Pacey Icelandic horse, how do I train a clean tölt?

Hello! There are several reasons a horse falls into pace in the tölt. Here are a few things you can check. 🙂

1️⃣ The horse is not going forward properly off the forward-driving aids. When you add a light leg aid, your horse should engage the hind legs and drive forward. If your horse is slow off the forward-driving aids and leans forward before the legs get going, it easily drops onto the forehand, and pace tends to follow.

2️⃣ The horse stiffens and straightens itself to keep its balance. Work on lateral exercises that soften the horse on the inside. If the lateral work makes the horse heavy in the hand and push forward, work on point 3.

3️⃣ Make sure your horse answers the light aids in every direction, in other words, work on the horse's training. To tölt well in a clean beat, the horse needs to understand every kind of aid so they can be combined as needed.

Whichever point you get stuck on, it is a good idea to bring in a qualified trainer or instructor who can help you move forward. Good luck at the competition! 🙂