Question # 85: I desperately need help with Training Test B. I loathe it... hate it... wish it would die a fiery death.
The problem is that this test throws everything at me too quickly and it accentuates all of our issues. We start down centerline just fine, do a great figure eight, and can even get a lovely trot with shoulder in to the left lead canter. I'm still not great at riding the canter lengthening on the circle, but it's not horrible this direction.
Then we come down to the walk and then the downfall starts. It's a vicious spiral. I can get a decent free walk sometimes, but guaranteed... every single time I ask for the medium walk, he anticipates and starts jigging. Even at home I cannot get a nice medium walk but every 5th time. I've tried bending him around my leg, I've tried making sure my hips continue to move, I've tried leaving the reins long and not really getting a true medium walk.... but regardless I can't figure out how to get a true free to medium without him anticipating. So then we're fighting or jigging and that sets us up for a horrible trot transition.
Then the next movement is the right lead canter. Fleck tends to travel haunches in pretty obviously this direction and it's our "bad" lead. So I try my hardest to do shoulder in, but that seems to indicate canter to him, so we break into the canter early or it's a tense transition because I'm trying so hard to keep him at the trot until I ask. Then our canter is haunches in and rushed and yesterday... very bouncy and braced. Obviously the lengthen doesn't go well and often we break too early coming back down because I ask for the collection without keeping my leg on. So then our trot ends up being a little bit on the forehand and rushed. I've tried my hardest to collect, rock him back, think walk, even almost truly HALF halt (do the walk for half a step then back into the trot trick)... and I just don't seem to have enough time to get him balanced before we then have to do our stretchy trot... hence the stretchy trot being on the forehand and running.
I just wish I could find a way to ride this test better. I don't know if I get flustered... I can put in a decent tests on the other tests, but this one just.... really annihilates us. Help please!!! (Holly)
Hi Holly!
Wow, good for you for being so aware of all of your problems, and how one problem effects the next! That may sound like a weird thing to say... but I find that many riders don't always realize why their problems develop. And you obviously have a good grasp on how one problem begins the "snowball of problems" effect. Now... on to how to fix it!! (Click on Question Title above (in blue) to read full answer)
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