Can you get more Elevation / Cadence – Improve Paces mark??

THERE ARE things that you can do to improve your horse’s elevation / cadence and get higher marks for paces

Can you get more Elevation / Cadence – Improve Paces mark??

Not everyone has Sandro Hit offspring in their yard and occasionally some are referred to as ‘Sandro Shits’ so not everyone would want one! But it has to be said, certain breeds (KWPNs, Westphalians etc) have more scope to get higher paces marks than the ArabX or Dartmoor pony. With top training, brilliant riding we have all seen on TV what amazing things these horse breeds can do. Conversely, with the wrong training and poor riding it’s possible to get very ordinary paces out of a very well bred horse.

The point I make is that THERE ARE things that you can do to improve your horse’s elevation / cadence and get higher marks for paces, certainly at the lower levels of competition.

Quite often I see horses rushed / hurried around tests with the riders believing that it will be ‘engaged’ and also, probably more frequently, allowed to idle behind the leg so lacking engagement and forward desire. In the case of the former, the horse hurries over the top of the ground without ever putting sufficient weight onto the footfalls, appearing ‘to scurry’. This, like with the horse that lacks energy and forward desire throughout, so inhibiting stride length, isn’t going to get the best mark for paces.

So finding a tempo whereby your horse is not hurrying, yet not inactive but instead feeling as though he is landing on the ground properly and pushing off the floor with each step, then this is the ‘ideal feel’ you’re looking for.

Couple this with maintaining roundness, an elastic connection with the hocks swinging freely under and tracking up in the trot then you’re onto a winner, whatever the breed.

Learning how that look feels is a key part of training. Helping yourself to recognize that feel, especially in a test environment with a horse who is also feeling different as being away from home takes lots of practice. It’ll be helpful to get someone to video you. If you can use an arena with mirrors that will help also. Training is key and preparing by test training a few days before each competition is always helpful or get a trainer to assess your work.

Something that worked for me in the past was to try hurrying a little too much on purpose, remember the feel. Then go slightly under ideal, remember the feel. Then get it right somewhere between the two and work on the connection further, use your soft eyes and allow the movement to flow forward in front of you, remember the feel. Get this feel in the test!

Using suppling exercises will clearly encourage your horse to step under and engage more freely too. So lateral work, bending exercises, transitions and half halts will all help you to improve connection and will encourage your horse to better show off his paces. Your trainer can help advise you on which ones to try and how to implement them.

Use poles to encourage a large walk and trot movement in your schooling and praise good work. Place them in a circular formation as well as in straight lines so you can vary the stride length depending on where on the poles you head him for and over.

Remember, the paces mark includes freedom, rhythm and regularity. So keep the strides regular / rhythmical throughout so as not to give us judges any reason not to give you any less than ‘fairly good’ 7.

Excuse the plug, but it has to said that supplements that promote comfort and mobility will have a similar beneficial effect on paces as will anything that reduces tension through the back. There are plenty of competitors who simply will not try competing without their instant calmer as the softening effect is sometimes so great it can transform tests.