Upward Transition Ideas

[phoenixrises]

It’s been a heck of a year and we’re finally coming back into work. I"m pretty sure this issue is me but I’m not sure where to look at what I’m doing wrong. Mare is pretty consistent in the contact once we’re working but our upward transitions always come with a brace for a step maybe two then back into forward contact. I"m sure it’s because she throwing herself forward with her front end rather than pushing forward from behind, but I’m not sure how to help. What exercises can I do to try to pinpoint where it’s going pear shaped?

That whole don’t practice incorrectly thing and I feel like there’s an issue in what I’m doing but I don’t know what it is. I do have my trainer coming down in a couple weeks but until then I’d like some ideas.

[merrygoround]

First, be sure that the gait that you are in, whether it be walk or trot is forward, and active, yet relaxed. that’s your seat and legs, seat and hips allowing, legs on. Then your half halt, from your seat, with legs on. Then upward.

Staying supple in your elbows and listening with your fingers will help the contact, which with some horses has to be a wee bit heavier in transitions.

[netg]

From my experience, 99% of the time it comes from the rider (me) unknowingly pulling in the transition. Not always, and sometimes it’s a strength issue especially after time off. But when I apply leg aids, I frequently bring my arms back without knowing it. When I get a brace, I tend to grab a piece of mane so I can’t pull, and see how it goes. If it’s fixed, I know for sure it was my fault.

[UrbanHennery]

I have the opposite issue of netg - I tend to throw away the contact in the moment of transition and then take it back. It’s the take-back that causes the few strides of resistance for me. If I remember to “take hold” (ie. don’t straighten my elbows ans release the contact) in the transition then the contact stays soft. This requires that I do as merrygoround describes.

[phoenixrises]

@UrbanHennery

I have the opposite issue of netg - I tend to throw away the contact in the moment of transition and then take it back. It’s the take-back that causes the few strides of resistance for me. If I remember to “take hold” (ie. don’t straighten my elbows ans release the contact) in the transition then the contact stays soft. This requires that I do as merrygoround describes.

I’m guessing this is me. I’m more of a here take the rein I don’t want to “hold” more than I’m a taking a big hold person. I’m not riding today it’s 10 deg and I’m just not mentally prepared for that. But tomorrow it’ll be in the 20s and I’ll take notice of exactly what I do.

It is a strength issue too (for both of us) but this definitely feels to me like something I"m causing.

[UrbanHennery]

I totally cause it. And when I / we are out of shape I compound it by dropping the contact and leaning forward into the transition rather than keeping the contact and holding my center. Then his head comes up in the transition as we both go onto our forehand and then he braces as I try to fix it all. It happens fast and was / is something I struggle to diagnose on my own - my instructor is the one that calls me on it and “catches” me when the bad contact in the transition is my fault (which is 95% of the time).

[outerbanks77]

For W/T transitions, doing a lot of forward back within the trot can help. If you come back from a working trot, then spring back forward into it, the hind legs will coil a little. Work up to aaaalllmooost walk, then trot off again. When that’s good, try a down transition, then trot off again after 1-2 walk steps. After that, the transition gets better for me because the horse becomes more responsive to my leg and looser in the back, so she doesn’t start bracing in the walk when she feels me preparing for the up transition. In the down transition, ask for it gradually, and then move back out without completing the transition if an inversion starts to happen, then ask again. Horse will quickly get that they get a break after a nicely round down transition.

If your horse is strong enough, a couple steps of rein-back, then trot is good for engaging the hind legs too. I’m doing this in -hand right now since my mare is too weak and green to ask a lot under saddle.

[theresak]

You can start by thinking about “holding” just one rein, likely the outside rein but some horses need it on the inside (not bending but holding the shape of the neck). You also have to have a horse that is in front of your leg or the horse will pull himself into the upwards.

Then if there is anticipation in the upwards, try doing them out of exercises/movements - leg-yield 2-3 steps and ask when the shoulders touch the rail, or 10 meter circle and ask back at the rail, or shoulder-fore and right as you straighten you ask. All of these will help get the horse through and using the inside hind a bit more.

[Dressage_Strider]

Start by teaching your horse inside leg means move OFF the inside leg. Once you consistently get lateral movement when you use inside leg, add outside rein and your inside leg should move just the barrel over, creating space for the inside hind to step under.

Next is to teach that when outside leg joins, it means move up NOW.

First do within a gait - so at the walk, get a bigger walk

Once you have success with this, go from your walk to the trot. First move the barrel over (to the outside rein) then join with outside leg and expect to be trotting. If there is still hesitation, use your whip (I use it on the outside in this instance to reiterate outside leg means NOW)

[Manni01]

excellent advice so far and I would add that I would recommend to ride a lot of transitions just to get the feel how to do it… You probably need to experiment with all your aids in order to get the right dose. But riding is feeling and you need to get the right feeling for it and I believe you can only get it with repetition…