# My horse only wants to trot!



## BudAndRocky (Jan 21, 2014)

I just got a 7 year old standardbred gelding and all he wants to do it trot. When I first get on him he is fine walking and trotting but then after about 10 minutes he just wants to trot. He won't canter and when he is at a walk he is in between a walk and a trot and won't walk calmly. He was a pacer and from what I know he has only just stopped pacing. What should I do to stop this and sort out this problem? 

Thanks


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

Build suppleness and confidence. It sounds like he gets nervous and starts to pace. When he does slow him down to a walk or a stop if necessary and than try from their. Build his suppleness because having spent a lot of time in harness he probably still moves like he is attached to it. Good luck standardbreds are awesome!


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## KutNBred (Jan 21, 2014)

are you sure he's not gaited? he may feel like he is in between the two because he's gaiting or trying to at least.

If that's definitely not the problem, make him canter in circles until all he wants to do is slow down when he trots when you don't want him to. Making him go faster than he really wants to should slow him down. When he gets down to a trot, ask him to slow down...if he doesn't, canter again- skip the trot completely. 

If that doesn't work....ask him to stop completely every time he goes to trot and back him a good ways...then try again....

Just things I have done that have worked really well.


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

I don't think you should "force him" to canter. At the end of the day after 7 years on the track he has seven years and a lot more conditioning telling him "never canter". Which means you need to get him soft and supple at the walk and trot before you ask for the canter. I have a standardbred that the "trainer" skipped the trot to work on canter. He was a disaster on the lunge line and under saddle when I got him. He wanted to go from standing to canter. On the lunge it was like bolting in a circle, he took some serious skin off my hands. You need to master the walk before you run. If this horse does not know how to canter under saddle you want to teach that gate as a controlled and collected thing. In my (limited) experience it is easier to teach a canter when the horse is collected and relaxed than it is to reteach it to a horse that is rushing into the transition out of fear. 

Your horse may be going into auto pilot. They get into this sort of state where they just trot. You cover some serious miles but at the track these horses are jogged 5-7 miles everyday so waiting for him to slow down by himself is going to take some time. Try putting down ground poles and doing figures (circles, serpentines etc) to get his mind engaged.


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## BudAndRocky (Jan 21, 2014)

At first when we are walking he is fine and we will walk for a few laps around the paddock then when I try a trot it's fine for about 5 minutes but then he seems to decide that he only want to try so has his head up and goes into a bouncy walk and won't calm down.


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## BudAndRocky (Jan 21, 2014)

Also when I try get him into a canter he won't he will just trot faster and when he does get into the canter he will start trotting after a few strides


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

If you are able to work with a dressage type instructor it might be a good idea. He sounds like he is get worked up and gets hollow. It would benefit him and you to learn how to get him bring himself up and under himself. Than he would in theory be carrying himself better and more responsive. How is he on the trail?


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## sarahfromsc (Sep 22, 2013)

Some gaited horses, especially those off the track, need to learn to trot and canter. Took about 6 months for a friend of mine, with a trainer, to get her gaited horse to do the trot and canter with distinct cues. He now has a solid five gaits on him.


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## SaskGal (Apr 18, 2012)

I have 3 standardies, two that love to trot and pace. I think try and control their gate in a circle. With me time was everything and less is more especially when it came to trotting. The less you pull on their mouth the better and usually when they go into a slow trot they will eventually walk but the more time you have to get to know them, the better. It took me a whole year to get one of my horses to canter but believe me they will eventually! 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BudAndRocky (Jan 21, 2014)

rookie said:


> If you are able to work with a dressage type instructor it might be a good idea. He sounds like he is get worked up and gets hollow. It would benefit him and you to learn how to get him bring himself up and under himself. Than he would in theory be carrying himself better and more responsive. How is he on the trail?


When I walk him put of the paddock he is fine he walks but it's not a bouncy walk


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## BudAndRocky (Jan 21, 2014)

I found out that his old owner as giving him magnesium so I searched it up on the Internet and it said a sign is bucking or rearing 20-30 minutes into a ride and he would start acting weird and wanting to trot 20-30 minutes into a ride. I went and got magnesium and I'm going to start feeding him that do you think that would be the cause?


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## rookie (May 14, 2012)

I am not a huge fan of giving supplements to horses on a complete feed. If your horse is on an incomplete feed than supplementing times may help. If he is good out of the riding "ring" than I would guess it might have more to do with the shape or the ring. He might be getting amped up walking in a circle around the ring.


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