Natural tempo development?

[netg]

This is mostly regarding trot work...

My OTTB is easily adjustable shorter, longer, faster tempo, slower, etc. However, he has never felt as if he had "his" tempo.

Recently, while I can still change that tempo, he has this set tempo he seems to always stick to if I let him. It's slower than I would expect, but still with energy. And he's lengthening his trot better coming from this place. This is the tempo he uses when he's doing his best trot out in turnout as well.


It *feels* like he's developing the carrying strength to collect well and that carrying strength is letting him lengthen more easily without losing the same rhythm he's been in. I have two lessons with my trainer and two rides with a clinician coming up in the next few days, so will be bringing it up. I'm just curious - have you had horses who are learning collection turn into metronomes as they get stronger?

[alibi_18]

Yes. He now has the right muscles to move that way with or without you!

And can I suggest you to try working around that newly found tempo and develop it from there.

Let us know what your trainers have to say about it.

[cadance]

yup, my horse finally has her working trot (aka, my sitting trot) down since she's finally strong enough to carry herself. now we can do medium trot, love that feeling when she first pushes off! dressage is so funnnnn

[netg]

Yes. He now has the right muscles to move that way with or without you!

And can I suggest you to try working around that newly found tempo and develop it from there.

Let us know what your trainers have to say about it.

Work around as in go slower and faster instead of just sticking to that tempo?

I find that when I increase tempo it helps get him using more energy when we return to his natural tempo, and slowing seems to increase sit and power, so I definitely still make him slow/speed up tempo regularly.

[netg]

Let us know what your trainers have to say about it.

Both my trainer and the clinician agreed that his new default tempo is good enough, and that we just need to keep working on adding energy to it, so making him lengthen, shorten, etc., and just keep doing work to develop him more and more.


My trainer hopped on him at the end of my lesson and first they were just about doing passage in his tempo, as he decided that he would freak out if she touched him with the whip, so she kept touching him on the croup, haunches, and behind her leg until he stopped freaking - but he freaked by engaging and using his hind end more instead of bolting or bucking or any other kind of misbehavior. After he got over himself they were transitioning between working trot and medium trots, and he kept that tempo. So I guess it's working awfully darned well for him!