Is stretching in trot good or bad?

[Mary Poppins]

My pony has always been lazy and likes to find ways to get out of working properly - when he is in this stubborn mood it normally involves refusing to move, or doing little bucks. Recently he has been going really well and actually listening to me. He has started really stretching his head and neck down when we are trotting. He doesn't pull the reins out of my hands - it is more of a gradual stretch but it means that the reins do end up longer. If I shorten the reins or try and pull his head up, the trot becomes unsettled and he normally comes back to walk. If I leave him with his neck stretched out, he continues to trot nicely, but with his head quite near the floor! He isn't going into an outline (he wouldn't know what this was!) but perhaps it is the beginning of one?

However, my instructor thinks that he is being naughty by doing this and I should make sure that my reins are short enough to prevent him stretching. But when I try to do this I end up having an arguement with him and feel like I am holding him too tightly. He starts to get annoyed, turns off and becomes Mr Stubborn again.

So, is this stretching good or bad?

[CMR]

Stretching is good. It's help stretch their back out, and a few other things too. But, if you didn't ask him for it, he shouldn't be doing it.

[hackedoff]

my youngish cob did that last week in a lesson, I thought it was evasion but instructor said to let him do it -he was trying to work out how to lift his back and shoulder with me on board. I ended up getting the best quality of trot I've ever had out of him :) so you may want to let him do it and see where it leads to..............

[Pink's lady]

There's a big diffrence between stretching down and forward properly, and just slobbing along with their nose on the ground.

Snatching the reins and dragging their nose whilst ploddng round with their bum in the air is being lazy and evasive. Stretching donw wilst still puching from behind, with their backs lifted, is desirable.

You should be able to feel what they're doing and from the ground it's obvious, so your instructor will know which ones the hrose is doing. ;)

[Torny]

Stretching is a very good thing.

As others have said, it stretchs the neck and back and is also a sign of balance! It is very good for the horse and means they are using themselves. (Working)

However, if they are snatching, or fumbling around and dragging feet, that is a different matter..... laziness!

My mare often stretches in Walk and Trot and has done it a couple of times in canter.... this I hope wil happen more as her canter balances!

A horse does not need to constantly stretch though, it should be in the warming up and cooling down periods, so in the middle they should work and then rewarded with stretching.

Have fun!

[Mary Poppins]

Thanks everyone for your comments. I think that I need some more lessons with him so that my instructor can explain to me in more detail why she thinks this is wrong. I actually think that he is doing this in a positive way. His trot is very nice and forward going (something that took a long time to achieve) and it seems like he is relaxing into it. He is driving forward and is responsive to my aids. He will go from walk to trot to halt to trot again without too many problems (I know that sounds simple but he isn't easy to ride!). When I first got him I had problems making him just walk forwards sometimes.

I think that I lack experience of how to progress from here. If he is working properly and beginning to work in an outline then I don't want to do the wrong thing and ruin this improvement. On the otherhand if he is just being naughty and he is getting me to lengthen the reins with a veiw to throwing in some bucks in the future (he likes to buck from time to time) I don't want this habit to develop. It's not easy!!

[Skyhuntress]

If he is stretching down without you asking, then no, its not a good thing, because chnces are, you aren't providing enough leg if you're not asking for it, and he's getting on the forehand.

Ideally, you want t obe able to ask a horse to stretch long and loose in all 3 gaits, but you don't want them leaning on the reins or going on the forehand. You still want them to carry themselves in a balanced way