Strides for Success

Tag: transitions

  • Riding a Clean Flying Change

    Riding a Clean Flying Change

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    Think back to the last time you were cantering along on your horse and a change of rein was coming up.  You began the task of preparing to drop back a gear into a trot to change the canter lead.  “Better than losing rhythm and balance through a flying change…”  However before you even got there, your horse (being the clever guy that he is) decided to take matters into his own hands. And with what felt like a skip, Voila, he had performed the flying change all by himself…

    The flying change is one of those things that we tend to, as riders, overthink in our heads.

    However, the simple truth of the matter is that flawless flying changes happen when we focus on the preparation and then allow our horse to perform the change without interference from us in the saddle.

    Riding a Clean Flying Change

    What is a Flying Change?

    A flying change is when your horse changes from one canter lead (let’s use right canter lead for this example) to the left canter lead without having to return to trot to do so.  It is essentially a ‘skip’ or suspension mid-stride.

    And during this ‘suspension’ your horse will change the sequence of his footfalls resulting in him swapping leads.

    Before you begin working on flying changes it is important to make sure you and your horse are ready.

    Pre-Requisites for Flying Change

    You should be both capable of riding a balanced canter. This means moving with your horse as he moves. Also, you should have an independent seat when cantering.

    I would also insist on the ability to tell, by feel, what leg is where underneath you as your horse canters. This is important for timing the change correctly.  

    Your horse must have sufficient strength for a balanced, rhythmical canter, during which he is truly straight.  He must also be responsive to your aids. As in, waiting for ‘further instructions’ from you throughout the canter.

    It is also an advantage if both of you can correctly lengthen and shorten your strides while cantering, maintaining impulsion, rhythm and balance while doing so.

    Physical Strength & Development

    Asking your horse to perform a flying change before he is physically and mentally ready can result in confusing him and even training him to only half perform the change, changing only in front rather than in front and behind.

    If your horse is not quite ready yet, perhaps he does not have enough physical strength, you can still use the following exercises in walk and trot to build up to a flying change later.

    As I mentioned before, the preparation of the quality of the canter leading up to the flying change is vitally important to ensure a clean change.  This simply means that your horse changes both his front and back legs to the new sequence of footfalls for the new canter lead at the same time.  Investing your training time in this preparation will ensure a clean change when you do eventually ask for it.

    Timing of Your Aids

    The timing of the aids for flying change is also essential and in order for your horse to have enough time to receive your signals and then to act accordingly. SImply put, you must ask for the flying change at the right time.

    The correct time is just before the inside front leg or leading leg touches down on the ground in the canter stride.  This is the 3 in the 1,2,3 beat of the canter.  This is why being able to tell what is happening underneath you at any given time throughout your time in the saddle is so important to clean, balanced transitions and changes.

    I suggest beginning your work on a 15m circle on the left rein in a walk, mimicking your position as it would be in canter.

    By practicing in the walk, you can begin to condition your body to respond in the manner you desire at the correct time.

    Your inside leg (left leg) will be on the girth, your outside leg will be slightly behind the girth.  Your inside seatbone (left seatbone) will be slightly in front of your outside seatbone and your inside shoulder (left shoulder) will be slightly behind your outside shoulder.

    You will have a consistent contact through your outside hand and your inside hand will be soft and offering, so as your horse’s inside shoulder can move forward in the canter stride.

    Practice in Walk & Trot

    Now, as you are on the circle, choose a place where you can at an imaginary X, straighten for 3 strides before tracking right onto a 15m circle to the right.  Don’t move onto the circle initially, but be aware of where the X is as you are riding.

    Beginning planning your ‘change’ by noticing the footfalls.  If necessary, glance down to your horse’s shoulder and to make sure you are indeed ‘asking’ when your horse’s front inside (in this case left) shoulder is moving forward and preparing to touch down on the ground.

    I suggest building to this by riding a few half halts, as you would when you canter and then at the desired place, begin straightening your horse just as the inside front leg reaches forward and quickly and quietly swap your inside to your outside and vice versa.

    Work on moving your legs and hands first, and then following with your seat and shoulders.  Your legs and arms will help straighten your horse through the ‘transition’, while your seat and shoulders will then shift as your horse makes the change, following along with his movement.

    Moving to Canter…

    Work on this a few times in walk and then begin working in trot. Change rein on the circles if necessary to ensure your horse does not become bored.  When you feel you are in control of your body, you can pick up the canter on the circle.

    As mentioned before, the quality of the canter is vitally important. Ride some transitions. Also lengthen and shorten the canter on the circle to help engage your horse’s hind quarters.

    If your horse has a tendency towards a flat canter, you will have to work on adding more ‘bounce’ into the canter in order to perform a clean flying change.  Again, transitions up and down between canter, trot, and walk as well as within the canter gait itself will help with this.  Also, remember to use your half halts to help rebalance and engage the hindquarters.

    Once you feel your canter is of good enough quality, you can begin again planning the change of rein from one circle to the other however you are going to initially ‘gear down’ to walk or trot in order to change canter lead.

    Take the time to ensure your horse does not lose balance and also that you are not shuffling or shifting your weight in the saddle while your horse is in the area around X.

    Pay attention to asking your horse to straighten before asking for the canter on the new lead.  Once you have ridden this a few times, using the walk or trot as a catalyst between canter leads, your horse will begin to anticipate what is happening.  Use this to your advantage.

    Asking for the Flying Change

    Prepare the canter and, making sure you are timing it correctly, make the changes and ask for the flying change.  It should be a clean ‘strike’ which will feel like a skip underneath you. Work on then maintaining the rhythm of the canter on the new lead as you continue around the circle.

    Once you have mastered the flying change between circles, you can begin working them into other areas of your schooling.  Canter down the center line and again, at X ask for the flying change.

    This is particularly eye-opening to see how straight your horse is during the transition and how balanced he is on the new lead.  You can use poles if necessary to help keep you straight as you move down the centerline.

    Things to Watch Out For…

    Make sure that you are not leaning with your upper body through the transition.  Many riders think an over-exaggerated ‘lean’ or ‘push’ with their upper body is the key to riding a flying change. However, this will only serve to unbalance your horse and confuse the situation.

    If your horse is struggling, or if he is changing in front and not behind, take things back a few steps and try again.

    Often, most of the problems that show up surrounding the flying change are a result of not enough ‘suspension’ in the canter, meaning that your horse does not have enough time to change the sequence of footfalls.

    If you are sure that your canter leading up to the change is sufficiently energetic, consider that perhaps you are leaning, particularly with your upper body while asking for the change, which is throwing your horse off-balance.  Focus on sitting up through the transition and ‘allowing’ it to happen underneath you.

    The flying change is a wonderful movement to ride, however asking too early in your horse’s training will do more harm than good in the long run.  once again, make sure your horse is sufficiently strong enough to ride the movement before you start.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources to Help with This Topic

    Riding a Clean Flying Change

  • Refining Your Walk to Canter Transition

    Refining Your Walk to Canter Transition

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    Do you find that when asking your horse for canter, you tend to ‘over do’ some aspects of your aids?  Perhaps you throw your reins at your horse, or you try to ‘push’ too much with your seat or upper body…  You are shoving and bumping about in the saddle!

    And when your horse eventually ‘strikes’ the canter, you are so far from where you want to be position-wise, that it takes the first 5 to 10 strides just to get your limbs back listening to you. This is before you can even begin to turn your mind to the quality of the canter happening underneath you.

    Why Introduce the Walk to Canter

    Assuming you have a fairly independent seat. And that your horse is schooled and developed enough to understand the aids to canter and then carry himself in the canter… I suggest beginning to improve your canter by introducing walk to canter into your schooling routine.

    Refining your walk to canter is a fantastic exercise for both horse and rider.  It will help you improve the actual canter itself. This is due to the fact that you arrive at the transition more prepared, more organized, and less hurried.

    It helps your horse by strengthening him and helping him to understand more subtle aids, due to you being more organized with giving them!

    Your Horse’s Canter

    Before you begin it is important you understand the canter itself and the aids to ask your horse to canter…  You probably know that your horse ‘leads’ with one of his front legs when he canters.

    Depending on which front leg you want him to lead with, you will ask him to strike off with the opposite back leg.  

    Canter has a three-time beat, so using the left back leg as his ‘striking leg’ he will then move his inside back leg (right back leg) together with his outside front leg (left front leg), meaning the diagonal pair move together.  The third beat comes from the leading front leg (in this case the right front leg). Then there is a short moment of suspension before the outside hind leg touches down again and the sequence begins over.

    Collection in the Walk

    Preparation is everything, so establishing a good quality walk is essential.  Ideally, you want to have a little collection in your walk, which you can achieve by applying lots of half halts throughout the ride.   Think of creating energy with your legs and then containing it or storing it, until needed, with your hands.

    The walk must not lose its forward momentum and your horse must not become ‘sticky’ in the walk, which often happens when riders are trying to collect things up.  Keep in mind that the half halt is only held for a split second; then released.  Rather up the quantity of the half halts, than increasing the length you hold them for.

    Timing Your Aids

    Regarding your aids and applying them… I recommend you begin by becoming aware of what leg is stepping down, onto the ground, at any given time underneath you.

    The reason this is important is that you need to apply your aids to ask for the canter either just before or when the outside hind leg is busy moving forward, coming under the horse, and before he ‘steps down’ onto it.

    When I am teaching in the arena, I ask my riders from very early in their riding journeys to begin identifying the different legs underneath. We do this them by saying ‘Now…’ ‘Now…’ ‘Now…’ ‘Now…’  when a particular leg is ‘touching down’.

    It allows them to become familiar with the rhythm and sequence of the footfalls, so that they can then, while they are still repeating’ Now’, begin noticing how it ‘feels’ when that hind leg is beginning to lift up to moving forward and underneath.

    Next time you are in the saddle, do this exercise.  Feel how, when his inside back leg is moving forward, and this is nice and easy to feel in walk, your corresponding seatbone is ‘down’.  This is due to your horse having to swing his barrel slightly to the other side in order to make room for that leg to come underneath him.

    Your Seat Bones

    So, when the left back leg is coming forwards, your left seatbone will be slightly lower and also moving forwards.  While this is happening your right seat bone will be slightly raised and will feel as though it is ‘sliding’ back.  

    Once your horse puts his right back hoof on the ground, you will feel your right seat bone raise up. It will begin to feel like it is sliding backward, as your horse moves over the right back hoof.  While this is happening, your left seatbone will be lowered slightly. And sliding forwards, as your horse’s left back leg moves underneath him, preparing to bear the weight again.

    You will feel that as your inside seatbone is at its most forward point, your outside seatbone will be ‘back’ slightly and higher that the inside. Then, as the inside hind leg touches the ground, and your horse begins to lift his outside hind leg forward to put down underneath him, your outside seat bone will ‘drop’ and begin to move forward. This is, again, due to the shift in your horse’s barrel to make way for the leg coming underneath him.

    Asking for the Canter

    Now, I personally think the exact time to ask for the transition depends a lot on your horse and how responsive he is to your aids

    If he is a little ‘laid back’, you may have to ask just before your inside seatbone is at its most forward position. So before it begins to move back ‘up’ and back. However, if your horse is a little sensitive, or quite responsive, it may work better for you to ask just as your outside seatbone begins to ‘dip’ and move forward again.

    Knowing exactly when to ask comes down to ‘feel’. And, luckily, this can be learned through time and consistent practice in the saddle. There is a blog post and audio lesson on ‘Improving Your Feel in the Saddle’ HERE >>

    Often, we ask too late. Or at the incorrect time! And the result is either our horse trots, because he cannot get his legs into the sequence for canter. Or he begins to canter with his front legs first, not striking off with the outside hind.  This is not correct, and you will almost feel that your horse skips.  If this happens, bring him back to walk and try again.

    Be Clear About What You Want

    When setting up your first walk to canter transition, have a clear idea in your mind on how you are going to ask for canter.  Focus your attention on establishing a good, active walk with lots of energy.  Become clear on how you are going to apply your aids, and when.

    Your seat is vitally important in asking for the canter.  Often you hear of using your seat to ‘scoop’ your horse up into the canter.  This cannot happen unless you are truly carrying your upper body. And you ask for the transition at the correct time.

    Your inside leg will remain on the girth, your outside leg will ‘swing’ back. This is to indicate to your horse to strike with the outside hind leg and your hands will follow the movement when it happens.

    Using a Circle to Help

    Start riding a 20 meter circle, which will help you initially as your horse will already be positioned with a bend to the inside. This will increase your chance of a clean strike on the correct lead.  You will be working with your horse rather than against it.

    Resist the temptation to lean or push.  The canter is asked for with your seat first and foremost. Your legs and hands must also do their job in both indicating and allowing your  horse to canter

    The transition should be clean.  If your horse begins to rush in the walk, trots or jogs a little when asked, immediately bring him back to walk. From there, work on preparing a good transition all over again. Begin with the walk and half halts.

    Quality of Walk to Canter

    Keep in mind that the quality of the transition can only be as good as the gait leading up to it. So set your intention on an achieving an active, forward walk

    Once you have performed the walk to canter transition, remember to reward your horse with a kind word and a softening of the inside rein.  Let him know that he has indeed carried out what you asked.  If you are late to reward, he may not know for future reference what you are looking for.

    Continue with the canter for 15 to 20 strides. Pay attention to how quickly it takes you to establish a rhythm this time.  Have you managed to keep your upper body light in the saddle?  Is your lower leg where it should be?  Are you following your horse with your pelvis and hands?

    Continue to practice this on both reins and notice if one lead is easier to achieve than the other.  Also, keep your attention on how long it takes you to feel ‘in control’ of the canter.  And, if it happens somewhat sooner than if you canter through trot.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    And, finally, if you would like to go further with your riding I highly suggest you give my free training series a go…Find the Gaps in Your Horses Training using this free audio series available for you to listen to in a private podcast feed – so just as easy as listening to the Daily STrides Podcast :) You can sign up for free HERE or visit https://stridesforsuccess.com/free

    Additional Posts on this Topic

        • Setting Up Better Canter Transitions HERE >>
        • Keeping Canter Work Interesting HERE >>
        • 4 Steps to a More Comfortable Canter HERE >>

    Get Support & Guidance in Your Riding

    Riding a Smooth & Timely Walk to Canter Transition

    Some exercises can have a ripple effect all through our riding when we dedicate some time and energy to making them better.  I believe that the walk to canter is one of those exercises and I am excited to help you master the transition this month with your horse.

    This group of episodes is available for you to begin working with today, inside of Connection. They are suitable for all horses and riders who are able to canter. They will help you both become clearer on the aids, and more focused on timing and its importance.  And more balanced and responsive as well.

    Refining Your Walk to Canter Transitions

  • Setting Up Better Canter Transitions

    Setting Up Better Canter Transitions

    Who doesn’t love to canter?  It may just be the most enjoyable gait to ride when in the saddle for many riders, however it is also the gait that might just have us working the hardest to actually successfully get there and then, returning back to trot or walk seems to also open a whole can of worms for many riders too!!

    In fact, often the lack of competence felt by a rider with regards to riding smooth, balanced canter transitions is enough to make them avoid canter like the plague… It becomes something that is only performed when it is absolutely essential and necessary!

    [smart_track_player url=”https://op3.dev/e/traffic.libsyn.com/dailystridespodcast/SFA426-Setting-Up-Better-Canter-Transitions.mp3″ title=”Setting Up Better Canter Transitions” social_linkedin=”true” social_pinterest=”true” social_email=”true” tweet_text=”Struggling to get a smooth canter transition – this can help…” hashtag=”cantering #horses #equestrian” twitter_username=”strides_success” ]

    However, many of the aspects to riding a good canter transition can be put in place or improved before you actually go forward into canter at all.  The preparation of both you and horse, mentally and physically, for the canter is vital to performing a successful canter transition, whether it be up or down.

     1.  Focus on the Quality of the Current Gait

    One of the first things you can do to prepare for a successful transition is to work on the quality of the current gait you are riding in.  Make sure your horse is moving forward in a rhythmic, balanced way and is responsive to your aids.

    Setting Up Better Canter Transitions

     2.  Become Clear on What You Are Doing in the Saddle

    Begin working on your own position and becoming clear on what you are going to ask and when.  Start in walk.  Notice where your seat bones are in the saddle, how they are moving and how your weight is distributed over them.

    When we ask for canter, we shift our seat slightly more to the inside seat bone and ‘scoop’ our horse into the canter with it.  Use your walk to practice firstly, identifying your separate seat bones and how you can move them independently from each other and then secondly, begin experimenting how the ‘scooping’ motion feels when you apply that aid.

    If you are struggling to isolate one seat-bone from the other, try moving your outside shoulder back slightly… You should feel your inside seat-bone ‘scoop’ forward a little.

    That is the movement you are after, however it is important that you can perform this same movement without having to rely on moving your outside shoulder.  Just use your outside shoulder to help identify the muscles involved.

     3.  Encourage Suppleness in You and Your Horse

    Next, look at how supple you are through your hips and pelvic area.  In order to ride a successful trot to canter transition, you must be able to move with your horse in sitting trot and, from there, follow him into the canter when he strikes.

    Begin working in sitting trot and focus on relaxing your hips so they are following the motion of your horse.  

    Tension or stiffness will show up as bouncing up and down out of the saddle.  It will also be reflected in your legs when they begin to ‘grip up’ and creep higher and higher in the saddle.

    Keep your pelvis open, so your legs can hang long around your horse’s sides.  This is vital in order to both ask for, and then ride, a good forward moving canter.  If you are ‘pinching’ with your pelvis or upper legs and knees, your horse cannot lift his shoulders to begin cantering but also, the canter will be choppy and uncomfortable for all as you will bounce more!

     4.  Develop Straightness through Your Horse

    As you are working in sitting trot, notice what your horses shoulders and hindquarters are doing, particularly through the corners.  Your inside leg must be sufficiently on to keep your horse straight and avoid falling in.  Your outside rein must also be working to regulate the bend and stop your horse falling out through the outside shoulder.

     5.  Question His Responsiveness to Your Aids

    Once you have established a good quality gait, begin to investigate just how responsive your horse is to your aids and if his concentration is wandering, focus on bringing it back to you by being consistent with the aids you are applying.  Your horse must be listening closely to your aids before you can ask for the canter transition, whether it be up or down.

    When you feel that the quality of your sitting trot is high enough to continue to follow in the canter, you can begin thinking about the transition itself.

     6.  Prepare the Transition

    Make sure that you are only thinking ‘prepare’ not actually ‘canter’.  I see many riders in the arena, who once they are told that they should pick up canter in the next corner, automatically think canter!  The horse speeds up and begins to run, they usually lean forward and have a look of terror on their face approaching the designated ‘canter departure point’…  It should not and must not be this way.

    When you are preparing to ask for a canter transition, you do so like you would any other movement in riding.  Think about how you can get your horse to that point in the best possible way for the circumstances you are in.

    Begin with your half halt and use this time to also re-evaluate your position.  As you approach the point where you will ask, begin to shift your inside seat-bone slightly more forward and redistribute your weight a little more over the inside seat bone.

    Keep your inside leg on, sit up through your upper body and ask for a slight flexion to the inside.  Use your outside leg to keep your horse straight and then, when you are ready, to signal to your horse along with your inside leg, to move forward in to the canter.  As you do this, use the ‘scoop’ motion with your inside seat-bone to lift your horse up into the canter.

    Also, it is important to note that at in order to shift into canter, your horse must lighten or lift up his front end slightly which you achieve by riding your half halts to bring his hind quarters a little more underneath him.  This enables him to strike the canter with the outside hind leg, which you indicate with your outside leg ‘swinging’ back.  Your outside leg is merely like an indicator telling him ‘this side’, your inside leg will have the ‘driving aid’ to go forward into the canter.

    Setting Up Better Canter Transitions

     7.  Allow the Canter to Happen

    Once he is cantering make sure you are allowing him to go forward with both your hands and your body.  Continue to following the ‘rolling’ motion with your seat, making sure that your pelvis remains open and allowing the energy that your inside leg is creating to come forward, and connect through to the front end of the horse.

     8.  Notice the Quality of the Transition and the Canter

    Common fault that many riders experience when asking their horse for canter is that the horse tends to run in to the canter rather than striking into the canter.  If you find this is the case when you are trying to transition into canter from trot, bring him back to a balanced trot using your half halt and then prepare to ask again, but next time with a stronger ‘driving’ aid.

    Horses ‘run’ into the canter for many reasons, however often it is due to the rider collapsing through their upper body, which will result in the horse being unable to ‘lift’ the front end which makes a clean transition very difficult.  Make sure you are sitting up through your upper body and think of it as allowing this new surge of energy to come between your legs and up to your horses ears.  You need to make room for this energy, which you will block if you are leaning forward or pinching your pelvis and legs.

    It is important to keep in mind that your horse must canter; not you!!

    Have a plan before you begin to canter and perhaps you decide to canter for 10 or 15 strides, begin then the preparation for the downward transition.  Again half halt is the key to this preparation and your position in the saddle.

     9.  The Downward Transition Out of Canter

    Just like the upward transition to canter, the downward, back to trot, needs you to carry yourself through the transition.  It also needs you to then ride the trot, not just bounce around in it when you are there!

    Use your seat to indicate to your horse that you are moving down from canter back to trot.  Keep your leg on and as your horse prepares to make the transition, you must move your body into trot position; shift your seat bones so they are even, and hold with your core muscles, so you are no longer ‘rolling’ with him, rather resisting him.

    It is important, as with all downward transitions, that you follow with your hands, particularly as he takes that first step into trot.  

    Relax through your pelvis and again, work on following the trot and moving with your horse rather than bouncing stiffly against him.

    The canter transition is one that can initially seem daunting, however, as I said you can do so much in preparation for this movement before you actually perform it, that you chances of succeeding in a correct way get higher and higher the more effort you put in.

    Have a super week and happy riding!
    Lorna

  • The Trot to Canter Transition

    The Trot to Canter Transition

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    Do you manage to perform a ‘clean’ trot to canter transition every time?  This transition is often one of the most difficult to maintain balance and rhythm.  And this is true for both horse and rider.

    The potential for your horse to run into the canter, instead of actually ‘striking’ the canter when asked is quite high.

    In this episode of the Daily Strides Podcast, we cover an exercise that will help you become more clear with giving your horse the aids to canter.  It will also help to place your horse into a situation where he can transition from trot to canter more easily.

    Trot to Canter Transition

    Perfect this Transition?

    I want you to begin by riding a 20-meter circle, paying close attention to the quality of your trot.  Make sure you have a nice, active working trot; your horse moving forward from your leg.

    As you are trotting, notice how responsive your horse is to your aids…

    Are you having to ask two or three times for a specific movement or response? Use the initial trot on the circle to secure your horse’s undivided attention.  And to develop his willingness to do as you ask.

    Riding a Smaller Circle

    Once you have the trot moving forward as you want it, begin gradually leg yielding on to a smaller circle.  I say slowly, as I would like you to do this over a few rotations of the circle.  Continue to decrease the size until you are eventually riding an approximately 12m circle.

    Again, spend some time here re-balancing and establishing an active trot.  Pay close attention to your position.  Don’t lean or tip forward onto your horses neck. I also want you to be mindful of your aids.  Are your legs where they should be?  Are you asking the right questions?

    Trot to Canter Transition

    After 3 to 4 circuits of the smaller circle, you can begin leg yielding back out to your original bigger circle.  This is where you will ask for the trot to canter transition.  It is an ideal place to ask as firstly your horse is naturally flexed correctly.  And secondly, you are using a strong inside leg, riding into your outside rein, which you will use to balance the actual transition and the canter itself.

    As you near the ‘outside’ circle again, I want you to have a quick check of your position and after half halting your horse, you can ask for the canter.

    If your horse ‘runs’, bring him back, re-balance the trot, and then try again.  If your horse transitions into the canter, but then breaks back to trot after only two or three strides, you know that your inside leg is not being used effectively.

    You can continue this exercise a few times, paying attention to what you are asking, how you are asking and how your horse responds.  From there, you can try the trot to canter transition on the circle alone and see how you get on.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Additional Resources To Help Equestrians:-