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[RC] It's not jigging; it is collected trot/piaffe/passage - k s swigart

Jan Rainey said:

I am having a frustrating problem with 1 horse....
I cannot get her to WALK on the trail when riding
with other horses... she wants to jig or do a really
slow jog.   She does not jig like this in the arenas
at home, nor when I am trail-riding by ourselves...
only when with other horses.

One way that you can teach a horse not to jig down the trail (especially
with other horses or on the way home); is to take the approach, "if you
are going to do this, you have to do it right." :).  It may not work
with every horse, but I have had it work with some of even the most
confirmed jiggers (e.g. 15 y.o and have been doing it his entire life).

Rather than just letting the horse "jig" what you do is ASK the horse to
do it.  But you use lots of leg behind the girth to really activate the
hind quarters and ride her forward into it; depending upon her strength,
ability, and the speed of the other horses this will either be a
collected trot or a combination of piaffe/passage (and use changes of
lengthening to get her to move forward and back in her place in the
group).

If she tries to forge ahead (which she probably will), don't let her,
make her COLLECT properly.  If she tries to shuffle, loses cadence, or
whatever (which she almost definitely will), don't let her, make her
collect properly.  When she asks to stop having to do this (because she
will, it is LOTS of work), don't let her, make her collect properly.
When she asks you again (which she will), don't let her.....

Push her to the point where she almost cannot continue to do it
properly, not even without lots of support from your leg (don't support
her except with the lightest contact with your hand); depending on her
level of fitness, this may take miles:) but probably won't.  And then,
relax you leg and ask her to/let her stop her collected trot and do a
free walk.  And she will say, "thank god that is over with!" :).  During
this whole exercise, you aren't allowed to tense up/hunch your shoulders
and "hold onto her face." The collection has to come from behind, with a
nice relaxed soft contact in your hands.

If she ever starts to do it again (which she may never), just tell her
again, "Okay, if you want to do this, we are going to do it properly."
Every horse that I have ever used this lesson on, then says, "No, no,
please, I was just kidding; I don't want to do this."

Depending on whether you want her to be a "dressage horse" that you
actually want to be able to get collected trot/piaffe/passage on cue,
you can continue to ask her for the movement for 8-10 strides and then
let her relax back into the walk.  Also, if it is something that you are
going to want to be able to ask for on cue, you would also want to
practice it in short amounts (i.e. only enough so that she doesn't get
totally exhausted by it) in the arena and/or when you are alone on the
trail, interspersed with periods of lengthening of the trot.

By doing this, you will have turned the unpleasant/nerve wracking
behaviour of "jigging down the trail" into an elegant and elastice
movement that can be asked for whenever you and she are in the mood...a
thing of beauty for both of you.

kat
Orange County, Calif.






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