Víxl

Training víxl out of a horse demands a very careful rider. The horse is tense, so tension must be avoided, and crude aids. Reins must be used extremely carefully (holding them steady, not giving any unnessary clues). The horse can regain balance by riding it carefully like this for a long time (maybe weeks) in a careful way, and do exersises to loose the tension. Very much care must be taken when going slow or fast, as that is difficult for a pacy horse, and that is the time when the horse that does víxl is most likely to do so. Do not loose courage, this is not an easy fault to correct. A quick explanation of what's happening at víxl is is that the horse is tolting/racking, then it wants to go into trot, and takes half a step of trot. But because the horse does the transition incorrectly, for a split second it would have to put one of the hind legs down on the ground on the same spot as one of the front legs is standing. As it can not manage to remove the front leg in time, the horse decides to keep the hind leg in loose air untill it has rearranged where all the legs are and can step down with the hind leg. It all happens very fast, and with some horses you feel that everything is going crazy under you for a split second. It is extremely uncomfortable to sit vixl. The reason for the vixl is that the horse is tense, and it does not manage to keep the gait because the whole topline is tense, at least for the split second. So tension must be avoided, and crude aids. Reins must be used extremely carefully (holding them steady, not giving any unnessary clues). The horse can regain balance by riding it carefully like this for a long time (maybe weeks) in a careful way, and do exersises to loose the tension. Very much care must be taken when going slow or fast, as that is difficult for a pacy horse, and that is the time when the horse that does víxl is most likely to do so. Do not loose courage, this is not an easy fault to correct. So, a horse that does vixl often can just manage the rack/tolt at one certain speed to begin with (work on finding the ideal speed for your horse). When you get the horse into the tolt/rack, relax and try not to interfere with the horse, so that it can learn to relax a bit in the gait, of course though not so much that it gets all on the forehand. It's a thin line you have to walk there, but every stretch of gait without vixl is an accomplishment. Gradually you can ask the horse to do a bit slower and a bit faster tolt/rack, but try to work on success, not failure, in the horse. Working on releasing the tension at walk is also important, so that the walk is not pacy and tense. Do all the things that your horse can do to improve being athletic at the walk, for example serpentines, sidestepping, turning on the forehand and such things. Allow the horse to drop the neck once in a while at the walk and learn to enjoy the relaxation. It is also good that he trots easily, as he can then relax at the trot. So, mix walk and trot training with short episodes of tolt/rack to begin with, and gradually make the episodes longer, as the horse starts to manage it. Pacyness and vixl often goes hand in hand, and maybe your horse connects the lateral gait with a racing experience he has had before. Maybe your horse is also very pacy in the rack as he's thinking about the fast pace, if he was a pace racer. BACK TO TÖLT

Training víxl out of a horse demands a very careful rider. The horse is tense, so tension must be avoided, and crude aids. Reins must be used extremely carefully (holding them steady, not giving any unnessary clues). The horse can regain balance by riding it carefully like this for a long time (maybe weeks) in a careful way, and do exersises to loose the tension. Very much care must be taken when going slow or fast, as that is difficult for a pacy horse, and that is the time when the horse that does víxl is most likely to do so. Do not loose courage, this is not an easy fault to correct.

A quick explanation of what's happening at víxl is is that the horse is tolting/racking, then it wants to go into trot, and takes half a step of trot. But because the horse does the transition incorrectly, for a split second it would have to put one of the hind legs down on the ground on the same spot as one of the front legs is standing. As it can not manage to remove the front leg in time, the horse decides to keep the hind leg in loose air untill it has rearranged where all the legs are and can step down with the hind leg. It all happens very fast, and with some horses you feel that everything is going crazy under you for a split second.

It is extremely uncomfortable to sit vixl.

The reason for the vixl is that the horse is tense, and it does not manage to keep the gait because the whole topline is tense, at least for the split second. So tension must be avoided, and crude aids. Reins must be used extremely carefully (holding them steady, not giving any unnessary clues). The horse can regain balance by riding it carefully like this for a long time (maybe weeks) in a careful way, and do exersises to loose the tension. Very much care must be taken when going slow or fast, as that is difficult for a pacy horse, and that is the time when the horse that does víxl is most likely to do so. Do not loose courage, this is not an easy fault to correct. So, a horse that does vixl often can just manage the rack/tolt at one certain speed to begin with (work on finding the ideal speed for your horse). When you get the horse into the tolt/rack, relax and try not to interfere with the horse, so that it can learn to relax a bit in the gait, of course though not so much that it gets all on the forehand. It's a thin line you have to walk there, but every stretch of gait without vixl is an accomplishment. Gradually you can ask the horse to do a bit slower and a bit faster tolt/rack, but try to work on success, not failure, in the horse. Working on releasing the tension at walk is also important, so that the walk is not pacy and tense. Do all the things that your horse can do to improve being athletic at the walk, for example serpentines, sidestepping, turning on the forehand and such things. Allow the horse to drop the neck once in a while at the walk and learn to enjoy the relaxation.

It is also good that he trots easily, as he can then relax at the trot. So, mix walk and trot training with short episodes of tolt/rack to begin with, and gradually make the episodes longer, as the horse starts to manage it. Pacyness and vixl often goes hand in hand, and maybe your horse connects the lateral gait with a racing experience he has had before. Maybe your horse is also very pacy in the rack as he's thinking about the fast pace, if he was a pace racer.

BACK TO TÖLT