aid. I’ve tried riding this guy on an entirely loose rein at the trot and have him bitted in a rubber snaffle but he still starts out wanting to curl and dropping his back especially at the trot. I will see if I can find a video (I usually don’t have people video him until after he’s warmed up).

[ihearttbs]

He was definitely back sore when he came to me, but isn’t showing any of the other symptoms anymore (antsy tacking, not standing at mounting block, sensitive to brush) and even when I palpate his back under the saddle it’s not sensitive. The one area that he still reacts to if I palpate really hard is the SI area, but I always thought SI horses were more aggravated by canter than trot

[ihearttbs]

He doesn’t trot much in turnout either, mostly just canter and walk. Same thing if he is at liberty, he initially prefers to canter over trot or will do a small trot, as soon as I push trot forward he wants to canter. Once he’s cantered a bunch then he will go in a nice stretchy trot.

[GraceLikeRain]

I’d bet money he hurts somewhere. When mine is due for hocks and stifles she would prefer to canter over trot.

The owner isn’t going to be able to sell a lame horse. I’d push for flexions. It doesn’t cost much but should give you some baseline information. If he flexes clean I’d add hind shoes and see if that makes a difference.

[atlatl]

Agree with trying hind shoes. It made a world of difference with one of my horses