Challenged to Gallop

[piedmontfields]

This is a funny question, but here goes. What suggestions do you have to encourage a horse to gallop, who does not seem to take to galloping?

I realize that I am much more used to horses (TBs, Arabians) whom I have to tell "don't gallop!" or "OK, now you can gallop!" My little Lusitano x Trak mare has a nice canter, collected canter and even medium canter. But when I take her out in the fields, the gallop gear just isn't there. It is like she is "stuck" in canter and says "this is all I've got." I do shorten my stirrups and get off her back, but I am still in a dressage saddle.

Suggestions? I think a really long beach might be the right environment for finding this gear in my Florida girl. However, I don't have that in Tennessee!

[angela9823]

My girl is the same way. She has NO speed button. But I went out with a couple of friends one day and she hated the other horses passing her, so when they kicked it into overdrive she did as well. We still ended up being behind them and eating their dust, but she finally found her gallop. Even in the pasture, she only canters.

[piedmontfields]

Hmmm. Emi is so polite and we ride alone so much that I don't think being super-charged by others will make a difference. She is very "de-coupled" from the herd and is a a very laissez-faire leader or follower when I (seldom) take her out with others.

In the pasture, it is a "big event" if she canters....(and then she'll do canter pirouettes which are quite nice but nowhere near galloping!!!!).

[Chisamba]

I still think galloping with others would help her find more of a desire to go.

[Ponichiwa]

My gelding had a similar issue. I put my leg on, and all his energy went up instead of out. I think this is common in horses who are naturally round-moving (Andalusians, friesians, and in my guy's case Dutch Harness Horse) but don't necessarily find it easy to move OUT.

I opened up his canter with lots and lots of canter leg-yield in medium canter. You don't want to push past the point of balance, because then the canter just gets quick in the tempo again instead of covering more ground per stride. I started on a diagonal line, asked for medium canter, and then developed leg yield off my former outside leg until his body was parallel to the wall. I held until each stride felt like it was bounding up and forward, not just on the spot with legs moving faster. Up to you if you want to hold counter canter around the short side, or ask for a flying change and repeat to the other direction.

I repeated that exercise several times each ride until I felt that extra gear available to me whenever I wanted it. It took him a while to be able to sustain it for more than a diagonal at a time. And eventually we had a great (but maybe slow) gallop when I took him out for a blast around the fields. In my mind I looked like a jockey. In reality, my sister calls him The Galloping Seacow.

[piedmontfields]

Chisamba, if I had more bold galloping friends, I would try this! (I am notat an eventing barn...when I was, it was easy to find a good galloper as a lead)

Ponichiwa, your suggestions make sense--thank you. And it also makes sense that it will take time for her to have more than a short period of gallop available.

Thanks all for the suggestions!

[angela9823]

My girl doesn't get the least bit worked up away from a group. Very mellow to ride alone as well. Actually, riding with a group spooks her more because of the sounds the other horses make, like throwing up rocks with their hooves or a group of horses walking down a road can freak her out.

We have several hunt grounds around us - Camden Hunt Country, Aiken Hunt Country... and lots of people in those groups don't mind an "easier" trail ride every now and then. But once a horse is in a group like that, they get a little more jazzed and don't want their new found friends leaving them.

That trail ride I discussed earlier - it was my mare's first time being with the one horse. She is quite the flirt around geldings and she was so with that fellow. UNTIL he passed her. After that, every time he looked her way, she'd snarl at him - ears back, teeth bared. I've never seen her do that at any other horse. It was like she was angry that he passed her and kicked dirt in her face. LOL!

And my mare is Hanoverian/Paint cross. She really should be able to gallop just fine but just seems to have no desire to do it.

[PaulaEdwina]

Hills and competition! Point at a hill, pull the trigger. Competition; go out with a galloper.

Paula

[kcmel]

My gelding had a similar issue. I put my leg on, and all his energy went up instead of out. I think this is common in horses who are naturally round-moving (Andalusians, friesians, and in my guy's case Dutch Harness Horse) but don't necessarily find it easy to move OUT.

My DHH cross has a great gallop, even though he is very "up". My trainer's client, who is a warmblood breeder, was watching him warming up recently at a horse trial and commented on what a nice gallop he had.

But I want to see picture of your DHH. I will start a thread!

[PNG_Pony]

My appy had no gallop until a week or two ago...she's very low key and the concept of speed or extension was just absolutely foreign. She also doesn't care if she's by herself or not (not competitive at all...she's also bottom of the totem pole in the herd) and wouldn't even canter up hills. But, now thanks to all our strengthening work on the hills and over rough ground, she's suddenly offering it. Who knew?

[PaulaEdwina]

My appy had no gallop until a week or two ago...she's very low key and the concept of speed or extension was just absolutely foreign. She also doesn't care if she's by herself or not (not competitive at all...she's also bottom of the totem pole in the herd) and wouldn't even canter up hills. But, now thanks to all our strengthening work on the hills and over rough ground, she's suddenly offering it. Who knew?

I knew! Having hills and a hack trail are such AWESOME tools.

Paula

[PNG_Pony]

Hahaha, you're right. We've just been doing hills regularly (multiple times a week) for a year...and we're only just now getting this sort of result. I just underestimated how long it would take for her to build up the strength!

[PaulaEdwina]

Hahaha, you're right. We've just been doing hills regularly (multiple times a week) for a year...and we're only just now getting this sort of result. I just underestimated how long it would take for her to build up the strength!

You know, I think it took about a year for us too! Fella is a Percheron/Standardbred cross so I imagine his breed type played a roll in how long it took to fit him up. But what fun did we have!

Paula