Natural collection on Sandstorm.
Sandstorm has some wonderful training under him by two great gaited trainers. Remarkable temperament. Last year decided to try teaching him to collect like a ranch horse and build on the natural collection he had been trained with. He has taken to it wonderfully and with a squeeze of my legs he drops his head. The collection even has migrated into his gait and now canter/lope. It's good for these gaited horses to have NATURAL collection. Too many riders think you have to hold them in the collection of force the collection. Take a little time at the walk and some release when they give you an answer in the correct direction works wonders. It takes TIME but in the end it's more solid because the rider didn't force the horse to collect, the rider taught the horse how to properly carry itself.
As riders it's our job to make sure the horse carries itself correctly so they can have a long, healthy and happy life.
Blaze
This is a horse that has come along way. I bought her with the understanding that she didn't gait (and I have had multiple people look her over for issues that could cause the lack of gait and no one has found anything). She had a great start on her but lacked natural collection and needed work on leg cues. Cantering was (and still is hard).
What has helped her is collection and engaging those hindquarters. Doing small circles to get that haunches over while keeping the shoulders up helped with balance and training her to drop the head in the round pen and push forward has helped her find strength through those hind legs (which are the power house of the horse).
Before she ran around faster and faster leaning in and having those back legs move forward at the same time causing her to have a short choppy/trying to catch herself from falling canter. Now you can see some separation in those back legs when they come down, she holds her shoulder up better, and is showing a willingness to naturally drop her head.
I strongly believe if she ever will gait, the canter will strengthen her legs to help her be able to not to mention helping her separate that back leg movement will help her separate her legs for the 4 beat gaiting movement. But if she doesn't gait, Blaze has a gorgeous trot and canter not to mention an IQ of 180 😂
You know you did something right when you horse follows you after the ride. 💞
Horse training, and lessons. "Given time, patience, and trust your horse can achieve anything".
