Thoroughbred Logic, Presented by Kentucky Performance Products: An Exercise for Rhythm

“… the goal for the past couple weeks has not been to increase his jumping experience or see how big of an oxer he can clear … but to shore up the foundation and his rhythm so that he can go do the big things without the need for an equally big bit.”

Welcome to the next installment of Thoroughbred Logic. In this weekly series, Anthropologist and trainer Aubrey Graham, of Kivu Sport Horses, offers insight and training experience when it comes to working with Thoroughbreds (although much will apply to all breeds). This week ride along as Aubrey shares her logic on how to get fast-footed horses to move rhythmically. 

In the last week, we have had cold rain that has somehow made impossible returning circles over the region, mud that sucks my boots off and leaves me flamingo-legging it backwards to said stuck boot, and enough dumb injuries to write a small novella. To say I’m tired is an understatement of epic proportions. But when everything seems to be slowly devolving into the common equine professional question of “why the hell do I do this?” it’s the horses, and their small successful steps forward, that answer.

Just when I started to grumble about not having shows close by to take this kid to, Neil (Lute’s Angel) found a stellar way to quiet my impatience. Thankfully his prognosis is positive. Radiography by Fingerlakes Equine Practice.

This week’s “keeping my sanity” award is a tie between Tetris (Not a Game) and Manhattan (Ten Bits). Tetris is a quick aside — one of my favorite horses I have had in the barn who sold elsewhere but was returned due to owner life circumstances after a year. The goofy, way-too-in-your-pocket kiddo has packed on pounds faster than I thought possible and gone back to work. He’s sound, he’s kind, and when I sat up and put my leg on, he made sure I knew that he hadn’t forgotten a damn thing. Many gold stars, Tets, looks like you’re ready for the next level.

Tetris (Not A Game) has been here for three weeks and looks like a totally new horse. Photo by Lily Drew.

The second sanity award gets handed over to Manhattan. Manhattan arrived more or less straight from the track in March and was quite track tight and the usual version of race fit. As he got going, he showed off his super fancy gaits and front limb expression, while also proving to be quite brave and game outside over little logs. But like many four year olds, as he started to feel better and his body began to let down and become less sore (helped along the way by some good shoeing, front pads, and a ton of nutrition), he got increasingly fleet footed and playful. He is also growing and in a gangly spell, so that doesn’t help either.

In other words, the better he felt, the more he wanted to get those long legs going at his pace and balance. Manhattan is following the same track-to-second-career trajectory that most do (which is why I recommend never really believing that a recently off-track is a total kick ride – see article here). Let down, feel better, have more energy, grow, want to play. Nothing about this is exceptional or problematic. It does mean though that the training needs to shift up a gear and he gets to put that good-feeling-body to a bit more precision type work.

Manhattan (Ten Bits) being his classy, growing self. Photo by Lily Drew.

Fast-footed horses are rarely rhythmic in their hoof placement. Instead of the steady 1-2-3-4 in the walk, they might get 1-2-34, 1-234 jig, jig, tight, try to trot, trot, want to run in trot and so on. With Manhattan and his long legs, it was clear that it was just easier for him to flounder about sans metronome and make up his own cacophony. Thus, the goal for the past couple weeks has not been to increase his jumping experience or see how big of an oxer he can clear (I have no doubt the kid will have scope), but to shore up the foundation and his rhythm so that he can go do the big things without the need for an equally big bit.

The exercise is pretty simple. I focus on rhythm, use a 20-30 meter circle and add in accompanying 5-10-meter rebalancing circles as needed. I want each of his hooves to spend the same time on the ground as the others in each gait. It seems stupidly simple, but of course the most basic things almost always are the toughest. So at the walk, I count and each. foot. must. fall. at. the. same. rate. It. must. stay. on. the. ground. and. lift. at. the. same. speed. as. the. oth.er. feet. I don’t mind if we have a forward pace or a slow one so long as the rhythm is steady and he’s not tight or against the aids. On soft but consistent contact at the walk then, we start on a big circle and add in smaller circles to rebalance and regroup. Transitions equally function to reward or rebalance.

Rhythm and balance circles. Design by author.

The big circle provides an unchanging track for him to follow, while enabling the need for a slight bend and balance that does not change. If one rides through corners and the long sides, the change in bend and balance can make the rhythm more difficult for them to hold. (I’d consider the “use the whole arena” concept as a level two for this game).

So once on the big circle, I’ll use the small circle to aid in creating a half halt. Breaking this down a bit more, if a rider tries to half halt a green horse on a big circle or straight away when they get too quick, the horse might just hollow away from the aids and require that the rider’s half halt lands in their hands. This won’t help balance or rhythm. So instead of half halting on the big (20-30 meter) circle, I’ll turn them onto a 5-10-meter circle and use the deepening of the bend to half halt them from my inside leg through my core to my outside rein. The outside rein at that point is required to help the horse balance on the tighter turn. Ultimately, slowly spinning in on a smaller circle helps rebalance and train the half halt without it feeling like punishment or encouraging them to invert. Whether it works perfectly at first or goes just a tiny bit in the right direction, I reward the effort with verbal praise and a neck scratch, but also try not to let my hands out of gentle contact.

Manhattan working on the intentional walk rhythm. Photo by Izzy Gritsavage.

The trick here is to return to the big circle after completing the smaller half halt circle. If they get quick again or go out of rhythm, I add another small circle further along the big circle’s circumference. If a rider stays on the small circle, they normalize the bend and the circle loses its purpose as the half-halt, rebalance space.

So back on the big circle, when the horse can do four, then eight, then 12 steps of the same walk rhythm, great, I reward by transitioning up to trot. And the goal at the trot is the same thing: even footfalls. I stay on my big circle and ask for quiet, balanced movement. If he hollows or tries to sneak out from the rhythm, we do one of two things:

1. Go back to the walk, regain the one-two-three-four of the balanced foot falls and then back to the trot, OR
2. We spiral onto a smaller circle

Leaving the wall on the big circle. Photo by Izzy Gritsavage.

When he gets the rhythm at the trot, I reward the try and will gauge where he is. If he feels like he needs a break, we’ll transition back to walk, get the one-two-three-four correct and then let him walk on a long rein and receive all the pats and scratches.

If he’s not tired and is continuing to use his body correctly — holding the one-two-one-two in marching band-like rhythm — then I’ll let him carry on for a longer duration. As he gets stronger and steadier, I’ll add changes in the core circle size or take a trip down the long side to the other end of the ring to check the stability of his foot falls. Then back to walk, reward, change direction and pick him back up to do it the other way. Especially when they are learning this exercise, I like to change direction through the walk to be able to establish a clear balance in the new direction before asking for the perfect rhythm.

Importantly, one needs to avoid drilling this exercise and mix it up so rides are fun. Here’s Manhattan enjoying one of our only recent sunny days. Photo by author.

And then once they have the four-beat walk and the two-beat trot down, and you have an ear very much at attention to your rhythm and aids, then one can transition to the canter and ask for the even one-tw0-three on the big circle. I aim for a few good strides and reward those but if I get more, fantastic. I’ll ring around the circle a few times and then transition back down. The use of the smaller circles may not be possible at the canter, so if the horse hollows or loses rhythm, I’ll down transition to trot and turn onto a re-balancing circle.

Basically, if the speed ramps up and the rhythm sounds like an eight year old learning to drum, back to trot, back to walk — start over and transition back up.

I find when focused on the metronome, the transitions are many but the rides are not long. While even rhythm is quite a basic concept, having to hold a lanky body in balance nonetheless requires use of their core, back, hind limbs and brain in ways they are not necessarily accustomed to. There is a sweet spot in the training where you are seeing and feeling progress before they start to get tired and struggle with the ask. The goal is to not push it too far and to always be quick to reward effort that goes in the right direction. Using transitions up to reward steadiness, and transitions down to rebalance will keep them from choosing their own adventure as they ride and will encourage them to come back to balanced and centered.

Gratuitous photo of Manhattan in the hayfield (and me being awkward) when he first got here. His body shape and rhythm has changed so much since, it’s fun to remember where he started. Photo by Lily Drew.

Inevitably, this is not a one day affair. It takes a number rides to solidify the concept. And this week, it clicked for Manhattan. His walk is quiet and stable and the trot is getting more powerful and correct without getting faster. The cherry in all of this is his right lead canter which has increased its balance by probably 75%. Better perhaps even than that is that knowing the job and understanding the ask has produced a more relaxed horse operating in a state of significantly reduced stress. Sure, there’s more to work on, but from this metronome spring board, this stunning gelding is going to be able to approach those big fences and take them out of a very clearly established stride. And with that, I get to remember why I bother with winter and rain and mud and horses. In the end, they are always worth the exhaustion and challenges to my sanity.

Go ride your ponies folks, and if you don’t have mud please thank whatever equine god is necessary and send some dry days north. PLEASE.

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