[Jamiee]

My gelding likes to dive when we transition into our small slow.

I don't want to get after him as speed control is something he's just starting to nail consistently. My usual go to is to D him across or, if he's diving badly, I'll stop and do a single spin to the outside but I'm.worried about him taking that as a speed control correction vs his diving.

We ride lots of squares and diamonds to keep his shoulders up in warm up, lots of counter bending as well. He's a very soft (body, mouth, and mind) horse but extremely athletic and quick.

I ride in an argentinian snaffle. We do speed control throughout our ride (on a large, down a straight, center, 3/4, ect) just not in big to small.

Any help would be appreciated!

He is vet, dental, and massage cleared

 

[jgnmoose]

Without seeing what is going on I can give you a couple things to think about that might help.

Ride the same large circle but transition from fast to slow in the center of the arena where you would normally start your slow small circle. If the horse is getting too smart about this trying to do it on his own you could just do continuous circles and transition up and down at various points.

He needs to rate to whatever speed he is asked for so the purpose here is just to get that down. As a rider you want to learn to support the horse with your seat and balance. So if this is really good you will be able to speed up and slow down with your seat and "energy level". Might take a while to get it but that is what this maneuver in the Reining pattern is supposed to be showing.

Once that is pretty good I would start tightening the slow part of the circle and going back out wide for the fast. It can be just a little bit smaller at a time on the slow, and that might be the best approach for a horse that dives in.

Examine what you are doing as well. Make sure you aren't changing your horse's balance with how you are sitting him by leaning in or out. The horse will lean a little one way or the other but the rider should be as close to perpendicular to the ground as they can, this helps the horse not have to adjust to our weight/balance or overcompensate for it.

This is a pretty good run by Casey Deary on America's Supermodel. Watch his transition on the circles and you'll notice that big change in his seat. Casey is an aggressive rider, but pretty correct so he might be one to study. Good luck!

 

[COWCHICK77]

Before I start on the speed control in the circles, the transition from big fast to small slow, I teach it using the whole arena. I use this to warm up as well. Another reason I use it is I want to keep corrections to the minimum at the center of the arena. A lot happens there, spins, stops, lead changes, speed transitions. I want that to be a good place, not a place of anticipationor fear.
(This exercise works good to knock the fresh off of one doing it in the counter canter)

I use the long sides of the arena for fast, short sides for slow. The transition is in the corner and you use it teach the horse to stand up on the corner. I exaggerate it by picking the horse up and pushing him deep into the corner with my inside leg and rein, when soft and standing up he follows the short side of the arena. I'll also do it again coming out of the corner to the long side.

I know you're just starting to teach this so I won't go through some corrections I use on a horse that "knows better".
One thing to keep in mind while you're teaching is you might have to help support him through the transition but not make a habit of babysitting him, if that makes sense.

 

[Knave]

I am more like @COWCHICK77 in that when I am teaching it, I don’t keep it a center thing. I will do transitions throughout a circle in whatever size. So, I may be running a big fast type circle, and then ask for a slow 1/4 of it, no change in size. I get the “slow” part good first, and then the transition itself good. It seems hard to hold a really good slow for a full circle at first anyways, so that’s why I practice it in small bits.

My circle may be warm up speed with 1/4 fast and then a 1/4 warm up and 1/4 slow, and keep doing that. Eventually your slow is really good, and your transition is really good up or down, so you put it into the pattern. Since they are used to you transitioning within the same circle or straight, I personally have never had them duck.

I practice transitions all the time! I might be just going down the road and practicing them. They are so good!