Posts Tagged ‘arabians’

There is a lot to learn when it comes to horse breed history. Horses differ from each other with regard to their unmatched beauty, breed and sturdy looks. They also differ in their rich and unique historical backgrounds.
There are many interesting facts in the horse breed history with respect to the Arabian horses. Napoleon, Genghis Khan and Alexander the Great all admired Arabian horses greatly. These horses are the oldest of all the horse breeds and are known to have an indomitable spirit. The Arabian horses are renowned around the world for their sturdy looks and are popular even in far away places such as America.

One thing very particular about Arabian horses is that they are extremely energetic. This, together with amazing intelligence make them eminent beyond or above comparison. They are of mild nature and can be easily groomed.. Arabian horses have a distinguished place in competitive events and are also used as show horses. Arabian horses have been considered as a symbol of prosperity and royalty since ancient times.

The Turkish and Barb form yet another breed that are popular among American betters. However these breeds lost their sheen after the Chickasaw horses were introduced by the Spanish adventurers.

The Tennessee horses are renowned for their speed and endurance. The name Tennessee is derived from the region of the same name, wherein this breed was developed by cross breeding the the Canadian Pacer, Narragansett and some thoroughbred horses.

The Tennessee horses have many unique features such as the flat foot walk and the running walk. As far as racing tendencies are concerned, they are second only to Arabian horses. They also offer a very smooth and enjoyable ride. The Tennessee horses are gentle horses and are as brilliant as the Arabian ones. But unlike the Arabians horses that are more robust, the Tennessee’s are noble, easily manageable and of a gentle nature.

A running walk on a Tennessee horse is an unmatchable experience as it is less strange or eccentric than the Arabian horse. The Tennessee breed is also used as a show horse. They form an integral part of gait competitions. Thus, due to so many impressive features, a horse of the Tennessee breed is a must-have in your herd.

A breed called American Quarter horse is preferred by many experienced riders for leisure horse riding. A Quarter horse is a cross between the native Chickasaw and the English thoroughbred . These horses are best suitable for short distances as they can gain great sprinting speeds over the quarter mile. They also have muscular features with sturdy appearances that are best suitable for a trial racing.

American Quarter horses are one of the fastest horses. An American Quarter horse has a rugged appearance and boasts of strong muscles. It may prove to be your best bet for long distance races. American Quarter horses are seen in 16 different colors and the most prominent color is brownish red. It is indeed a pleasure having an American Quarter horse in your herd.

Hi my name is Anita and people are always asking me for tips on horse training and what they should do to for the best. Visit me at [http://www.horsetrainingwiz.com] or http://www.horsetraining.blogspot.com

Author: Anita Lamb
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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A Beautifully Built Head and Neck

Arabian horses have a distinct beauty that is cherished today, just as it was centuries ago in the Middle Eastern desert by the ancient Bedouins. This beauty is not only cosmetic but the Arabian horse’s build also give it some great advantages.

Let’s take a look at the head and neck of the Arabian:

o A refined, wedge-shaped head that is finely chiseled
o A broad forehead
o Large, lustrous eyes that are set far apart
o Large nostrils
o Small ‘teacup’ muzzles
o Lips that are fine and thin
o Ears that are smaller in stallions and of good size in mares. They are set evenly together and they have great flexibility.
o The skeleton of the head is characterized by a relative shortness of skull, slender lower jaw, and a larger size brain area within the skull.

The Arabian’s head has always been considered a thing of beauty and the Arabian’s face really sets it apart from other horse breeds.

The majority of Arabian horses display a distinctive concave or “dished” profile. Also, many Arabians have a forehead bulge between their eyes, known as the Jibbah. The Islamic people believed the Arabian horse was a gift from Allah and that the forehead bulge held his blessings. From a physical standpoint, the forehead bulge gives the Arabian extra sinus capacity, a plus for endurance. Another characteristic that helps with breathing and endurance is the arched neck with a large, well-set windpipe set on a refined, clean throat latch. This high-arched neck often signified courage to the ancient Bedouins and Islamics. The cheek bones are spread wide apart at the throat, typically between five or six inches. This enables the muzzle to be drawn in without compressing the Arabian horse’s windpipe, and permitting the animal to breathe easily when running. As you can see from some of the characteristics that an Arabian has in its head and neck, this horse is built for long rides and running.

A Powerful Body, Bred to Perfection

Arabian horses have a broad chest and a short, but strong back and sloped shoulders which give them power and floaty gaits. In general, all horses that are bred to gallop or run need a good length of croup (posterior or backside) and a good length of hip for proper attachment of muscles (as a rule, both go together). Typically, a good-quality Arabian has both a relatively horizontal croup and a properly angled pelvis with good length of croup and depth of hip (or length of pelvis) to allow agility and impulsion. Of course, within the Arabian breed there are variations:

An Arabian horse with wider, more powerfully muscled hindquarters is more suitable for intense bursts of activity such as reining.

An Arabian horse with longer, leaner muscles is better suited for endurance riding or horse racing.

Size and Colors

Arabian horses typically stand between 14.1 and 15.1 hands (57 to 61 inches) tall. Of course there will be an occasional horse that is over or under this. Therefore, all Arabians, regardless of their height, are classified as horses even though 14.2 hands is the traditional cutoff height between a horse and a pony. A common misconception is that the purebred Arabian isn’t strong due to its smaller height. Their bone density, though, is much greater than that of many other breeds. This gives the Arabian breed physical strength that is comparable to many taller animals.

For color, Arabian horses are bay, gray, chestnut, and black and sometimes roan. Common markings on Arabians include:

* Stars, stripes, or blaze faces
* Snip noses
* A white foot or more, or white stockings

Arabian horses that appear white are actually gray since their skin is black. White hair on horses grows out of pink skin. Arabian horses follow suit and any white markings found will show white hair growing out of pink skin.

A Pleasant Disposition

Arabian horses are well known for being affectionate and bonding well with humans. This goes back to their early history with Bedouin tribes in the Middle Eastern desert. The ancient Bedouins and Arabian horses lived inter-dependently as a means of survival. The Bedouins often prized these animals and sheltered them from the harsh elements of the desert by keeping them in their family tend. A strong bond formed and through the centuries, the Arabian breed has kept its gentleness and its willingness to learn and please. This makes purebred Arabians perfect for activities such as riding and showing and it makes them a perfect horse for children and families to enjoy. Having such a mild and gentle temperament makes Arabians one of the few breeds that the United States Equestrian Federation allows children to exhibit stallions in nearly all show ring classes, including those that are limited to riders under 18.

A High Intelligence to Boot

Arabian horses are classified as a “hot-blooded” horse. Even though they are in the “hot-blooded” category, most Arabians have a natural tendency to cooperate with humans. This category includes other refined, spirited horse breeds that are bred for speed such as Thoroughbreds. Like other hot-bloods, the sensitivity and intelligence of Arabians enable them to learn quickly. It also enables riders to communicate with Arabians more easily than other horse breeds. Thus training them is typically easier than other horse breeds.

A Perfectly Engineered Horse

Throughout the ages, romantic myths and stories have been told about Arabian horses that give them near-divine characteristics. The ancient Bedouins and Islamics considered these horses perfect, prizing them for their unparalleled beauty, sturdiness, stamina, high intelligence, and friendly nature. Virtually unchanged through careful breeding, Arabian horses still exemplify these same characteristics today and their popularity continues to grow.

Randy Meyer, along with his family, are well-respected breeders of high-quality, beautiful purebred Arabian horses on their farm, Red Oak Arabians. They usually have fine quality Arabian horses for sale at all times.

Author: Randy Meyer
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Keeping your horse’s mane looking its best isn’t something to leave until the day before a show. Clipping and trimming a little each week will result in a better finish, a healthier mane, and a happier horse. And of course, for some working horses, clipping the mane is essential for comfort and safety.

Where do you start?

First you need to decide on the best look for your horse. Some breeds, like Arabians and saddle seat horses, have breed requirements for showing that will tell you if you need a short mane, or a more natural look, and how long you need to clip the bridle path. Polo ponies and cow horses often have ‘roached’ or ‘hogged’ manes. That means the entire mane is clipped away, except for a tuft at the withers and the forelock – this keeps the reins and ropes from getting tangled up. If you show hunters or dressage, you’ll want to trim the mane with braiding in mind. All of these factors will help you determine how you want your finished mane to look, and horse clipper is best for you.

Let’s start with the bridle path. For most horses, this will be a short clipped section just behind the ears, about two inches long. This keeps the mane from getting caught up in the headstall, and makes the horse more comfortable. Some breeds will have longer bridle paths, up to 12″, depending on your horse’s conformation and your personal preference. The best way to start is to clip the bridle path back a half inch or so at a time, leave it a few days and see how you like it before clipping any further. It’s a lot easier to clip a little more each time than to go too far and try to grow it back out!

If your horse has a thick neck, or is a working horse where the mane can get in the way, you can consider roaching or hogging the whole mane. The first time you do this, you might want to use more robust body clippers, but for regular maintenance – again you should do this weekly – opt for the small hand clippers. Keeping the hogged mane short and neat will make it easier to keep clean, and it doesn’t have to grow out much to look pretty unsightly! Leave a tuft of mane at the withers to protect them from saddle pads, and leave the forelock – it isn’t just for looks, it helps to protect the horse’s eyes and ears.

Why trim the bridle path every week? First of all, it makes keeping the area clean a lot easier. The horse’s poll is sensitive, and under the headstall can get dirty and sweaty. A closely trimmed bridle path is easy to keep brushed clean, and prevent any sores or scurf building up. Also, if you let the bridle path grow out to even a half inch or more, the hairs will fold over under the bridle path, causing pressure on the poll, and an uncomfortable horse won’t be easy to bridle, and won’t perform its best. This is why your hand clippers are going to be an important tool in your horse grooming supplies!

Why buy hand clippers?

The best finish always comes with small hand clippers or trimmers, and a set of these will be a great addition to your horse grooming supplies. Scissors never get the same results, and if your horse moves around, you can easily make a mistake, or even injure yourself or your horse. You’ll want to choose clippers that are easy to use, so you keep the bridle path neat and tidy with weekly clipping. Your hand clippers aren’t just for the mane – you can use them to keep up with regular clipping and trimming, such as around your horse’s face and hooves. In an emergency, hand clippers can be a real asset to clean up wounds or help bandages stick. A good quality set of battery powered or rechargeable hand clippers will be one of your most useful equine grooming supplies!

Which clippers should I choose?

Choose clippers from a reliable manufacturer. This way, you will get a good warranty, and replacement blades will be easy to find. Plus, you can be sure that by sticking with the best suppliers, like Wahl, Andis, and Oster that your clippers will be safe – and that’s important anytime you use electrical products around horses.

Which one you choose depends on a number of factors. You’ll want a cordless one if your horse is jumpy or you want to take the clippers with you to shows. If you roach your horse’s mane, or you have a very woolly horse, a more robust model is best. If your budget is tight, or you have several sets of horse grooming supplies, you might want to look for the best value. Here’s a quick selection of good mane clippers from the main manufacturers:

Wahl horse clippers. The Wahl Mini Arco is a great choice for routine trimming. It’s quiet, and stays cool, and blade changing is quick and easy. It runs cordless, but for quiet horses or longer jobs, you can run it with the cord attached.

Oster horse clippers. The Oster Mini Max trimmer isn’t rechargeable, but it’s comfortable, easy to use, and very economical. The low price means you can keep one in your horse grooming supplies, one in your first aid kit, and one in your truck.

Andis horse clippers. The Andis Power Trim is a good choice if you have a lot of trimming to do. It’s rechargeable, but the batteries last well and it’s quiet so it’s good for nervous horses. Best of all, it has an ergonomically designed grip, so you’re hand won’t get tired.

Simply put, a correctly thinned mane, and a regularly clipped and trimmed bridle path don’t just look good, they are easier to keep clean and healthy. Keep a set of good quality hand clippers in your horse grooming supplies, and you will have a happy, healthy, good looking horse every day!

This is the first in a series of five articles on horse grooming. This article is an easy to read, well written guide to grooming your horse’s mane. Not only does it provide specific guidance, but also makes recommendations on the best horse grooming supplies to use to get the job done right.

Author: Marcus Koll
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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A horse’s tail is its prized possession. It’s used for comfort, to swish flies from itself and other horses, and it’s used for balance and communication. Trainers can use the horse’s tail to see if it is frightened, excited, or uncomfortable. In the show ring, a clean flowing tail can really catch the judge’s eye.

So how do you get the perfect tail? Well, first of all, it needs to be clean, and keeping a tail clean – especially a white one – is a big topic. Here, we’re going to talk about how you can clip and trim the tail to help your horse look and feel its best.

What kinds of tail trims are there?

What type of look you go for depends on your horse’s breed and what kind of work it will do. Some breeds, like Arabians, are usually shown with a natural, long, free flowing tail. Dressage horses will have a tail closely trimmed at the top to accentuate the hindquarters. Show ring hunters will need a tail that can be easily braided. Polo ponies and driving horses need close trimmed tails that can be easily tied up short to protect them from getting tangled up in traces or the polo mallets. Even horses that don’t show will benefit from a tidy tail to help keep it clean and keep it from getting matted and tangled.

Once you decide on the look you want, you get started with trimming the tail, and that will help you choose which tools you need in your horse grooming supplies.

Trimming the base of the tail

The base, or top of the tail is the most conspicuous part. If you are going to braid the tail you will need long, smooth hairs that will lie flat in a plait or braid. You will need to protect the tail from rubbing with a bandage or tail guard if your horse has the habit of scratching its tail on doors or fence posts. Fortunately for you, though, you don’t need to do a lot of trimming. That said, after you plait the tail, you may find that some hairs keep sticking out. Trimming these away with a good set of hand trimmers will make for a perfect show ring braid.

If you want a natural tail, again you won’t need to do much. The real work is for those that want a ‘pulled’ tail – that means keeping the hairs at the top of the tail very short for a close, neat finish. Traditionally, this used to be done by pulling out the long hairs, but many horse owners don’t like to do this. There’s no doubt that the horse’s tail is more sensitive than its mane, so pulling the tail is more uncomfortable for the horse than pulling the mane. And with some practice, you can get a better look with hand trimmers than you can get with a pulling comb.

Why? Well the problem comes as the hairs grow out. A newly pulled tail looks great, neat, tidy, and it really shows off the horse’s quarters and can accentuate its movement. But as the hairs grow out, they get prickly, and yet they aren’t long enough to grasp them to pull. That means you have an unsightly ‘bristle’ period until the hairs are long enough to get a grip on them. This isn’t a problem with hand trimmers!

With hand trimmers or clippers, you can choose how short you want the hairs to go. You can use wide clipper attachments to get slightly longer hairs, which are easy to get to lie flat, this is best for the top of the tail. Choose a closer trim for the sides of the tail, to clip the hairs away and really show off your horse’s quarters. Use a tail bandage and some baby oil or conditioner regularly, and you will get a smooth, professional finish. Keeping a good set of hand clippers and attachments in your horse grooming supplies means you will have a perfect finish every day.

Trimming the end of the tail

The end of the tail will also need trimming. For horses that aren’t showing, keeping the tail trimmed back to at least halfway up the cannon bone will help to keep it clean and prevent tangles and mattes. Horses that show with a natural tail may just need a little tidying up now and again for a good shape. Working horses might just need the tail shorted a little so it can be easily tied up. Show horses like hunters and dressage horses though, need a perfectly even, or ‘banged’ tail.

Getting a perfectly level tail takes two people – that’s because you need to try to simulate where the tail will be when the horse is moving. One person needs to hold the tail up just a little, so that it hangs where it would be when the horse naturally raises its tail when it moves. The best way to do this is to put your arm under the dock and simply rest the tail over. Then the second person can start trimming. Most people will choose to cut the tail at about midway up the cannon bone. However, if you are trying to make your horse’s legs look longer or shorter, you may want to cut lower or higher, or you may want to cut to match socks or stockings for a more even look. Either way, don’t use scissors.

Why not use scissors? Unless your horse has a very thin tail, there’s no way to get a perfect finish. It will take more than one cut, and that means edges and uneven ends. If you have a lot to cut off, you can start with scissors, but finish with hand trimmers. Holding the trimmers upside down, you can cut along the bottom of the tail. Unlike scissors, good, sharp clipper blades won’t push the hairs away, but will catch them and trim them evenly for a perfect flat finish. It takes a little practice, but the results are worth it.

Choosing a trimmer for tails

If you are going to be trimming your horse’s tail regularly, you should consider having a good set of horse trimmers in your horse grooming supplies. It will make keeping a ‘pulled’ and banged tail tidy easier for you and more comfortable for your horse. If you are going to be braiding your horse’s tail for shows, a good set of cordless trimmers will be essential for tidying up stray hairs – not just on your horse’s tail but for any last minute show ring touch ups. Here’s some options form the major suppliers:

Wahl horse clippers. The Wahl Bravura is a versatile hand clipper that can be used for manes and tails and more sensitive, precision areas. It can be used both with the cord and cordless, so you can take it with you to shows, and it’s quiet but powerful. It comes with a set of four attachments for clipping different areas. It’s a great choice if you can have only one set of trimmers in your horse grooming supplies.

Oster horse clippers. The Oster Powermax is a coat clipper, rather than a trimmer, but it’s a great value choice if you need one clipper that can do everything. The two-speed operation can get through thick coats, and the slower speed lets you do more sensitive work. You won’t get the precisions finish of a specially designed trimmer, but if you can only afford one set of clippers this one is more versatile than most. It will certainly make a good job of tail trimming, and it comes with a selection of attachments.

Andis horse clippers. The Andis Freedom Trimmer is a great cordless choice. It’s lightweight, lasts for an hour when fully charged, and runs quiet. You get a good choice of blades with the Freedom trimmer, so you can use these trimmers for careful work on fine hairs, then switch to more robust blades for the mane and tail.

Always choose clippers and trimmers from one of the main horse grooming suppliers. This way, you will get a warranty, you can be sure your clippers are safe to use, and getting replacement parts and blades will be easy. For trimming a perfect tail, you need to be sure your blades are sharp. If the coarse hairs of the tail get caught in dull blades, not only will you get uneven edges and broken hairs, but you risk pulling out hairs and hurting your horse. Invest in a few sets of blades, so you always have a sharp set in your horse grooming supplies, and you have spares when you need to send them away for sharpening. With a good set of trimmers and sharp blades, you can keep your horse’s tail looking neat and healthy every day.

This is the second in a series of five articles on horse grooming. This article is an easy to read, well written guide to grooming your horse’s tail. Not only does it provide specific guidance but also makes recommendations on the right horse grooming supplies to use to get the job done right in the shortest time.

Author: Marcus Koll
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Is their a difference in training an Arabian for Dressage as opposed to training a Warmblood or even a Quarterhorse?

We found that out! My daughter is the most fortunate girl when it comes to her dressage trainer. Until a couple of years ago, she had mainly trained children and adults for dressage on Warmbloods and Quarterhorses but since we had this cute little Arab which was so willing to please and totally green, she took him on.

Here are some main differences in training hot blooded horses for dressage, versus Warmbloods and even Quarterhorses:

1. Keep your Arabian horse working at least a little 5 -7 days a week. Don’t let him sit and get overly eager to go. They are hard to bring down and concentrate once they are excited.
2. While you can drill a Warmblood over and over again on the same exercise, an Arab needs variety. After you practice something 4 or 5 times, you really need to do something else for a while – preferably before his brain short cuts and he decides he’s done.
3. When you do an exercise the same way repetitively, have him do the exact opposite for a while – otherwise he will let you know what is right and what is wrong. For example, do a ‘leg yield’ away from the rails instead of toward the rails. It breaks his thinking pattern and leaves you in the driver’s seat.
4. Ride the horse you’re on – be calm, don’t override. You are supposed to be the calming agent. If you have an electric seat, take a very deep breath and lower your energy output by lot.
5. Arabs’ heads like to come up, circle, maybe even hit your helmet while doing it. Don’t try to pull his head down. It only makes it worse. On the other hand, don’t give too much either, try to follow with your hands and send him forward and hopefully he’ll learn that that’s not a way to evade the bit and come off the aids.
6. Many Arabians learn to curl and go behind the bit. Again, that is nothing but an attempt to evade your aids (hands) – like above, send him forward while following his mouth with your hands.
7. And last but not least, love him, support him and try to turn all that energy into positive tension. Let him be brilliant and let him show off how cute he is while constantly suggesting to him what you want. You really cannot make them do anything.

Author: Monique Myers
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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A lot of riders struggle to develop trot lengthenings with their first level dressage horses. What follows are 7 quick tips to help your horse with his lengthenings.

1. THE AIDS FOR TROT LENGTHENINGS

When you’re ready to ask for an upward transition from working trot to a trot lengthening, apply the aids simultaneously, as follows:

* Seat: use a driving seat, as though you’re pushing the back of the saddle toward the front of the saddle.

* Legs: press lightly with both legs to signal your horse to express his energy forward over the ground in longer strides.

* Reins: soften your hands a bit forward, but keep a contact with your horse’s mouth, and a bend in your elbows. Do not ‘throw the reins away’.

2. TROT LENGTHENINGS develop suppleness.

Here’s an image that will help you understand the type of suppleness you’re developing when you practice lengthenings with your First Level horse. Think of your horse’s body as a rubber band that can easily stretch and contract. Not only will this quality make him more athletic, but it’s also extremely useful for all disciplines of riding. Take showjumping, for instance. Just think how many jumping faults could be avoided if your horse’s stride were easily adjustable like this!

3. MAINTAIN THE TEMPO OF THE WORKING TROT

As with most new work, when you begin to incorporate lengthenings into your training at First Level, you start in the trot. It’s a bonus if you have a horse that can naturally lengthen his trot. Many Warmbloods and Arabians have this ability, but I’ve worked with a lot of Thoroughbreds, Connemaras, Morgans, and Quarter Horses who really need help developing their trot lengthenings.

If you ask your horse to lengthen in the way I’ve described and the tempo gets quicker because he runs with short, fast steps, you need to systematically develop his lengthenings. Part of his difficulty may be purely physical. He may lack the suppleness and strength that he will gain in time by basic dressage training. But part of the problem may be that the horse just doesn’t understand that he is to take longer strides in the same tempo. He actually thinks he’s being obedient when he rushes off because he feels you close your legs, and he responds eagerly by immediately going forward.

I often find that I can help him understand that he is to lengthen his strides without speeding up, by asking for the trot lengthenings while going up hills. Once he gets the idea, I go back into the ring and see if he can transfer this concept of lengthening in the same tempo on the level footing.

Sometimes I do something unusual with the horse that tends to quicken his trot tempo when asked to lengthen. Since it takes time to develop the trot lengthening, I go out in a big field, or I go all the way around the ring and round off the corners so that I don’t have to slow down for them. First, I take up a heavier contact than normal. In this way, I can temporarily act as the horse’s fifth leg and purposely support him so he doesn’t lose his balance. Then I ask for a lengthening in posting trot. While posting to the trot, I rise very high and stay in the air a fraction of a second longer than normal. I pretend that I can hold the horse in the air with my body. And, in my mind’s eye, I picture him floating over the ground with his feet never touching the ground.

I ask my horse to give me a greater and greater effort and eventually one of two things will happen. The first is that he realizes that his legs can’t go any faster, and he ‘shifts into overdrive’ and takes some longer, slower steps. At this point, I immediately stop, praise him, and let him walk on a loose rein.

In my experience I’ve found that the first time, I might have to go all the way around a ring once or twice before I get a couple of longer, slower steps. But after the reward, the next effort yields results much sooner. And the same for the next attempt.

The other thing that might happen is that he loses his balance and falls into the canter. This isn’t the disaster it seems to be. If my horse hadn’t lost his balance and cantered, his next trot step probably would have been a bit longer. So I re-establish and immediately ask for a trot lengthening. It’s in that moment that I’m most apt to get a longer stride in a better tempo. And once again if I get even one or two better steps, I stop and praise him. The reward helps the horse to understand that by doing something different, even if initially he doesn’t understand what it is, he’ll be praised.

Once I get two or three better steps as soon as I ask for the trot lengthening, I leave them for another day. During each session the horse builds his understanding of what’s being asked, and over time he physically gets strong enough to lengthen in a good tempo for a greater number of steps.

4. HEAR THE TEMPO

Use some good auditory images to help you while you’re teaching your horse to do a trot lengthening in the same tempo as his working gait. Pretend you’re standing by a paved road and your eyes are closed. Because the tempo stays exactly the same, you can’t tell from the sound of the footfalls whether your horse is in the working gait, lengthening, or doing the transition in between.

Here’s another auditory image to help you teach your horse to lengthen the trot in the same tempo as his working trot. Pretend you hear a metronome ticking. The tempo stays exactly the same both when you’re in working trot and when you’re in the lengthening. (Even though I’m discussing trot lengthenings at the moment, you can use the same type of auditory image if your horse quickens his tempo in a canter lengthening. ‘Hear’ the tempo as if your horse is moving over the ground with big, ground-covering bounds in slow motion.

If your horse still tends to quicken his tempo when you ask him to do a trot lengthening, overcompensate by imagining that you ‘hear’ the tempo get slower. Pretend that the tempo gets slower because your horse stays suspended in the air for a long time. If you’re doing a posting trot, try rising and sitting more slowly to see if you can be the one to set the pace rather than automatically posting at the speed that your horse chooses.

5. USE FIRMER CONTACT FOR SUPPORT

Don’t be surprised if the contact with your horse’s mouth during trot lengthenings becomes somewhat heavy. Remember that lengthenings are developed out of the working gait at First Level, and the weight in your hands is somewhat firm to begin with. In addition, while your horse is learning how to balance himself during trot lengthenings, his center of gravity might shift even a bit further to his forehand. Don’t be alarmed by this. It’s a stage of his training, and it’s fine to temporarily support him by maintaining a firmer contact. Later on, if you decide to go on to more advanced work, you’ll develop ‘uphill’ extensions out of collected gaits. Because the horse will have a greater degree of self-carriage when he’s in a collected gait, the contact will be lighter.

However, there’s a fine line between a solid, supporting contact and one in which your horse is leaning so heavily on your hands that your arms ache. Here are some things you can try to improve a contact that is too heavy. Before you even begin to ask for a trot lengthening, make sure you drive the horse’s hind legs more under his body by closing both of your legs. In order to carry himself, your horse needs to have his hind legs underneath him. If his hind legs are trailing out behind his body, he can’t support himself in the lengthening and he has no option but to lean on your hands.

You can also ride some quick transitions: from trot to halt and back to trot again, or from the canter to the walk and back to the canter again. This will help to re-balance your horse and make the weight in your hands more comfortable.
Another reason the contact can get too heavy is that you may be asking for too many lengthened strides at one time before your horse is ready. Doing well-balanced trot lengthenings with his hind legs underneath his body for only a few strides at a time is much more valuable for your horse than lengthening for many strides with his hind legs pushing out behind his body. Remember that when you do the downward transition back to the working gait, be sure that you close your legs to send his hind legs under his body. It might feel natural to ask for the downward transition from the lengthening to the working gait by just using the reins. But, as you know by now, if your goal is to rebalance your horse and improve the contact, you need to add hind legs while doing the downward transitions.

6. ALLOW THE FRAME TO ELONGATE IN TROT LENGTHENINGS

In trot lengthenings, the front feet should touch the ground on the spot toward which they are pointing when each leg is at its maximum extension. When a horse has to draw his front legs back toward his body before placing them on the ground, or his toes flip up in front, it usually indicates that he hasn’t been allowed to lengthen his frame.
Sometimes a rider makes it difficult for the horse to lengthen to his utmost. Although I said earlier that you shouldn’t be concerned in the contact is a bit too firm, you want to be sure that you’re not making it heavy because you’re cranking his neck in. If you keep your horse’s neck short by restricting him with strong or non-allowing hands, he has to draw his foreleg back before putting it down. Allow your horse to lengthen his neck and point the tip of his nose more or less forward. To help you to do this, think about ‘opening the front door’ by softening your hands a bit toward your horse’s mouth and by cocking your wrists upward in a way that allows your little fingers to go more forward.

7. SIT UPRIGHT

When you use your driving seat to ask for the transition into the trot lengthening, don’t try to ‘help’ your horse to lengthen by leaning back. Even though you might feel that you can drive him forward this way (and I see many dressage riders doing this in lengthenings and extensions) you’ll just end up driving his back down and making it hollow. Stay vertical at all times.

I learned this lesson about sitting correctly in trot lengthenings the hard way while trying to qualify for the Olympic Festival with Jolicoeur at a competition that was being held at Knoll Farm in Brentwood, New York, back in 1987. One of the finest international judges in the world, the late Mr Jaap Pot, was there. He was a stickler when it came to the correctness of the rider’s seat. I remember Jo and I doing huge extended trots for him. I thought we had done really well until my score sheet came back with extremely low marks for the extensions and the simple comment – rider leaning behind the vertical. Believe me, it made an impression.

Author: Jane Savoie
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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