Ask Laurie Dressage Q's
Canter Transitions by Laurie Hutchinson Ford
One of the most common questions I get from new clients is “How can I improve my canter transitions?” Usually the horse is trotting faster and faster, the rider throwing everything they’ve got onto the forehand to encourage the horse to go even faster, and sometimes, if they don’t abort the mission from the fear of this whole process, the horse will eventually fall into a canter. There are several things wrong with this approach, and the good news is they are easily fixed.
First of all, the rider should not beg for the canter, or any transition for that matter! Your signal should be clear, quick and light. How do you get there from here? First of all, make sure you are not using your leg except when you mean to ask for something. Ask yourself periodically if it is possible to abduct your thighs and lift your knees ever so slightly off of the saddle to ensure that you aren’t gripping for balance. When you can do this at any gait, chances are greatly improved that you are riding from your seat and not depending on your knees or reins for balance.
Then when you do use your leg aid (pressing the inside of your ankle against the horse’s side for only a second, then back to your neutral, non-gripping position), does anything happen? If not, be a little more insistent, or back up your request with a light tap from the whip behind your leg. Again, be sure that you are balanced and prepared for forward movement, because if you grab the reins at this point you will create confusion and frustration. Never push forward and pull back at the same time. If your horse throws his head up in an effort to protect is mouth in the upwards transitions, there is a good chance you’ve been snatching at his mouth when he tries to go forward.
Thirdly, have you made it clear to your horse that there is a different signal for canter than for trot? With your weight on your inside seat bone, your inside leg at the girth and your outside leg 3 to 4 inches back, squeeze your horse gently like you are squeezing a tube of toothpaste. Squeeze for only a second, and expect a reaction. If he trots faster, reestablish a slow, steady rhythm and try again, perhaps lightly using the whip behind your leg to encourage a bigger reaction. If you are worried he may be explosive, go back to teaching him to respond to the verbal cue “canter” on the lunge, and then reinforce your aids with the verbal cue.
Maintaining balance is key, and here I am forced to use two of the most misunderstood terms in dressage: half-halts and flexions. Quickness, or loss of balance, is not fixed by pulling back on the reins. To the contrary, you must sometimes add energy, activating the hind legs and containing it with a momentarily restraining seat and hand to put the horse back on his haunches and lift the forehand. It goes without saying that the contact should remain soft throughout, and if you feel stiffness or pulling, go back to teaching your horse that a light wiggle of the reins from your ring finger is his cue to give, or flex and soften the contact, on that side. This goes for before, during, and after all transitions, and requires that the rider can control the horse’s tempo from the seat, without having to resort to pulling on the reins to slow down or regain rider balance. These concepts may seem a bit more advanced, but are the basis for all good riding.