For many spectators, it’s the highlight of watching dressage: that moment when the horse opens up and seems to fly across the diagonal or down the long side in a spectacular extended trot. Like everything else in dressage, however, nailing that single “wow” moment begins long before you enter the ring at A.

Three-time Pan Am Games competitor Esther Mortimer operates M2 Dressage in Millgrove, Ontario, with her husband Harper Mackenzie, a top-rated coach and FEI dressage competitor himself. With experience helping riders at all levels from training to grand prix, the pair knows that “wow” moments in the ring begin with a solid foundation at home.

“The rider must have a good independent seat, quiet hand, and a strong core to help the horse and not interfere with its movement,” says Mortimer. “The horse should have good-quality gaits naturally, especially the walk and canter, and must have the appropriate strength, balance, and suppleness for the level. For the lower levels, we want to see that the horse can show clear transitions into and back from a lengthened stride, that he wants to go forward, and that he stays in front of the rider’s leg. As horses move up from third level into prix St. Georges and beyond, the gaits need to be more uphill, balanced, and not rushing, light and in self-carriage.”

“Good extensions later all start with good transitions in early training,” adds Mackenzie. “An extended gait is simply a transition within the gait. In the beginning, we work on transitions in and out of gaits: from walk to halt and back, then walk to trot, trot to canter. As the horse progresses, we add harder transitions such as trot-halt-trot and canter-walk-canter, as well as transitions within the gaits, asking the horse to collect for a few strides and go forward for a few strides. All this basic work is the foundation for extended gaits at the higher levels.”

Less is more

While huge expression and extravagantly-moving front legs can look impressive, Mortimer cautions riders not to sacrifice quality and correctness while pushing for a bigger stride. She warns that “exciting” movement in the front end is often the result of horses pushing out from behind with the hind end and hollowing through the back, rather than stepping under with the hocks and lifting up through the belly and the back. In a correctly executed-extended trot, she wants to see the forelegs and the hind legs reaching forward an equal amount.

Other common mistakes include the horse rushing rather than lengthening, losing the rhythm, falling on the forehand, or allowing the haunches to drift in. While it’s important to allow mistakes to happen in order to correct them, Mackenzie suggests that asking for less from the horse initially will lead to more success.

“Just because the test calls for a whole diagonal of lengthened stride doesn’t mean you have to train it that way,” he says. “Start by asking for just a few strides of lengthened stride and focus on maintaining the rhythm, balance and self-carriage for those few strides. Can the horse do it? Does he go forward willingly and come back easily? Pushing for a bigger, more extravagant trot won’t work if your horse can’t perform a smaller increase in stride without breaking or falling out of balance.

“When you’re in the show ring, yes, you have to get to the other end of the diagonal, but when schooling at home there’s no need to keep going all the way, especially if it’s not going well,” he adds. “You can always collect for a few strides and go forward again, or even add a 10-metre circle to rebalance if you need to. Focus on the quality of the steps, not the quantity of them.”

Try this at home: The Rubber Band

That ability to move easily forward and back within a gait is at the heart of what Mortimer calls the “rubber band exercise,” a valuable training tool she learned from Robert Dover. It can be performed in trot as well as canter, to build strength and improve the quality of both the extended and collected gaits.

Step 1: Set up for success

As with any movement, preparing properly is the key to success. Mortimer and Mackenzie offer a few key tips to keep in mind when performing this exercise:

  • Focus on maintaining correct rider position: a long, still leg; soft and neutral hand; tall upper body and strong, engaged core
  • Don’t rush the transitions; ask only from a well-balanced, cadenced trot. If the horse resists or rushes, rebalance the trot and ask again with ample praise for a transition performed correctlyPrepare for each transition – when extending across the diagonal or down the long side, use the short side and the corner to rock the horse back and balance him for the transition ahead.

Step 2: Forward and back on the 20-metre circle

  • Establish a good working trot on the 20-metre circle.
  • Focus on rhythm, straightness, and the quality of the gait.
  • Ask the horse to lengthen stride for just 3-4 steps, and back to the working trot.
  • Repeat throughout the circle.

Step 3: Evaluate your results

What happened when you asked the horse to lengthen? Did he:

  • Move forward willingly and immediately, staying in front of your leg?
  • Lengthen the stride, or simply get quicker?
  • Maintain balance and self-carriage, or get heavy in the bridle and fall on the forehand?
  • Maintain straightness, or fall in with the haunches?

Step 4: Test your success

If you can perform the exercise without encountering the problems outlined in step 3, test your success by increasing the difficulty:

  • Gradually increase the number of strides of lengthened trot until your horse can maintain the gait correctly for half the circle
  • Try the exercise on the long side or the diagonal, again starting with just a few strides at a time so the horse does not become quick, hollow, strong in the bridle, or crooked
  • Test the self-carriage by giving the reins away for a stride. Does the horse change its rhythm, balance, or frame?
  • In the forward transition, ask for more engagement behind to free up the shoulders and produce bigger, longer steps
  • In the transition back, ask for a more collected trot while maintaining the energy and activity behind.

Step 5 – Troubleshooting – time for a reality check

Troubleshooting often requires the help of an educated eye on the ground or a video you can review for a reality check into rider position and effectiveness. Mortimer and Mackenzie say the most common rider errors include:

  • Balancing with the hands and restricting the horse’s ability to move freely forward
  • Leaning back behind the vertical, resulting in the horse falling on the forehand
  • Pumping with the seat and hands, causing the horse to lose balance and rhythm