Jog trotting: any ideas welcome!

[Cheryl]

Hi all!

Things are going really well for Crystal and I but i am still facing the problem of him being a little anxious or forward at times when we hack out.  In my last post i asked for advice for hacking out on a speedy horse and i have now been mixing up so that we don't always canter in the same place, etc.  However, Crystal still tends to wnat to "go" in these key places and gets very on his toes and starts to jog trot -he was even doing this on the road the otherday (i ut it down to the wind as it was very gusty).  I have tried to sit deeply (as i think i tend to hold my own weight normally and sit too lightly-does this make sense?) and put my weight into my heels, i have combined this with squeezing the reins (alternating them).  He doesn't have a soft mouth tho maybe because he is now 19?  and i am wondering if my aim for lightness is actually counterproductive?  infact to get him to stop i have had to be much heavier with the reins which i hate and for parts of the last few hcks it has been a bit of a battle-he will slow, i will release and then hewill jog again.  I spoke to a lady at the yard for advice and she said quite rightly proabbl that i need to be more authoratitive and that when he jog trots or tries to speed up to canter i need to nip it in the bud immediately and turn him around and then walk the same bit again until he is calm and learns-i don't wnat to be unrelenting and for Crystal to get wound up but i do want a communicative partnership and to know that he is listening to me rather than just doing his own thing.  I wonder whether his jogging and speedy behaviour is partly due to anxiety as i know horses are not "naughty" so to speak...but asides from psycho-analyisng his behavioir i need a game plan so that we can continue to hack out alone but so that he is listening to me and respecting my leadership (i feel at the mo i may be giving in to him-i know it is about a partnership but there is a safety issue in that i need him to stop/slow doen when i ask him and to speed up with control rather than go flat out!)

Basically i am determined to be a better rider, but lack the experience to know whats best to do...any ideas ofa plan of action? should i only walk him on hacks until we can do that everywhere successfully-or is that too extreme afterall i want us nboth to enjoy it and feel guilty that i am holding him back?   also how long should it take for me to see a difference?  icurrenyl ride him only 2 times a week (i share him-oh and btw he is an arab cross asn apparently he used to o this with the last lady who hacked him out and so it must be ingrained)

on a plus note we did have a calm canter out the other day but then from then on he was eager to "go" as its seems the thought had entered his mind!  arghhh-what should i do?!?

from a confused Cheryl!x

[Cheryl]

According to my RI my new mantra should be "get a reaction"!!!  It seems that applies to both indoor and outdoor riding but in different ways-indoor riding i need to "get a reaction" a lot quicker with upward transitions-particularly trot to canter.  Outdoors it is the opposite -namely gaining respect and immediate reactions when asking for a slower gait (see previous post).  It seems that whilst i have been asking, and aksing again I have to be firmer after i have asked politely the first time.  Wish me luck!  I am planning on riding Crystal out this afternoon on a little hack via a hill that he always wnats to canter up-i am going to ask for a balanced trot instead and if he rushes half halt/squeeze the reins and release (whilst sitting deeply) -if he still rushes i will have to be firmer with the reins -not an easy thing for me as it goes against my instinct to be gentle -is a firmer approach in the short-term preferable and more effective than a gentle "nagging" in the long-term that seems to get us no-where???

I think some of my touble with the upward transitions from trot to canter in the school are due to me still tensing up when asking and therefore perching rather than sitting deeply- I am tempted to go back to having lunge lessons with Crystal once a week to guarantee that my seat continue to improve and remains deep independent of me canging pace and moving my outside leg back for canter-do you think this may also help me with my downwards transitions outdoors when hacking?-i really do not want to pull on his mouth ...

I will let you know how our hack goes today-just wondering whether to put this post into the 'blog' section?

[Heather]

Firstly, is he working 'on the bit', Cheryl, or going along stargazing?

[Cheryl]

Hi Heather,

I tend to ride him on a looser rein to encourage him to relax and lower his head and neck-he is not always 'on the bit'. 

Cheryl

[Cheryl]

I think it may a confidence with Crystal issue as i rode him out with another girl and horse from the yard last sat and he seemed alot more relaxed-we stayed in walk and trot only as i want to build up to having short canter bursts in areas that we have previusly just trotted just to mix it up a little.