The Art of Natural Dressage

Showing off is great, We should've thought of recording applause along time ago.

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Horse's idea becomes your Idea...

April

You know Miriam, have you done ground poles and cavilettis? If you haven't this would help him.

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Horse's idea becomes your Idea...

April

Yes, we have in the past, but Blacky doesn't like trotting over it (feel too much like pressure?), and doesn't like walking over more than one either. And to me his mind is more important during the training sessions than (improving) his body, because if he doesn't like something or thinks something is boring, he will immediately start moving in a different (worse) way too.

I do like the idea though, not for the piaffe, but maybe to see if he could get a bit more spacious trot.

For Titum that works so well. The people from the riding club frequently leave their jumps and trot poles in the arena and whenever I trotted over the poles together with Titum in the last days, his trot became so fantastic and his Passage attempts improved a lot.

Does Blacky also see this as pressure when you are trotting over the poles together with him?

you thinking in the same way as i am Romy
i run always together with my ponys over the poles.
it works very well. And yes is works to get more space in your trot.
Maybe he does not like it because it is difficult for him to stretch his legs and have balance at the same time to get over the poles?

When i do it frequently i lay the poles each day some further, and find the max. for each pony.
But the little one likse to jump also, so sometimes jumping and sometimes trot over the poles.

between running over the poles i do other games to.
So they do not get bored and i have some rest too
it is hard working....*LOL*

Well, if I run over them he runs along with me - around the poles.

He's kind of sneaky in that. I'm not sure if he thinks it is pressure either, or if he just finds is annoying/stupid/boring/tiring, but he doesn't want to do it. He loves jumping, but not trotting over things. Today we just walked and trotted around the paddock because - inspired by this topic! - I wanted to ask him to stretch his gaits a bit more, especially his trot. And every time we crossed the plank lying on the ground or encountered the tree trunk that's across the track, he jumps over it, even if he just could have walked.

But we'll see. I noticed that after walking around in a long, faster stride and trotting also in a higher tempo (not Blacky's regular western-jog without any suspension ), he suddenly started to jump up a millimeter more whenever I asked him to go back from trot to walk. Are we some day going to have a suspension moment in our trot????