There could be several different reasons why horses slow down when you ride certain movements or exercises.

• Many horses slow down when “the going gets tough” and they speed up when the work gets easier. They slow down in corners and they speed up on the long side because turning tightly is more work than going straight ahead. By the same token, they slow down when you start a lateral movement, and they speed up again when you’re back on a single track.

• If you are riding a new, complex exercise that requires the horse to think very much about which leg is next, where it needs to go, and which leg needs to support the weight, so that he doesn’t fall down, many horses need to slow down in order to keep track of their legs. This is not necessarily a bad thing. For instance, if a horse is always rushy, slowing down the tempo would be beneficial.

• If the horse has to use muscles that are not accustomed to this type of work, he may slow down because these muscles aren’t strong enough.

Sometimes the change in tempo is caused by the rider:

• It’s easy to start squeezing or gripping with your legs when you’re trying to ride a lateral movement. This tends to result in the horse holding his breath, bracing, and slowing down.

• Strong leg aids make the rider’s leg muscles hard and can block the rider’s hips, which blocks the horse’s hips as well.

• Strong leg aids can lead to a simultaneous stiffening of the wrists and arm muscles, which cause the horse to brace his under neck muscles and to lock his poll and jaw.

• Sitting too heavily can suppress the back and the hind legs so that the horse loses impulsion.

If your horse slows down in a movement or an exercise, you should first think about whether the tempo was appropriate or too fast before the movement. If it was too fast, then you should welcome the slower tempo. If it was good before and is now too slow, activate the hind legs, and create a little space under your seat so that the horse is able to lift his back and engage his hind legs.

Some horses need to be reminded to maintain the same tempo. If you restore the tempo immediately, they will learn that they need to keep the same number of beats per minute, even during turns or in lateral movements.

It’s always a good idea to check your seat during a movement to find out whether you are inadvertently gripping or bracing anywhere in your body, which would interfere with the horse’s gaits.

When riding lateral movements, prioritise the quality of the gait. In other words, ride the gait first, and then move the horse’s hips or shoulders a little to one side. If you focus primarily on the movement, the quality of the gait is likely to suffer.