How to do a Medium Trot for Dressage with Anna Ross Davies

Anna Ross-Davies is an International Grand Prix dressage rider and freelance trainer based on the Herts/Bucks borders. She has represented Great Britain in  Grand Prix's all over the world including amongst many others at the European Championships, the Aachen CDIO (twice) , The Arctic Games, the Saumur CDIO, on the World Cup Circuit, and has twice ridden at the World Championships for young horses.

To learn how to do a medium trot for dressage

•    The medium trot should be balanced and show a transition at each end.  It’s a good idea to stay rising at the training stages as this helps the horse to stay supple through the back.  When you go up through the levels then you can continue to train in sitting.  Make sure you get bigger grander steps that come off the floor, it is a really common mistake to ride too fast – and then it is just a hurried trot that will be referred to as “running”

•    To begin with make sure you have a good energetic working trot.  Make a couple of transitions, trot walk trot to make sure the hind legs are engaged and the horse is reacting to you in a positive way.

•    Remember he must be dead straight on the diagonal.  Make sure you change your flexion to the correct way before you ride into the medium steps. 

•    In rising trot you don’t want to change the diagonal over x, change the diagonal at the end and the flexion at the beginning.

•    If you change the diagonal in the middle of the steps it will interrupt the rhythm and the steps will become irregular.

•    How to start training your horse to do medium trot is to make the horse quick on the aids – then just a few steps at a time.  

•    If he doesn’t get it at all then try using another horse that is established and take them out hacking together.  Put the trainee behind the experienced horse and they will pick up the rhythm and work together.