There’s nothing more exciting than to see a beautiful horse floating across the diagonal in an extended trot. When you watch top riders executing this movement, it looks effortless. And the truth is, it should be.
And you wonder how you and your horse will ever get there. Perhaps you have a decent trot lengthening, that’s not too hard. But how do you take your mediocre lengthening and turn it into a floaty, flashy extension where the horse’s legs reach and the body lengthens and shoots off across the diagonal?
Perhaps whenever you try to make a medium or extended trot, you feel like you’re not really getting anywhere. When you turn onto the diagonal, you are amped up and you push, push, kick, and kick, but nothing happens. You might tap the horse with the whip, and still, nothing.
You might be thinking that the extended trot (or medium), is hard. Well, the good news is, it is not hard at all. It’s actually quite easy. The extended trot itself should take very little effort from the rider. However, it is the preparation for the extended trot that requires some hard work and a little know-how.
Once you prepare properly, the extended trot is easy-peasy.
Before You Even Try the Extended Trot
First you need to understand that you cannot take a horse that has been sitting in the pasture for 6 months and suddenly create an extended trot. This article is for horses that have a developed trot lengthening already in place. This would be a horse that is in regular work and fit, a horse that is continually getting stronger and ready to go to the next level.
Also, unfortunately, some horses are not quite built conformationally to do an amazing extended trot. Most should be able to do a decent medium trot.
The Progression of the Extended Trot
After you have a good trot lengthening, the next goal is to get a good medium trot, which we will go over next. And from there, the full extended trot will develop. This will all take time and patience. And all of this may happen over the course of one to several years.
The Key to the Extended Trot
As stated above, it’s all about the preparation you do before you do the movement. An extended trot does not develop from the movement itself per se, it develops from the proper execution of the 10-20 strides before the extension.
And as you develop those 10-20 strides even more, over time, what started out as a lengthened trot will blossom into a floaty medium. And after even more time and development, that medium will turn into an exciting, super-charged extended trot.
So what is it about those 10-20 strides you do before asking for a medium or extended trot? (-and it may actually be 10-20 minutes of strides, just depends on the situation.) Those strides are used to set the horse up to be able to perform the moment. It’s like lighting the firecracker, and then the extension happens as the firecracker shoots off.
So how do you light the firecracker?
Extended Trot Preparation
Ok, lets talk about lighting that firecracker!
What you need to do to light the firecracker is to create engagement. Specifically, you need to engage the hind end so that the horse will be ready with impulsion to carry you, or float you/send you, across the diagonal in an effortless extended trot.
So before you ask for a medium or extended trot, you’ll need to spend a few minutes, or a few strides, working on engaging the hind end. After you properly engage the hind end, it’s almost as if the extension will be there, automatically, when you ask for it. Like I said, the preparation is the hard part, and when you actually do the movement, it’s just there. You won’t have to do much but sit there and enjoy the ride.
Of course you need to always ride your horse and not just sit there, and there are some things you need to do, but I’m just making the point that it should seem effortless in the extended trot if you prepared for it well enough.
Exercises to Engage the Hind End for an Extended Trot
There are countless ways to do this, and we will talk about a few below. But the concept remains the same.
- You need to get more of the horse’s weight off of the forehand and more onto the hind legs.
- And you need to get the horse’s inside hind leg to step more in and under his center of gravity.
- You also need to be recycling the energy you create and not let it fall out the front end.
The best ways to create engagement is through lateral work and transitions.
The Leg Yield.
This will get the horse stepping in and under his center of gravity. Turn onto your quarter lines and leg yield back to the wall. Do this on 3-4 long sides consecutively and then turn onto your diagonal and ask for the medium or extended trot.
It’s important to ride a good leg yield, so if you are having troubles with it, read my article about How to Ride a Perfect Leg Yield.
The Shoulder-in
This is also great for getting the inside hind leg stepping in and under. This is actually the exercise of my choice to prepare for extended trot. So go around the arena on the wall and do shoulder-in down both long sides. Then turn onto your diagonal and do the medium or extended trot.
If you need a refresher on the shoulder-in, read my article about How to do a Smooth Shoulder-in.
Transitions in the Leg Yield.
This next exercise is going do two things at once. It’s going to sit the horse back through transitions, and also get the inside hind stepping under via the leg yield. The exercise is outlined HERE in one of my previous articles. This super exercise will also improve your leg yield tremendously and straighten your horse. You can also do it in the Shoulder-in along the wall.
I don’t recommend this exercise directly before doing the extended trot. You should spend a few minutes on this exercise and then go directly into a shoulder-in on the wall, and then directly onto the diagonal and into the extended trot.
The Turn on the Forehand in the Trot, on a Circle
This is a more difficult exercise, but it will give you the best results and set you up for an amazing medium or extended trot.
Now, you can’t actually do a turn on the forehand in the trot, on a circle. But that is what you need to be thinking and trying to do.
So as you are trotting along on a 15-18 meter circle, you are going to be thinking, push the haunches out and get the shoulders in. You can think of doing a shoulder-in on the circle in order to get the shoulders in on the circle, and keep a nice steady, but not pulling, outside rein to keep the shoulders straightly in. (not bulging) This is hard for the horse and he will try to bulge the outside shoulder, and then you will be pulling the horse’s head in, but the shoulders won’t actually be in. You can also use your outside knee or even your outside leg to guide and keep the shoulders in.
Then you are also, at the same time, pushing the haunches out on the circle. Use your inside leg, as far back as needed behind the girth and push those haunches out. As the horse responds, he’ll want to make it a leg yield by letting his whole body go out, because that’s easier. That’s where your outside rein comes into play by stopping the shoulders from going out and only letting the haunches move out.
Do this for a quarter or half of the circle, then let the horse be straight. Then repeat a few morse times. Each time you go back to straighten on the circle, you are looking and feeling for a better-moving horse. When you come back to normal, the horse should feel like he’s more engaged and moving with greater power, self-carriage, and straightness. The firecracker has been lit. This is when you are ready to immediately go onto the diagonal and let it blast off.
What to do IN the Extended Trot
So you’ve lit the firecracker and you are ready to shoot it off. What do you do next? Well, nothing…almost. The truth is, you will be doing a lot, but it should feel like nothing.
If you have properly engaged your horse, the extension will be there, waiting for you to let it out. And that’s the key, really. You create the power for it through good preparation, and then you just let it out. You will have to maintain and protect it, but that’s it. A good extended trot shall have no “work” on the part of the rider. No pushing, no kicking, no grunting. You will not be exhausted here, just thrilled.
So, you are turning onto the diagonal with all the power held inside the horse;
First, don’t let the power escape through the corner. This can happen a few different ways. The horse’s shoulder could get sucked into the corner, and then you’ll have a crooked horse going into the extension. That will obviously kill it. Also, don’t let the horse rush through the corner, which he will undoubtedly do once he learns to anticipate what you are going to be doing. So keep a steady connection with the reins, maintain an even tempo, half halt, and tell the horse, wait for me.
Once you are fully turned onto the diagonal and straight, it’s time to release the energy. For some horses, especially when learning, you’ll need to apply heavier aids until they understand. Then you can refine it as you go. Put your legs around the horse’s barrel and press just a little. This is the signal for the horse to push off, off of that wonderfully engaged inside hind leg. At the same time you are going to release your hands forward just a smidge. This gives the horse room to take the contact out as he lengthens his whole body and extends at full power.
Maintaining the Extended Trot
The end result is what is described above. You prep the horse, turn onto the diagonal, blast off with a soft calf, and put your hands forward just a smidge.
When your horse starts learning to blast off, he won’t make it all the way across the diagonal before pooping out and dropping onto the forehand. That’s totally normal. Your horse needs to build strength for this and he will gradually get better.
So it is your job to help your horse as much as you can. Help him to maintain the extension for as long as he can. Soon enough, you’ll be flying all the way across the arena.
Here are a few ways you can help your horse:
- Practice on a short diagonal at first. That way, you might make it all the way.
- Get the best possible engagement before you ask.
- Release your hands forward the appropriate amount. If you put your hands forward too much, you’ll loose all the energy out the front end. If you don’t put your hands forward enough, you’ll block the energy from coming through the horse.
- When you find that sweet spot for your hands, you need to maintain it as long as possible. If the horse starts to poop out, refresh your extension with another calf squeeze to keep the horse reaching out for the connection.
It’s always a great idea to try these types of movements on a school master who can execute the movement with ease. This will give you the feel of the movement. Then you can try to replicate that on your own horse.
So give it a try and let me know what you think!
Keep Riding, Keep Refining
The Refined Rider
