Strides for Success

Tag: stride

  • Simple Groundpole Exercise to Ride this Week with Your Horse

    Simple Groundpole Exercise to Ride this Week with Your Horse

    Simple Groundpole Exercise to Ride this Week with Your Horse
    Do you have 5 or 6 poles that you can use in the arena?  They don’t have to be the same length or width.  In fact, the more variations you have, the better. If so, I am going to encourage you to ride this exercise a few times this week and begin noticing the differences.
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    It is one of the most simple and effective ways to develop your skills as a rider.  And it will help develop your horse as well… 
    There are two ways to approach this. The first is to just place the poles randomly around the arena. No set layout.  No set ‘track’.  Just random poles, at random angles and intervals, sprinkled around your arena.  Obviously, apply common sense and don’t place the poles too close to the track or at tight angles to the corners, etc.
    If in doubt, think ‘sweeping’ bends and corners. 
    The second is to get out a pen and paper and scribble a bit!  A few squiggles, circles, loops, and twists.  Then just draw the poles on this wonderfully creative ‘track’ you have just created. Take your ‘plan’ and create it in the arena.
    Whichever way you decide, what is key is that the poles are random.  No straight lines, no related distances, no doglegs or anything at all, expect pure random. 
    Then, simply mount up and off you go..

    Thinking About Your Track

    The first reason I love this exercise is that it gets riders thinking.  So many riders are literally riding by the seat of their pants in the arena!  They are thinking ‘circle’ and then immediately launching into a circle.  This ‘wheelbarrow’ riding does nothing to develop the horse, usually due to the horse being pulled around by the reins.  It also actually erodes the horse’s trust in the rider over time.
    Yes, having a horse who is responsive when you need him to be is worth its weight in gold.  However, having a confused horse who never knows what to expect and is literally waiting to be hauled off-balance is not something to aim for in your riding!
    I suggest creating a ‘track’ of 3 of the random poles initially.  Then riding this track as accurately as you can.
    Plan the route and see how close you can keep to it while continuing to move forward.  This can be done in walk, trot, or canter.  Obviously, I suggest starting in a walk and building from there.

    Straightness and ‘The Line’

    From here, you can begin developing your ability to see and ride a line.  Many riders think that riding a line is something that only pertains to jumping or eventing.  This couldn’t be further from the truth.
    Riding a line is an essential basic all riders can work on developing.
    It will help you in all areas of your riding, from groundwork to dressage.  From trail riding to jumping.  And everything in between.   Using the random poles and, in this case, the 3 random poles track you have, work on identifying and then riding your lines.
    A line over a pole is usually a straight line from Point A to Point B that intersects the center of the pole at a 90-degree angle.  Your line and the pole will be at right angles to each other.  
    Work on squaring your horse’s shoulders and your shoulders to the pole.  Then, once you are over it, work on keeping your horses hindquarters and your hips square to the pole as you move away from it.   Clean, simple lines create straightness, which will develop both horse and rider over time.

    Awareness of the Strides

    The next huge benefit to this simple exercise is how much the rider becomes aware of their horse’s stride.  When you have mindfulness around where you are going, and you are indeed riding a line, you can then begin to notice your horse’s strides.
    If you follow the previous two steps, the length of each stride will become plainly obvious.  From here, you can begin knowing how many strides it takes to cover a set distance.  
    This knowledge is essential to begin working on adjusting the strides.  Playing with how and when you are going to ‘meet’ each pole.  Staying on the track you have chosen or tweaked the track to better suit you and your horse and the current gait you are riding.

    Developing Your Horse

    Finally, you can then begin actively developing your horse.  Start with the basics of relaxation and rhythm.  Can you maintain both all the way around your simple 3 pole track?  From here, begin asking different questions and noticing if you are still maintaining the basics?
    Suppleness can also become a big focus of this exercise, especially the parts between the poles or lines.  
    Notice your bends and curves.  Is your horse staying on track, or are his shoulders derailing or falling in?  Maybe it is his hindquarters that are falling out.  Noticing this and then working on perfecting the whole exercise, even just keeping the basics maintained throughout is a great exercise for horse and rider.
    So this week, give this simple exercise a go and let me know how you get on in the comments below.
    Keep well
    Lorna

    Additional Resources for Simple Groundpole Exercise:-

  • Lengthening Your Horse’s Stride in Trot

    Lengthening Your Horse’s Stride in Trot

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    We have all seen the wonderful video clips of horses showing extravagant extensions in the trot and I think most riders dream of being able to perform a similar feat.  However, for most riders, merely asking for a lengthening of the stride in trot results in their horse either breaking into a canter or running on to their forehand, with the hind end being, well, left behind!

    Being able to lengthen and then subsequently shorten your horse’s stride when you want, develops your horse’s responsiveness, suppleness, and balance while being ridden.  

    It also allows you to make adjustments if necessary while in the saddle, without changing from one gait to another.

    However, it takes time for your horse to develop physically and mentally so as to begin holding a lengthened stride for longer periods.  Failure to do so is often a lack of patience from riders, who will try to push and force their horse to lengthen. This results in the horse hollowing his back, shortening the stride, and rushing onto the forehand.

    What is Lengthening the Stride?

    When your horse lengthens, he basically covers more ground in the same amount of strides.  Each stride he takes sees him stretching or reaching more forward.  His hind feet coming more underneath him with every stride and then the front legs stretching out more in front of him with each stride.

    However, when lengthening his stride, he will not change the tempo of the gait.  The 1 – 2 – 1 – 2 – 1 – 2 of the trot will remain the same, regardless of the length of the stride or ground being covered with each passing stride.

    Asking, not pushing is the key to a true lengthening on the stride in trot.  

    In order to lengthen his stride, your horse must lengthen his whole back and topline.  Suppleness is required to do this, and often we only think of suppleness as being lateral, it is also important longitudinal as well.

    Start with Rhythm

    The rhythm and tempo of the trot should remain consistent throughout the gait.  I think that this is often the most simple place and way to begin introducing your horse to this type of work.  Start by becoming familiar with your horses tempo and knowing the length of this strides in working trot.

    Depending on how independent and ‘under control’ your seat is, you can lengthen your horse in trot from either rising trot or sitting trot,

    I strongly suggest working in rising trot initially as it will allow your horses back to lengthen out without you being heavy on it during the longer strides.  

    I also find that using rising trot tends to prevent an overly ambitious ‘seat shoving’ happening from the rider, whether intentional or not!

    So first and foremost, focus on creating and then maintaining or establishing a correct and balanced rhythm and tempo.  

    You can do this through all three gaits, using the transitions to further engage your horse’s hind quarters and also, refine your aids and your horse’s responsiveness to them.

    Pay Attention to Straightness

    It is also important to cultivate straightness in your horse.  Doing this earlier on will make it easier for him later when you begin asking for the lengthened strides.  If you horse is straight, he will push equally from both hind legs, propelling him correctly in the gait.

    If he is crooked or falling out, he will find it hard to maintain a rhythm, as one side will literally be moving more forward than the other.

    Spend quite a bit of time on transitions, using your half halts, and circles, particularly smaller ones, such as 12 or 10 meter circles.  Work between shortening your horse slightly and then returning back to working trot as well.  Don’t attempt to lengthen until you have truly established and can maintain a good balance throughout the above mentioned exercises.

    Begin By Shortening First…

    I find that riders often find lengthening the canter easier than the trot, particularly when there are canter poles involved.  However, you can use a similar principle in the trot when starting out at first.  Pick two fixed points in the arena or on the trail where you are riding.  Ride between these two points quite a few times in working trot, counting each time the amount of strides your horse fits between the two points.

    Use your body passing the first point as the ‘go’ or ‘start’ and then again, your body passing the second point as your ‘stop’ or ‘end’.  Continue to do so until you have a regular amount of strides each time as you ride through this movement.

    Think of it almost as having two ground poles with 5 or 6 canter strides in between, but use the points you have chosen as the poles and trot rather than canter.

    Once you know the amount of strides in a ‘normal’ working trot, then ask for a slight shortening of the stride between the two points.  If you can get an extra stride in there, then your horse has truly shortened. However remember the tempo or recurrence of the 1 – 2 – 1 – 2 – 1 – 2  must remain the same throughout.

    The shortening of the stride can be thought of as your horse lifting his legs more ‘up’ rather than ‘out in front’.

    Lengthening Your Horses Stride in Trot

    Asking for Lengthened Strides

    Once you and your horse have established a balanced transition between the working trot and a slightly shorter more collected trot, you can then begin to think about asking for a few lengthened strides in the trot.  It is really important to maintain the contact between you and your horse throughout the movement.

    Lengthening the stride does not mean throwing the reins at your horse and kicking on.  It simply means that you are allowing your horse more space to move within each stride.

    You may find, particularly if it is your horse’s first time, that initially there will be very little difference.  This is fine, your horse has to first understand what you are asking and then also, begin to understand how he can move his body to achieve this new lengthening of it.

    Remember, when you horse lengthens his stride, he will use his muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints differently. Slow and steady, taking plenty of time to learn this correctly, is key to maintaining a sound horse that enjoys his job.

    Noticing the Increased Lenght

    If he does begin to lengthen the stride, you will count less strides between your ‘start’ and ‘end’ points than what you were counting while in working trot or whatever you are using as your ‘control gait’.   I say ‘control gait, as in order to know if your horse is lengthening rather than running, you need something to measure it against.  Use your working trot as the measure or the control.

    Keep in mind that your horse cannot move or ‘extend’ his shoulders if you are leaning or jiggling around on top of them.  

    Pay attention to your position and posture throughout the exercise, and again, take things slowly.  The better your horse understands and the more confident he feels about his ability to perform the movement, the greater it will eventually be.

    Happy Riding

    Lorna

    Additional Resources for Equestrians:-

    Lengthening Your Horses Stride in Trot

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