One of the joys of dressage is watching a horse with great extended paces. However, developing them correctly takes time and careful training, where balance and “throughness” are key.

In all tests from Novice classes through to Big Tour there are lengthened strides in walk, trot and canter leading to the extended paces in all three gaits. Before embarking on the training, it’s important to know the description of what the judges want to see in the extended paces. The definition is much the same for all three paces, with a few subtle variations:

EXTENDED WALK — The horse covers as much ground as possible, without haste and without losing the regularity of the steps. The hind feet touch the ground clearly in front of the hoof prints of the forefeet. The athlete allows the horse to stretch out the head and neck forwards and downwards without losing contact with the mouth and control of the poll. The nose must be clearly in front of the vertical.

EXTENDED TROT — The horse covers as much ground as possible. Without hurrying, the steps are lengthened to the utmost as a result of great impulsion from the hindquarters. The athlete allows the horse to lengthen the frame and to gain ground whilst controlling the poll. The forefeet should touch the ground on the spot towards which they are pointing. The movement of the fore and hind legs should reach equally forward in the moment of extension. The whole movement should be well-balanced and the transition to collected trot should be smoothly executed by taking more weight on the hindquarters.

EXTENDED CANTER — The horse covers as much ground as possible. Without hurrying, the strides are lengthened to the utmost. The horse remains calm, light and straight as a result of great impulsion from the hindquarters. The athlete allows the horse to lengthen the frame with a controlled poll and to gain ground. The whole movement should be well-balanced and the transition to collected canter should be smoothly executed by taking more weight on the hindquarters.

The next important thing is to visualise the frames and strides that will constitute a very high mark for each of the extended paces:

Of course, the extended paces are the last of the transitions within a pace, beginning with collected, to working, medium, and then finally extended. From the beginning and in keeping with the Training Scale, it is teaching the horse to engage and take more weight on the hind legs to free the forehand to be lighter and more expressive, that will improve the marks for these movements. Always collected before extended. The ability of the horse to make the extended paces for the highest marks are really part and parcel of the horse’s breeding, conformation, natural balance and ability.

All the same, with good training the horse’s ability to make these extended paces will definitely be enhanced. The walk is no doubt the hardest pace to improve and the trot the least difficult. So, if you are looking for an internationally competitive dressage prospect, it’s important to start with a horse that simply has three good paces and shows a tendency to push itself in an uphill way. Not every person has the luxury of being able to find such a naturally talented horse and so the way to improve the extensions is through careful training.

IN THE BEGINNING

From when the horse is first broken in, the attention is always to create a horse that understands three very basic principles — forward, straight and on the bit. These three principles combined with myriad other correct training positions and exercises enable the dressage horse to be what is now known as “through”.  Without this, the ability to perform expressive extended paces will not be possible. Of course, many books have been written and more will be written on these principles, so it is important that you are able to train along the correct way towards developing true extension and understanding it. It’s not only about the physicality of the movement but the mental approach and understanding how horses learn. Time spent reading and watching horses move and the frames that enhance the balance and ability to make extended paces are important.

With the Novice-level horses, it is simply to show a few lengthened strides. The very first step is to be able to make the horse increase the ground cover of the stride. Remembering that every horse is taken on its own physical ability and mental status; no two horses are the same. The basic ways can be modified depending on each individual. In very young horses when asking them to go, the steps may become quicker or faster but all the same increasing the speed across the ground is all good. Once the horse can start to accelerate and stay on the bit as he goes more forward, then it is with transitions forwards and back and realising the worth of the half-halt that you can start to feel bigger strides developing, without hurrying.

There is a very important balance and connection between being forward without taking over, and then being behind the leg, in other words, not drawing forward to the bridle. The balance between forward and waiting is a very important factor in the development of any extended pace.

The exercises and principles that are now spoken about apply to all the paces, but we will consider the trot as it seems to be the one that gains the most attention — yet the extended walk actually often has a coefficient. Basically, the same principles apply to the canter but with the walk there is a bigger difference in the frame, where it is much lower and open.

Things to always consider when attempting the extended paces are that it takes a lot of strength and carrying capacity. (When we talk about strength it means to be able to hold a balance without leaning. Like a person being strong to stand on one leg with no support. It is self-carriage and that needs balance and strength. Not strong forward and leaning in the hand). The horse needs to be on a good surface and never on footing that is slippery, too soft or too deep. The other important thing is that extended paces, except perhaps walk, should be done on a straight line.

One of the most difficult things about the extended trot (and canter) is the emphasis that some judges put on the lengthening of the frame. Riders often think that the neck needs to get longer and lower, but when you see the frames in trot and canter in the extended paces, the neck is never the same shape as the neck that is long and lower in the extended walk. It isn’t an easy concept.

BALANCE IS KEY

In the extended trot, the poll needs to be the highest point and the topline plump, in other words the flexion at the poll needs to remain supple, and as the horse develops the strength to carry and move in balance, the nose can come forward. The front hoof cannot hit the ground more forward than a line perpendicular to the ground from the horse’s nose. What is so important to realise is, as the horse’s nose goes a little more forward, the horse’s weight has to stay even more back to enable the horse to stay in balance.

By throwing the reins away and chasing the horse forwards, the neck will lower and the frame open; the balance then comes over the shoulders and the horse is no longer in balance and uphill to keep the weight over the hind legs, nor are the shoulders free to allow the expressive forelegs to move up and out. The horse will seek to lean in the bridle for support and this is not at all of use. Even in extended trot, the half-halt must still be available to remind the horse not to lean in the bridle and to remind him to stay light and transfer the weight to the hindlegs.

In the beginning of this work it is of the utmost importance to keep the horse in balance, as the tendency to get lower and more open is probably a feeling that most horses instinctively give. Therefore, it is important to address this by the rider thinking to help with the balance over the hindleg by stopping the downward thought and also not riding too big until the horse gains confidence to push for bigger strides and not lean in to the rider’s hands.

When it comes to the preparation for the extensions — which are made out of a corner in the tests, and either on the diagonal or down the long side — it is always collection before extension. As you get on to the line, the first thing is to straighten the horse with the outside rein, as a crooked horse cannot push powerfully forward (equal pushing from the two diagonal pairs) as his balance is not equally under the centre of the horse and this may create irregular strides. As you straighten it will also create a half-halt that will engage the horse a little more and rebalance him straight and uphill. It is then with this uphill feeling that the rider encourages bigger, more expressive strides without hurrying. As soon as the rider feels the balance coming forward and in to the hand, then it’s important to come back a little through the half-halts, rebalance, and then forward again. This is done with the simple thought to keep the balance over the hind legs, not with a focus to lengthening the neck in the early stages of developing balanced extended paces.

IT TAKES TIME

By the time the extended trot is ready to develop, by knowing that your horse is on the bit and adjustable, and that he has a good engine that is always at the ready to push, then it will all fall in to place. It takes a long time to develop extended paces that stay uphill, and it’s important to realise that some horses are simply better at the extended paces — that is what the horse is born with. But even a horse with this natural ability must be carefully trained to develop it even more, as without the balance the natural trot can disappear.

When watching the extended paces, there are several bad faults that will seriously destroy marks:

WALK

• The walk rhythm can easily be destroyed by incorrect training and the steps can lose the four-beat rhythm and become lateral. This is a very serious fault.
• Irregularity in the rhythm.
• The frame can become behind the bit, curling or up and above the bridle, rather than stretching; this will all attract poor marks.
• The inability to relax and take ground-covering steps.
• Tension creating short, jogging steps.

TROT

• Irregular strides.
• Coming above the bit.
• Dropping the poll.
• Tension and quick steps with no overtrack.
• Losing the balance and leaning in the hand (coming on the forehand).
• High hindlegs not pushing.

CANTER

• Hurried steps.
• Leaning in the bridle and losing the balance.
• Above the bit, curling and becoming deep and rolled over.
• Not taking the neck a little forward.
• Behind the vertical.
• Climbing strides and not ground-covering.

As with any dressage movement in any test, it’s important for the judges to assess the movement quickly, and to do this it must always be an educated overall impression. Of course, there are problems in frames, steps, contact, engagement, resistance, straightness, tempo, rhythm, attitude, balance, tail swishing, grinding teeth, submission issues, lack of forward, on the forehand, above the bit or hollow… to simply mention a few. What is important is that it’s the overall impression that counts. If judges started trying to weigh up all the minor glitches, they would never come to a mark. There is not time to get obsessed by minor problems, but to realise that — for example — despite perhaps being a little behind the vertical when everything else is very good, it still can get a quite good mark, as if the nose was 5cm more forward, then it could be a 10. Always look at the balance and the freedom and ease.

Of course, the one thing that is the hardest to see and then explain in words is “over the back”. This term is used a lot and often not really understood. When a horse is said to be “through” and “over the back” it is when, from a well-developed understanding of being round, the horse is able to switch on the core and lift the back. This pushing up under the saddle produces a bridge-like attitude and can then bring the hind legs more under the body. The opposite is a hollow horse where the neck is usually up and the stomach falling down towards the ground. With his attitude, the hindlegs cannot step under but go out the back, the shoulders fall down, and the neck is high and termed hollow. A hollow horse can never do good extended paces. This “over the back” feeling needs to come from the early training through good postural frames that produce a strong topline.

Everyone loves to watch a horse with great extended paces, especially the extended trot where even the average horse person gets excited with the expression and flamboyant steps. Extended paces need time and patience and strength to develop. It’s a steady process but an interesting, exciting and progressive journey. EQ

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