Rough riding horse

[lindavt]

Hi, everyone. I'm new here but thought I would give it a try. I recently purchased a paint horse. He's got a great personality; very friendly and gentle. He's fine at a walk but when you go into a trot, he's very rough and his canter is no better. Is there any way his gaits can be smoothed out that anyone knows of? I love the horse but I'll never be able to handle his rough gaits. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[dunappy]

Generally a horse who is rough in the trot or canter will benefit from comllection work. You did not say if you ride western or english, but what I would try is to work on his collection. Start at the walk to help bbuild up the right muscles and if he is not well colledted int he first place, then only for a few short minutes at a time and gradually build up to longer as his muscles are not used to that position.

One other reason that he could be rough is his conformation. If his pasterns are really short and fairly upright, that could be one cause of his rough trotting. However there is also a possibility that a different hoof trim or shoeing angle would help.

There are to many different possibilities at this point with out knowing all the details of the horse and his conformation.

You might want to consult a vet and a farrier or a conformation specialist like Dr. Deb Bennet and get an assessment of his conformation to see if that is the biggest problem or if his problem is a lack of collection.

[lindavt]

I'm just a back yard western rider. I've had no formal training. Sounds like I need a good book! I wouldn't know how to start. I have heard that training over a cavaletti could help smooth out a rough trot (if it isn't conformation-related). To me, he looks like he has good conformatin. He makes me think he might be a standardbred, instead of a quarterhorse.

[simplesimonsays]

a lot of the times it could be poor breeding, he may be a paint mixed w/ what and sometimes that can cause a poor gaited horse.

[horsetrainer]

you may be leaning to far forward. try leaning back and swaying with the horse. as a test, you should be able to pick up your feet in the stirups at any time.... if you can't, you are leaning to far forward.

hope this helps.
Dean
http://downunderseller.ecrater.com