H&C was proud to hold a live chat with dressage rider and trainer Keith Robertson, star of our How to Succeed at Prelim series. You submitted some fantastic questions, and for posterity, here are your questions and Keith's replies.

Catherine asked: I’m competing at Prelim level but training at Novice at home on a 14.2 22-year-old gelding. On the whole, our trot work is good and we can work in a consistent outline but when coming out of canter/medium trot it can be a bit rushed and unbalanced. What exercises can we do to improve on this? Thanks, Catherine and Zebedee!

Keith replied: Hi Catherine, thanks for your question. The easiest way to approach downwards transitions from canter is to attempt to make them on a half circle or into a circle itself, which encourages the horse to engage the inside hind leg ...a little more due to the degree of flexion in the poll which temporarily puts more weight on the hind leg, giving them time to adjust their balance and therefore making a smoother transition. The same theory can be applied when returning to medium trot to working trot but I would tend to create the same sensation by trying to use shoulder in, so before you feel him become unbalanced in the medium, try to push him into shoulder in which allows ypu to ride him forwards into working trot rather than feeling you have to pull back on the reins to slow him down. It will take a few times to get it right - but persist.

Watch my show How to Succeed at Prelim on Sky 280 tonight as we cover transitions, and this will be a big part of a novice series which we hope to make soon.

Stephanie asked: Hi, do you think a TB ex-racing horse will be okay to do dressage? I was thinking of getting him schooled to make him calmer.

Keith replied: Hi Stephanie, absolutely! There are many TBs and ex-racers that have been reschooled with a high degree of success. You can benefit from their tendency to be more forward going. There are even dedicated classes for retained racers.

Katie asked: Hey, I always feel a bit sorry for dressage horses because they don't get much turn out. The commentators on recent footage of Totilas said he has never been turned out. Do you think this has a negative effect on the horse's psychology? Do you regurlarly turn your horses out?

Keith replied: Hi Katie, I am a firm believer in giving all horses turn out when feasible. Being natural grazers, it's obviously beneficial to give them access to grass. However, we can understand the value of these horses but I would certainly make every effort to provide some sort of equivalent - be it turn out in a round pen or hand grazing.

Emily asked: Any tips on how to make the most of a TB and be competitive against the WB?

Keith replied: Hi Emily, it comes down to the training. If your horse is obedient and accurate, you can certainly be competitive against WBs, even with larger and naturally more extravagant paces. Watch my show How to Succeed at Prelim tonight at 9pm on Sky 280 where i talk in depth about accuracy and we show how to pick up extra marks.

Claire asked: Hi Keith I have a 15-year-old Clydesdale X. When schooling I do nag quite a bit for an outline and sometimes we can have some nice schooling moments but canter seems to be an issue. When she canters, she just throws her head up and I ask for an outline but can't get there with her. Is there any tips on how to keep her head down through my transitions? Thanks.

Keith replied: Hi Claire, the horse doesn't sound like he/she is working through from behind and over its back into your contact - this should lessen this. Therefore try not to nag and keep your hands still, imagining the contact side reins would give on the lunge. This hopefully will allow the horse to build confidence in the contact and then enable you to make smaller adjustments in a step towards consistent contact. We do discuss contact in my show, which you can watch tonight on Sky 280. There are numerous exercises you can do - we'll try to cover this in future episodes.

Carrie asked: Hi, I have a youngster I have just broken in about six months ago. Do you have any tips to help to get him to use his back end? I tried carrying a schooling whip, but he just runs away from it.

Keith replied: Hi Carrie, it sounds like you could do with an expert on the ground here. Do you have a good trainer near you? I am based in Hertfordshire if that's nearby. If the horse is relatively well balanced, you could do very small amounts of leg yield in walk which will enable you to train the correct response to the leg when necessary, ie he moves sideways away from it and doesn't rush forwards. If this is successful, it will encourage him to be more supple and involve more of his body in his work.

Clare asked: Hi Keith, I have a Dutch warmblood. She is eight-years-old and we have just starting doing dressage. Her schooling work is getting better but on the left rein she is really bad for locking her mouth when it comes to asking her to turn at the bottom of the school. She isn't to bad on circles. Is this a balance thing? She is also bad for opening her mouth as soon as I ask for contact,  why is this?

Keith replied: Hi Clare, this can be the result of various issues. I would always urge you to have horses teeth checked if there's a mouthing issue. If this doesn't appear to be the problem then you can focus on genuine schooling to improve the horse's lateral suppleness. Encouraging your horse to give more to your leg on its stiffer side will ease the problem, but if your horse is dropping the contact on the other side, try to focus on making them take the contact on their supple side rather than becoming obsessed with working them off of their stiffer side. Once a horse genuinely takes both sides of the contact, it is considerably easier to teach them how to bend and flex correctly.

Melinda asked: Hi there, I ride at AP level at riding club. Have you any hints to help me improve my dressage tests? Any hints at all! Thank you.

Keith replied: Hi Melinda, watch my show tonight n Sky 280 at 9pm - it is full of tips to help you. But in summary, be accurate and consistent in the rhythm of your paces to impress the judge and enjoy it!

Natalie asked: Hi Keith, I feel I ride too short and when I do try to ride with longer stirrups I feel unbalenced and my feet shuffle around in the stirrups a lot as I don't feel like I'm pushing weight down into them. Is there any exercises you can recommend to gain a longer leg with more weight into it? Many thanks.

Keith replied: Hi Natalie, the most important thing is not to force yourself to ride in longer stirrups. This can be detrimental to your overall position. You could benefit from lessons on a well trained lunge horse which would allow you to spend time working without stirrups under the supervision of a trainer but in terms of day to day riding, if you feel your horse is relatively calm, I would make a point of spending periods of time in walk without stirrups even if this is at the end of your session which will allow to stretch your legs longer. The most important thing is to make sure you carry your leg as if it were in the stirrup iron so do not allow your toe to drop or your calf muscle to weaken and then hopefully you will feel over time that you can increase your stirrup length. Away from riding, any stretching will be of benefit.

Sarah asked: Hi Keith, could you suggest some exercises for a four-year-old that can be strong in the mouth as I would like him to become more softer without resorting to a stronger bit. He's currently being ridden in an eggbutt snaffle. Many thanks.

Keith replied: Hi Sarah, this comes down to plenty of transitions and improving lateral suppleness to encourage him to begin to carry more weight behind. I'm a firm believer in sticking to the mildest bit possible.

Sarah asked: Hi Keith, my ex-racer really struggles to get into the correct lead of canter on the left lead. If you ask for canter he will go, but is almost always on the wrong lead. about one in 15 attempts will see him pick the right lead up but it feels like a fluke! My instructor and I have both tried but can't seem to get anywhere. Have you any suggestions? Thanks.

Keith replied: Hi Sarah, this is exceptionally common with ex racers that have been allowed to canter or gallop on the same lead for many years and I have come across this many times. Several exercises can improve this. The simplest being, to place a pole on the floor into the corner in which you wish to strike off and asking over the pole. This can encourage them to pick up a more natural lead and result in the correct one. What I do with a client's young horse, is to canter on their good lead across the diagonal coming to trot just before the long side but immediately asking for a return to canter, encouraging your body weight to the new lead leg to strike off on the correct lead.

Sharon asked: Hi, I have a two-year-old that will be three in March. He is growing bigger than I thought - he's at 17.1hh already, but luckily he is very well behaved. Is there anything I can be doing with him now in preparation for later life? What age do you believe in starting to lunge etc or put training aids on and what would you use? Thanks.

Keith replied: Hi Sharon, I appreciate your dilemma - I too have experienced this, though I am still a firm believer in not starting horses until they are at least three and a half. However, you could certainly start some ground work with your horse and teach him to accept a bridle and bit. Encouraging simple walk and halt commands in hand and allowing him time to get used to the bit. When you start working youngsters, I only use a roller and side reins and the side reins are initially attached to a lunge cavesson and not the bit until the horse is balanced in walk, trot and canter on the lunge.

Pippa asked: Hi Keith, I have been riding and around horses for 12 years. I want to go down the road of becoming a horse trainer for youngsters and "misbehaving horses". I was wondering If you could advise me as to where to go to get more experiance and qualifications in this? Im based in the northwest. Thanks :-)

Keith replied: Hi Pippa, if you visit the British Horse Society website, there is a list of Where to Train centres. I went through the BHS exam system and gained experience at various yards. This is a fabulous foundation but there's no substitution for experience. If you have someone you admire in this field, make every effort to either meet with them or write to them to apply for a job. You'd be surprised how accommodating many of us are!

Faraway Riding Centre asked: What schooling tips would you suggest for a horse that tends to be quarters in in canter? He has had his teeth and back checked but has previously been ridden more up front than from behind. Canters straight in field. Thank you.

Keith replied: Hi Faraway Riding Centre, great that you've had him physically checked. The next port of call has to be the rider if he canters straight in the field. Check that they are sat squarely in the saddle and not applying uneven aids, however if this is happening with many different riders then we can start to look at the horse. It's possibly a sign of stiffness on the outside of the body, encouraging the horse to carry his quarters to the inside. Leg yield is an invaluable tool for suppling the horse all over in trot and encouraging a more even use of each hind leg, but in terms of a more immediate correction, periods in counter canter can help greatly to straighten the canter. If rider and horse ability are sufficient, shoulder fore in canter is very useful.

Sophie asked: Hi Keith, do have any competition warm up tips? I am competing at Novice tomorrow on a older Welsh D who tries hard but can get strong in the hand at times! Thanks.

Keith replied: Hi Sophie, in my show on Sky 280 at 9pm tonight, we do a whole section on warming up effectively - make sure you tune in.

In terms of your horse getting strong, the best solution is to keep him guessing with many transitions through the paces, keeping canters especially brief.

Debbie asked: Hi, I have a very forward going six-year-old mare but the minute I try to take a contact in the school to get an outline she immediately stops using her back end properly and becomes very hard to get going forward nicely. Any tips?

Keith replied: Hi Debbie, once again, check your horse physically. Many schooling issues can be of physical origin. Check teeth, tack and back. Aside from this, you could encourage your horse with correct lungeing to accept the contact and remain in front of the aids (the lunge whip in this case), then make a transition to someone lungeing you on your horse to create the same response and then slowly remove the side reins and lunger.

Marina asked: Hi, I have a two-year-old filly who I'd like to do some dressage with when she's ready. What kind of bit do you use when starting a young horse? She's had a straight flexi snaffle in already, and I'm aiming to start her lightly working next spring when she's three.

Keith replied: Hi Marina, you have the option of going to a metal straight bar but my preference is to start as you mean to go on and after many years experience, I find all of my horses start very well in fixed ring, double jointed snaffles. I would always err on the side of a thicker bit initially until the horse's mouth is accustomed to the bit itself.

Linda asked: I have a nice TBxHan 11-year-old that was a show horse until this year. I would like to do elementary on him but am struggling to get him to do simple changes as show horses are taught canter-trot-canter to change rein. He is well balanced and quite easy to collect but that final bit where I ask him to walk falls apart and he trots instead. Thanks.

Keith replied: Hi Linda, I have a great exercise for this. This is not uncommon in many horses, regardless of age or previous career. In the canter when you have set up for your canter to walk transition, ride a ten metre circle on the long side (or pick a marker and ride a ten metre circle) and as you return to the track, your intention is to make a psychological barrier using the wall of the arena - you may even need to feel like you're riding head on into it, which encourages the horse to back off slightly - enabling them to land more cleanly into the walk. If they're still tending to trot a couple of steps, very quietly halt them, rein back two to three steps before proceeding immediately into canter into your ten metre circle again and repeating the process. even if this becomes little abrupt, you can easily encourage them as their confidence grows to be smoother in their transition.

Tina asked: Hi Keith, Do you have any exercises that you can recommend for a pony that is quite downhill and unbalanced in his canter. He regularly gets sevens for his trot work but his canter is really letting him down. I have started to use lots of canter -trot - canter transitions and this has helped. But he is also quite reliant on the fence for support and I really notice the difference when we compete and there is no fence.

Keith replied: Hi Tina, you've absolutely made the right start. Canter trot canter transitions are the single most effective way of improving the canter when inclined to be downhill. Don't spend too long in canter at any one time as the problem will only increase with duration. Your challenge is to encourage your horse to understand that he can carry more weight behind even with any conformation issues he may have and a very effective exercise for this is canter in shoulder fore. This is more of an insinuation than an extreme positioning but encourages engagement of the inside hind especially and encourages strengthening of the hind quarters.

Abbi asked: Hi Keith, I am only able to ride once or maybe twice a week since having a baby, so find I'm a bit more achey and tired when I've had a dressage lesson than I'd like! Do you have any fitness tips for riders, for when they're not in the saddle and have a few minutes to spare?

Keith replied: Hi Abbi, great question. Riding is very much about core stability and general suppleness. Why not looking into something like Pilates - if you can't get to a course, buy the ball or get a dvd but even ten minutes quiet stretches a day can aid your overall suppleness and reduce rider fatigue. Other options include the Alexander technique.

Jamie-Lee asked: Hello Keith! The horse I'm riding now has been off work for two years. He was an ex-military, also did eventing, and dressage. He is 12-years-old, and a TB. He has been brought back into work over the last few weeks. We are going now in a nice outline in walk trot and canter, but he won't canter to the right on the correct lead. I have a dressage teacher teaching me, but the only way we can get him on the correct lead to the right is starting canter on the left and then changing the reign and then he will do a flying change, but he will not start on the right from trot or walk on the right lead. Any ideas or tips? Thanks so much!

Keith replied: Hi Jamie, we touched on this earlier, but in your case it does sound as if he is either stiff and resisting engaging the right hind or suffering from a general crookedness. Using the exercises I talked about earlier will help but in your particular case you can try the following exercise: Start on a 20m circle at the end of the school on the right rein, as you approach the centre line ride a 10m circle to the left and then as you return to the centre line track right back onto your 20m circle and immediately ask for canter. When not working the canter itself, improve the horse's engagement of the right hind leg with leg yield away from you right leg and shoulder in right.

Sharon asked: My youngster has a bad over shot mouth. We rescued him and he's got Irish Draught in him with Clover Hill lines and King of Diamond lines. I would like to do dressage. Can you see this causing him any problems? The tooth man said his gap for a bit is in line. If judges notice, would he be put down for this and have you ever come across this problem? If so, is there anything I can do to help or any kind of bit that might be better for him?

Keith replied: Hi Sharon, your horse's conformation is your horse's conformation. As long as he has regular dental care and the space available for the bit is satisfactory, you shouldn't encounter a problem. Every horse is an individual and bitting is trial and error to find something your horse is comfortable in.