Motivation in the arena - my horse is sluggish

Hello!

To build your horse's motivation and willingness to go forward, it helps to do exercises that bring in changes of tempo, transitions between the paces and plenty to think about. Try riding over poles, between cones and around jump wings, a Caprilli course for example. That way you practise lengthening and shortening the tempo, steering and halting. Many horses enjoy having a bit going on in the arena or indoor school. Forget entirely about where the horse carries its head and focus only on starting, stopping and turning exactly where you planned. If you can, do some groundwork with a trainer you get on with.

A lack of forward willingness often comes down to the horse not quite understanding what it is meant to do. It is worth enlisting a trainer to make sure the basic work is solid. Refining the aids matters, which means both you and the horse are sure of the signals for go, stop and turn, and being careful not to ask for go and stop at the same time.

Good luck! 👏🏼🦄

PS. A good read is Ridhandboken 1 och 2, a Swedish riding manual: https://www.sisuforlag.se/produkt/ridhandboken-1-och-2