Slowing a trot?

[magpie]

Hi,
I have been doing a lot of dressage with my Highland this year. We have been doing quite well but we always get pulled up in our marks for rushing our trot. I have been making a conscious effort to slow it down, yet again today, I got lower marks for rushing our trot. I don't know if it is because I am worrying more about riding my test accurately and correctly and forgetting to slow it when I'm going around. I should probably have someone video me so I can see it. We are getting really good marks for our walk and canter, straightness and circles - it is just the blooming trot that I cannot seem to nail!
Anyone have any ideas on exercises I can do to help this - we don't go in the sanschool often, maybe once or twice in two weeks, so maybe I should go in more often?

[nia2311]

I would try and go in the school once a week, but don't overdo it as he (?) will get bored. To slow the trot, try using your seat - sit deeper, or if you are rising, slow your rises and he should respond. I would practise changing your trot stride lengths and if he rushes, bring him back a pace and then ask again. Don't just let him rush and get away with it. And videoing your test at home would definitely be helpful, you can never see your own habits and nuances without such help - or an instructor on the ground could help you too.

[GinaGeo]

I suspect that it'll be due to his native paces. I know that with my native x I've had to work hard to reduce the knee action and to lengthen the stride, otherwise it looks like his legs are going ten to the dozen but he's not actually covering the ground or going anywhere and it looks rushy. Alot of natives are ridden out of their natural rhythm to try and counteract that, but that doesn't work. You need to slow everything down before you can extend the trot marginally.

I'd get a good dressage instructor and practise sitting him in well back on his on hocks and then asking for the forward and length of stride. The trot is the one pace that we can improve drastically. You just have to learn the techniques to do it.

Like Nia says, try videoing your riding so you can see the differences

[sageandonion]

As nia says above. Make absolutely sure you are not kicking or using your legs in any way when you sit from the rise. Rushing, particularly with natives, tends to involve riders going rise, sit/kick. Get the video going and make absolutely sure you haven't got into this common habit.

[sageandonion]

;D ;D We are all singing from the same hymn sheet ;D

[angelena]

Slow your rising he will slow down with you, just make sure your legs are relaxed. It works a treat

[sarahk]

our highland rushed his trot part of it was me i was given some good advice recently as well as slowing the rise with my seat count 1 2 3 4 it helped me get a consistent rythem n helped me relax and focus we got 2nd at a show on sunday with good feedback from the judge

[sarahp]

GG - I know your youngster is D x horse, and I just wanted to say that strains of Ds do vary hugely as to the movement, I try to breed them with less knee action and lots of natural extension, rather than the sewing machine action. Please don't think it's characterisitc of all Ds, let alone all natives! Some breeds have more natural extension than others of course but they should all have their own natural rhythm, not a natural rush!

I agree with the dressage instructor and what to aim for, and likewise S&O hate the sit/kick every stride habit, far too prevalent nowadays.

[GinaGeo]

Sorry Sarahp I should have clarified. Mine only has the sewing machine action when I'm riding like a muppet and not pushing him forward into a good rhythm and slightly lengenthening the stride. If I don't we do get some knee action, but if I do we get the slight extension and moments of suspension within the stride. What my post was meant to say is that natives naturally will have more knee action than say a TB or a flicky toed warmblood. But that the trot is a pace we can drastically improve with careful schooling, that said it's also a pace we can destroy just as easily. Mine's gone from having an average trot to getting 7/8's for his trot work and paces in Dressage Tests and I expect that when I start riding the trot more in terms of collection and extension it will improve further.

I don't at all think it's characteristic of all D's or all natives; just that they will be more prone to having that action than a horse of perhaps different breeding; it's often an advantage when you reach the collection work.

My connie can also get the sewing machine trot if I allow him to work as he would like to work, rushy and on the forehand. He's taken much more work to improve his trot but he's not so trainable as the youngster and has many more opinions

[sarahp]

I wish you could have seen my D stallion when we turned him and his wives out into a different field this morning! Terrific long extension with elasticity and suspension, slowing to natural piaffe round the corner......

I'm afraid your post did read as though you thought that was how natives naturally went, rather than as a result of riding, and I'm not sure I follow your train of thought. I've always thought that activity in the joints is an asset, and one many TBs are lacking. Everything does of course have to bend its knees to some extent or the feet wouldn't leave the ground at all!

[GinaGeo]

I do agree that the activity is an asset, but I think that what I'm trying to say is you need to ride to turn that activity into a good length of stride as opposed to speed or indeed not enough forward motion at all which is when the sewing machine esque movement will appear. This makes the stride rushed and the rhythm wrong.

My sweeping generalisation, came (I think) from watching natives in Show Rings; where all to often it's all knees and speed and not enough true extension or length of stride. A horse moving with true engagement from behind, is by far a nicer picture to watch than the latter in my own personal opinion. My generalisation is rather flawed though, as you point out, whereby correct riding makes a huge difference.

I think my now rather diluted point is that, generally other types may be less prone to it, although that may well be how they are ridden.

Your D stallion sounds marvelous and I too wish I could have seen him! It's moments like those we have to strive to achieve under saddle too. ;D

I think my post was too largely based on my own stereotypes of breeds, types and their way of going.

[sarahp]

I agree with that bit, often natives are pushed too fast out of their natural rhythm in the ring, especially Welsh Cobs. It's when that happens that the natural movement is corrupted. Did you mean in hand or ridden classes? I'm assuming the latter here.

I do have to defend my breed and my own type! NFs are sold to the Continent to make dressage ponies, and there are pure Welsh Ds on international teams, the trouble is we never hear about them. Most Connies I've seen in ridden classes at top level move like show horses, long and low. Agreed some breeds don't have much natural extension, I'd quote Exmoors and Shetlands here, but there's nothing to stop them going well within their limits if ridden correctly.

[robrocksforsure]

I've just had good sucess with my D by doing sitting trot and slowing the pace to almost a walk then pushing on -generally varying the trot. I also go onto a circle and do rapid transitions which has made both my sharp pony slow down and listen and my lazy pony sit up and listen so I am dictating the pace and not them, they are useful exercises and would be worth a try (also serpentines, squares etc so she has something to think about and not just pinging round in trot). Perhaps when she does her test there just isn't enough variety in it for her so she just rushes?

[lulah]

i practise lots of "almost walk" transtions when im trotting with my D to get him to listen and sit back more.

i find backing him up every so often very helpfull too.

[magpie]

Thanks for your replies everyone - very useful. I do tend to avoid the school - partly because I find it a bit boring and I always end up doing the same thing so I need to go in with a plan of what to do so definitely going to include more changes of pace in trot and circles/serpentines to keep him listening. Will also try slowing my rises too - I have been practicing out hacking and getting better.

We are only doing prelims at the moment - I am going to try Prelim 15 at the next one as well as an easier test just to get him focused - he is quite fit so the more he does the better he goes. We usually hack up, do a test and hack home! I am really enjoying doing the dressage at the moment though as the feedback is good as you know what to improve on each time. Just to add, I would get my test called but I am a little bit deaf so find it hard to hear where I am going - I so much prefer learning my test to make it accurate.

This is us on the 24th July -

[sarahp]

No reason why you can't school on hacks, sounds as if it could suit both of you better. Remember your pony is learning all the time you ride, not just when you are intentionally schooling. Try singing as you ride, that will help both of you with the rhythm.