# 4 beat lope



## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

3 beats is a "lope", ("canter", for English riders)
4 beats is a gallop, in both worlds
Keep lunging, and when your horse begins to tire, you'll get the 3 beats (lope) again.
Also, lunge at all 3 gaits and teach them voice commands for walk, trot and canter. Another exercise is a spiral. Try starting in a very small circle, then play out the line a few feet at a time until the circle is at it's largest, then pull back a few feet at a time to do a spiral. Horses will collect when they have tight turns.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

^ Haha, clearly you have never ridden a horse that 4-beated the canter! It happens when that one leg just lags behind, turning what should be a smooth 3 beat canter into a choppy 4 beat canter.

I used to school a horse who did this. The best thing I could do was get him forward forward forward! It's caused by a lack of energy and impulsion, so you need to create that energy. It's a lot of work but certainly rewarding.

Small disclaimer: You should be sure that the horse isn't "lagging" due to pain or stiffness in his hocks, stifles, or hips. Sometimes it's just uncomfortable to bring the leg forward that quickly, and it feels like it "sticks."


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Haha thanks Corporal! No I'm talking about a slow lope, with FOUR beats....it's an undesirable lope, but many horses do it.....it used to be the 'fad' a long time ago in WP. Some horse just do it, and some don't. Even my guy does it sometimes and it's awful!!! 

I was curious as to the mechanics of the four beat, why a horse would do it, and how to train it out or avoid it. It's real ugly to sit too.....


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

riccil0ve said:


> ^ Haha, clearly you have never ridden a horse that 4-beated the canter!


Pretty funny-- I DID laugh!
I have ridden a 4-beat "canter". It certainly can be from chronic lameness, but if the horse isn't lame, then it comes from weak hindquarters. There are many many exercises to fix that. I have ALSO owned TWH's. When they don't like where you are riding, you get to experience the "broken washing machine." It feels the same as the 4-beat lope.


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Some horses just have such a naturally terrible canter - if you want a competition prospect, a horse with a poor canter is generally one to avoid. 
If the horse is a naturally good, correct mover the second thing to look at for 4 beating in canter is soreness. If a shoulder, back or hind end is out, the canter quality will suffer and often become 4 beat.

After pain, its the rider's fault for not riding/working the horse forward. In Dressage we see 4 beat canters a lot when riders try to bring the horse into collection by pulling on the reins and slowing the canter, rather than quickening the hind legs and shortening the stride by riding the hind legs up and quick. 
To resolve this, the horse just needs to be ridden super forward for a while. We're talking get up off it's back and just let it roll along in canter while the rider has some lessons on how to ride forward!


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Kayty said:


> Some horses just have such a naturally terrible canter - if you want a competition prospect, a horse with a poor canter is generally one to avoid.
> If the horse is a naturally good, correct mover the second thing to look at for 4 beating in canter is soreness. If a shoulder, back or hind end is out, the canter quality will suffer and often become 4 beat.
> 
> After pain, its the rider's fault for not riding/working the horse forward. In Dressage we see 4 beat canters a lot when riders try to bring the horse into collection by pulling on the reins and slowing the canter, rather than quickening the hind legs and shortening the stride by riding the hind legs up and quick.
> To resolve this, the horse just needs to be ridden super forward for a while. We're talking get up off it's back and just let it roll along in canter while the rider has some lessons on how to ride forward!


Perfect! My guy will four beat under saddle - sometimes, and it feels awful! He has a nice rocking horse lope, but since the weather changed and we are in the indoor arena I think he feels a little cramped! When I feel him four beat I keep after him to return to a three beat. It's not all the time, but I don't like it! I've only just put my spurs back on.....and it hasn't happened for the last couple of rides.

He also does it intermittently on the longe, and I get after him for it and make him stride out.

I've been working on collection with him, picking up the reins and applying leg at a trot to push him up into the bit and as soon as he gives me a few strides of 'soft and round' I release, same with the lope....but I think the impulsion is lacking at the lope while trying to collect him, guess my legs need to work a bit harder! 
I don't think he is very strong over his top line yet, even though he appears to be that way (very solid strong looking horse - a little fat)

Thanks


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

If you're struggling to keep the forward 'button', scrap any ideas of collection and fix it. Before thinking about collected work, you need to make sure that all basics are firmly established, and that you horse will willingly remain in front of your leg. You certainly do not want to be kicking him on every stride just to keep him going - if thats the case, collection will never come.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Kayty said:


> If you're struggling to keep the forward 'button', scrap any ideas of collection and fix it. Before thinking about collected work, you need to make sure that all basics are firmly established, and that you horse will willingly remain in front of your leg. You certainly do not want to be kicking him on every stride just to keep him going - if thats the case, collection will never come.


Haha have no problem with the impulsion, it's actually when I pick him up with my legs and drive him into the bridle to ask for collection and softness for a few strides just to get him to carry himself a bit more its when i release him that he just kind of goes all over the place, not all the time though, he's extremely soft and pliable you might say, just seems to do this four beat intermittently......
I sometimes wonder if he's not getting tired and just kind of falls apart.....I will keep working at it.....I'm sure it will come together.....eventually


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Is it a genuine in front of the leg, forwardness though, or a 'horse wants to go fast' forwardness? Biiiiiiiiiiig difference and the latter is a frequent problem with a lot of riders of hot and ottb types, thinking the horse is going forward when it is just over reactive and running away. 

The other cause can be unbalance, if the horse isn't in perfect balance and you try to bring it into collection, it can 4 beat. Again, sending the horse forward into an open hand will remedy this, with lots of work on balance. 

Unless the horse has bad paces or their conformation dictates that they will naturally 4 beat, it is a forwardness/balance problem.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Kayty said:


> Is it a genuine in front of the leg, forwardness though, or a 'horse wants to go fast' forwardness? Biiiiiiiiiiig difference and the latter is a frequent problem with a lot of riders of hot and ottb types, thinking the horse is going forward when it is just over reactive and running away.
> 
> The other cause can be unbalance, if the horse isn't in perfect balance and you try to bring it into collection, it can 4 beat. Again, sending the horse forward into an open hand will remedy this, with lots of work on balance.
> 
> Unless the horse has bad paces or their conformation dictates that they will naturally 4 beat, it is a forwardness/balance problem.


Ok that makes sense. Yes he is (was) borderline toooooo fast. When I moved him to the new barn for a few weeks ago he was just hell on wheels! Everything was fast....everything! When I did have good moments with collection I got that nice soft 'up' feeling because he was using his back and driving his hocks under him - also had no four beat 'moments'. 

Do you recommend any balancing exercises? I do believe I don't help his balance at all....I just posted a thread in horse training about hand position....a dwarf riding an elephant! :lol:

When you say 'an open hand' do you mean just letting him stretch out and lope long? I'm assuming that's what you mean....

Forgot to mention, I've been working on loping long and picking him up with my legs and my hands for about five strides (it's almost always soft) and then releasing, and so forth.


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

I can't give you anything terribly specific as I suspect you ride Western?
But one that can be used cross discipline, is to ride leg yield on a circle in trot and canter. I start by trotting in a forward, relaxed trot (depending on horse's training, this may be more towards collection, or very open in a long frame) on a 20m circle. Leg yield the horse in off your outside leg, onto a 15m circle, then leg yield back out off your inside leg. As you get back to the 20m circle, ask for canter. Get your canter going forward and relaxed, and then repeat the leg yielding exercise in canter - leg yield off the outside leg onto a 15m circle, then off the inside leg back to a 20m cirle. Trot when you get back to the large circle, and repeat on both reins until your horse is getting perfect transitions in all cases, and is softly moving off both of your legs. 
I've found this excerise immensely helpful in creating a more balanced transition as well as giving the canter more jump and engagement, plus its so easy


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Perfect! We can do that! I'm fortunate because he does move well of my leg so it won't be too much of a a challenge. Actually I do incorporate a lot of dressage exercises in my warm up work, a lot of half passing, shoulder in and out etc.....I also like spiraling in and out....helps with spins

But it's good to have another tool in ones tool box to work with....plus it beats the boredom

Thanks!

Will give an update tomorrow about how it all went!


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

Wow! So i decided to put my game face on today and CHOOSE to have a great ride! Everything was pretty much super soft and quiet. Walked slow circles collected, jogged small circles soft and collected, posting trot small circles slow and soft....ask for the lope, WAS AWESOME, no four beating at all, and no sore back for me today! Slow soft and collected! Niiiiiice! However on the other lead the walk,jog and trot were great......the lope was awful! The departure was like a bullet firing from a gun! Head up trotting into it like a lunatic! Ugh! 
Will work on That again tomorrow! But i guess i set the tone for todays ride and nearly got to where we neede to be in terms of collection, speed and nice 3 beating. Will update again about the other lead tomorrow night


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