i ride a arab (not mine) the is a little wiggle worm. and we do extremely well together but when we go away for bigger competitions he is always running through my aids and his always very strong and wants to go. it helps me place higher tho because he has a short stride so it helps him open up and i dont mind it but when he does this he is never fluent on the bit and on of the comments on my test was "inconstant connection. hollow at times and round at times" and another was " develop a more consitant connection to the bit" is there anyway i can get him more relaxed but keep his open stride and keep him on the bit or connected with my aids when i do warm ups?

He also needs help loosening up when we jump because he gets tense then i get tense and stiff and it is keeping us from moving up because we both have it in us we just have to get this down first. pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

NO NASTY COMMENTS PLEASE

Thanks :)

He sounds green and basically unbroke. And I'll make a wild guess you meant "fluid"? Oh well, either way. He needs a basic foundation on him. Not difficult but takes a bit of time and effort (since he is not your horse, you might not want to invest so much time in him, but nothing will change if you don't). Within the basics, he needs to be taught to move away from pressure, bending, flexing. Once accomplished, you can teach him to gently give to the bit. Once that is mastered, you can begin with getting him to maintain his contact and carry himself correctly in proper posture for prolonged periods of time at different gaits. Of course, all work begins on the ground ( or my method anyway), then under saddle standing still, then walking, extended walk, trot, extended trot, and you both should have it by then and can work on your upward and downward transitions as you feel you need to for specific areas.

If you ride always in the feeling of shoulder fore, it helps you establish a really solid outside connection, which is the connection the judges are looking for, especially in up and down transitions. pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

Many, many halfhalts, many changes of direction (in training and warmup for the show) with careful attention to changing rein and doing it as smoothly as possible when switching from one outside rein to the other.

Keeping the energy from the inside leg and catching and directing it with the outside rein is the basis of lower level dressage.

Many many lessons gotten and given.

Well the inconsistency is probably you. Just keep a constant feel of her mouth and a constant pressure with your legs. That's what they mean by connection. Use more hand and more leg.

Ponygirl has it exactly right. As usual, I wouldn't change one thing about her advice. Consistent work to get that connection from back to front will give you a longer stride without him running through your aids. Work with your instructor to help him become more supple and engaged.

Also according to wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn the word "fluent" can mean "smooth and unconstrained in movement" so it was the perfect word to use. But I can see why it threw a few people off. When I hear "fluent" I tend to think in terms of languages, like my horse is fluent in English but not in German. Which makes no sense because horses can't talk. LOL.