Strides for Success

Tag: trot to canter

  • Creating a More Responsive Transition into the Canter

    Creating a More Responsive Transition into the Canter

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    Getting into the canter can be a challenge! For so many riders the transition into the canter can be a truly bumpy, hair-raising, rushed, and flat experience.  There is none of the upward, poised, clean, and intentional 1 that leads to the 2, 3 for the canter stride. It is just a matter of creating enough momentum with a flat, running trot to finally, eventually, fall into the canter. Not good!  But all is not lost…

    I believe that by working on a few key elements in your riding and your training with your horse, you can literally transform your canter transition in a VERY short period of time.

    The key to doing this is to first be very honest with yourself.  Honest about both your abilities and what you are doing.  And also, your horse’s abilities. Is he actually  ‘able’ to simply step from a trot into a canter, carrying you, at this level in his training?  That there is a really good question and one that’s worth getting clear on today.

     1. Check All External Influences

    We have all heard of the horse who, once the feeding program was changed went from being a Lazy Daisy to an Arkle… And yet, so many riders simply fail to consider calories, protein, fats, vitamins, and minerals when it comes to their horse’s energy levels. I am not an equine nutritionist.

    However, I have seen (and personally experienced) how a simple tweak to the diet or supplements can have a massive impact on performance and concentration.

    This is always something to consider when your horse is struggling with energy levels during training. And the same can be said for tack and equipment.  How many horses ‘inherit’ a saddle and bridle?  I was guilty of this for years with my own ponies.  There’s a bridle with a certain bit in the tack room that is not being used.  Great – let’s shove it into ‘Shadow’s’ mouth.  Hmmmm…. We know our horses are individuals.  So it makes sense that their tack should be selected for them – individually.

    Make sure that all of the equipment, especially saddles, is allowing your horse the freedom of movement through his back and shoulders so that he can actually do what you ask him to do :) 

     2. How’s Your Responsiveness?

    So you ask a question.  Great.  What response do you get?  This past week I’ve worked with 3 different riders who want to ‘fix’ big things.  And yet, I sent them all home to work on their responsiveness.  You see, I believe that responsiveness is a rider issue…

    Responsiveness comes down to what expectations you set and what boundaries you are willing to communicate and enforce. 

    So many riders are ‘wishy-washy’ about things.  A simple pushover on the ground.  An unwillingness to walk ‘shoulder to shoulder’ (if you’re Irish you’re singing) as you lead from the ground.  Responsiveness matters.  And it all comes down to being clear on what you want – and how you ask for it.

     3. Understanding the Canter

    So the canter is lovely because there is this natural ‘moment of suspension’ involved in it.  We meet it every single stride.  Which also includes the very first stride.  And if we, as riders, are hoping for suspension… Well, it stands to reason that we are doing all we can to help that happen.

    If we are collapsed on our horse’s shoulders and withers as the transition happens… How can we expect our horse to elevate and ‘step up into’ the canter? We need to allow space for the transition to happen.  So for the 1 to happen – the first step of the 3 beat stride – there must be space for the 2 and the 3.

    It’s the upward trajectory of the canter that creates the momentum many riders can’t ‘sit’ or ‘handle’.  And this is a simple lack of self-carriage and suppleness through their own bodies that causes this issue. 

     4. Your Seat is a Pendulum

    A great way to begin improving your ability to ‘follow’ and ‘stay with’ your horse in the canter is to imagine your seat as a pendulum.  It is swinging from your shoulders or upper rib cage. Meaning that they should remain relatively consistent, while the seat is doing the movement.

    So many riders are riding the canter the wrong way around… Their shoulders are doing the ‘swinging’ while their seat is stiff, hunkered down, and blocking the natural flow. 

    I go into more detail on this in THIS ARTICLE. However, for now, just keep the idea in mind that your shoulders and upper body must remain in self-carriage.  This will allow your seat to literally go with your horse into the canter itself.

     5. Gain Clarity On Your Aids

    The final piece when improving your transition into the canter is to become really clear on your aids. And the fact that the word aids is plural is really important here!  There is no ‘one aid’ that will get you into the canter.  It is a combination of good preparation meeting an accurate and effective combination of aids.

    So many riders seem to think that their outside leg is a magic wand.  One swish of it and ‘voila’ your horse will be cantering!  Not so, not so…

    Your half halt is so important to really prepare both yourself and your horse.  It helps rebalance and refocus you both on working together to achieve something.  From there, your aids will then, if positioned and timed correctly, ask the question.  Which then leaves your horse the space to answer the question.

    Improve Your Transition into the Canter

    The canter is a big topic for riders. There can be so much pleasure and joy found there. And, often, an equal amount of bumps, flatness, and non-starts! If you are keen on improving your canter in just 4 weeks, make sure you take a look at my program Improve Your Canter.

    You will learn what is happening and how you can best time your aids so that your canter will go from being hit-and-miss to smooth and connected.

    With audio horse riding lessons to listen to 4 days a week while you ride, all filled with different exercises for you to practice, Improve your Canter will help you finally ride the canter the way you want.  Every single time.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    More on This Topic:-

    Training For Riders:-

  • Getting into Canter on Your Easygoing or Lazy Horse

    Getting into Canter on Your Easygoing or Lazy Horse

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    Getting into canter on an easygoing or lazy horse can be exhausting!  And while we do love our laidback equines… Can we all be honest in admitting how, sometimes, just a little more enthusiasm would change everything?  The good news is that you can quickly begin to change this in your horse.

    You see, often, the trot to canter is often a symptom of a bigger issue – a lack of responsiveness.

    Increasing your horse’s responsiveness is possible. It will take a consistent approach from you – and the transformation can be instant… 

    So, rather than scrubbing, pushing, and shoving into the canter each time, begin working on increasing overall responsiveness first.  Be strict or disciplined with both yourself (it all starts with you) and your horse.  Oh, and did I mention that you also need consistency ;)

    Your Training Goal

    Before you begin working on this with your horse, it is important to have something to aim for.  My suggestion is to have the goal of being able to ask a question with the lightest of aids, and have your horse instantly respond. However, I get that, right now, this may seem impossible.

    Training your horse to respond to light aids immediately is your focus over the coming few rides. And you will also review this regularly going forward in your riding as well. 

    But, in order for your easygoing or lazy horse to begin changing, you must first take responsibility for your actions.  How things are now is a reflection of what you have continued to allow to happen in your training.  A more responsive horse starts with a more responsive rider…

    Your Leg Aids

    Just like most ways we communicate, you can use different methods with your horse to ask similar questions.  So if you have been just asking one way and not seeing results, maybe it’s time to begin experimenting with a wider range of aids?

    Easygoing or lazy horses need to learn to go forward without constantly being encouraged to do so by the rider’s legs. 

    Think of your leg aids now.  How are they being used to ask your horse to step into the canter?  A slight squeeze?  Maybe a squeeze and a small ‘nudge’?  Or do you have to give a few solid ‘kicks’?  Your aim for your training is to have your horse respond to the slight squeeze.

    However, in order to do that, you may need to apply a little more pressure initially using the ‘kick’.  Although, I would rather strongly suggest the correct use of a schooling or long whip. This is because I believe a ‘tap’ behind your leg to bring your horse’s attention to your leg is often a much ‘nicer’ solution than kicking the sides off your horse!

    Moving from Obvious to Subtle

    As you work towards the ‘light touch’, it will be so important to remember that consistency is key when working on responsiveness. So getting on and wandering around for 10 minutes not really focusing on anything while ‘warming up’ will not help your situation! From the moment your bum enters the saddle, your focus will be on responsiveness.

    Most riders overlook the very first transition that happens when begin riding. The one from halt to walk. Rather pay attention to it. This is where you can set the tone for the conversation going forward. 

    Aim for the whole conversation to be ‘I, the rider, ask a question and then you, the horse, respond in a timely fashion’. Ask followed by a quick response.  Repeat this over and over, throughout the ride.  Start in walk and trot.  And only when your horse is truly ‘going forward’, begin to work on the canter.

    Stop Nagging Every Single Stride

    The final key to this is to change the habit of nagging.  When you have ridden an easygoing or lazy horse for any length of time, certain habits can creep into your riding.  Kicking or squeezing every single stride is one of those habits. Now, the irony is that you may feel like you MUST do this to keep him going forward, right?

    It is important to remember that, when riding, the goal is for you to ask a question, and your horse responds until you interupt and ask a different question

    Part of your responsibility, as a rider, is to allow your horse to take responsibility for his role in this conversation.  Your horse must begin to take responsibility for ‘going forward’.  And if you are reminding him of this every single stride, he simply can’t.

    Learn to ask a question.  Repeat if necesary with more pressure.  Let your horse respond. Then wait until you need to make a correction…

    The correction in this situation is asking again for more energy when you feel that he has stopped working forward himself. And going forward is not ‘working forwards’.  True forward feels like moving with a sense of purpose.  Keep that in mind as well.

    Your Easygoing or Lazy Horse

    As you begin working on this the next time you’re in the saddle it is really important to remember one thing.  The struggle you are experiencing while getting from trot to canter with your more easygoing or lazy horse is merely a symptom.  The root cause is a lack of responsiveness.

    Responsiveness is one of the easiest things to correct in your riding.  And it is something you have almost 100% control over the outcome.

    Keep in mind that the key to overcoming this challenge is to be consistent with your training, and how you ‘show up’.  I would suggest short, extremely focused sessions of 20 to 30 minutes initially and then build from there.

    You will be amazed at what you can transform in just one ride!

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    More About Canter Transitions:-

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  • When Your Horse ‘Runs’ From the Trot into the Canter

    When Your Horse ‘Runs’ From the Trot into the Canter

    Riding, just like life, is about enjoying the journey rather than just the destination.  However, when you’re transitioning from the trot into the canter – and your horse seems determined to show you just how fast he can actually trot beforehand; well, the journey is not all that enjoyable!

    I don’t know of a single rider who enjoys the ‘rush’ of a horse running from trot to canter. It is bouncy, unbalancing, and, sometimes, scary.  Also, it more often than not sets up a canter that feels like all of the above as well.

    The good news is that there are a few things you can do, starting today, to begin re-schooling this behavior; for you and your horse.

     1. Improve Your Suppleness, Coordination, and Balance

    This can seem pretty obvious.  However, for many riders, the struggle to transition from the trot into the canter is down to their lack of suppleness.  The suppleness required for a mediocre trot is not the same as what is required for a forward-thinking and moving canter.

    And as you begin to set up the canter, the increased energy and intention inside both you and your horse can become blocked by your lack of suppleness

    This shows up as excess tension in the rider’s body; the more energy they feel, the more than ‘hunker down’ and try to ‘control’ both themselves and their horse. This will naturally lead to more bouncing, less balance, and a breakdown in the coordination of your aids.

    Devote some time to practicing how you respond when you create more energy within just the trot. Work on channeling that energy, rather than ‘holding it’. 

     2. Spend Time Developing the Trot

    This leads me to the next point.  Developing a more rhythmic, spacious, and forward trot will really help you transition from the trot into the canter with greater ease and balance.  The trot is the gait where we often simply accept what we have been given with regard to our horse’s way of going.

    Most horses will have a natural rhythm in the trot, and it is important to keep in mind that you can positively influence this further.

    Work on forwardness (both thinking and going), responsiveness, lightness, and creating more space inside of each stride.  From here, you can then begin to ‘test’ yourself using the sitting trot.  If you are struggling to remain balanced, relaxed (correct tension), and coordinated inside of a better-quality trot, revisit the first point again!

    Working between walk and trot will also help you here as you can practice what you are doing before, during, and after the upward and downward transitions.  More on that in point number 4.

     3. Get Clear on EXACTLY What You Want

    Yes, you want to get from the trot into the canter.  And, if that is all you want, that is probably what you will get; and any way possible! Not ideal and often not enjoyable either. Okay, so if you were to rethink this, what do you actually want regarding this transition?

    Where do you want it to happen? How would you like it to feel? What type of canter are you looking to create when there? And what is the focus for the actual transition as training for you or your horse?

    When you are working with a younger horse or a green horse, you can be a little more relaxed with regards to getting things ‘exactly’ as you want them.  However, the longer you are working together, the more specific you should become on what you want and how you want it.

    I feel that ‘balanced’ is always a good outcome to work towards.  So too is accuracy. Lightness really does help it all feel better. As well as straightness throughout…

     4. Transition From Trot into the Canter

    When you know what you want, you can now go and make it happen. Start by modeling everything you expect your horse and the transition to be, through your own body and actions.  Ride the transition exactly as you want it to happen.

    Straighten yourself in the saddle.  Carry yourself and remain ‘light’, especially with your upper body. Be accurate and timely with your aids. And respond in a way that allows your horse to do what you ask him to do. 

    When you feel the trot beginning to deteriorate, change the focus.  Rather go back to balancing the trot again. Once you have it back to a quality you are happy with, set it all up and ask again.  Pushing on through for the sake of pushing on through is rarely the right way to develop a better transition from the trot into the canter.

    When you feel the quality of the trot, and therefore the transition begins to deteriorate; rather focus on improving that first. From this reestablished place, try again. 

     5. Allow the Canter to Flow

    The more attention to detail you devote to what happens in the lead-up to the transition, and through the transition, the better each transition will become over time. However, getting from a trot into the canter is a 3 part process.

        1. Establish a good quality trot
        2. Ask for a clean, timely, balanced, and light transition
        3. Allow the canter to go forwards

    As riders, we can often become confused with our role in each of the questions we ask when riding.  The canter is no different.  So many riders think that they have to ‘do’ canter in order to canter!

    Your job is to ask your horse to canter, and then get out of the way and allow him to canter. You do not canter; he does. 

    This means that leaning forward, especially with the shoulders to the inside, is not helping your horse.  In fact, it’s probably doing the exact opposite and blocking his inside shoulder. Similarly, collapsing into the back of the saddle to stop bouncing is equally unhelpful.  It blocks the flow of energy from back to front.  This prevents any connection, lightness, and self-carriage from happening.

    The canter is a gait that you can see an almost instant improvement in when you know what to look for and do. All it takes is some dedication, focus, and the right guidance.

    Happy Riding
    Lorna

    Improving Your Canter

    If you are keen to develop your canter more, I would love to help you. YOU CAN FIND ALL THE DETAILS HERE for a 4-week program on the canter. Using a blend of audio horse riding lessons, and video, you will receive step-by-step guidance on how to improve your canter.

    Created with riders who are working alone without a trainer or coach, you will learn how to improve both yourself and your horse. Getting into, riding the actual canter, and transitioning out of it too.

    The course is self-study, and you get lifetime access to all of the materials, meaning you can go back and refine things over and over again. Created with the goal of 3 focused rides a week to work on your canter, this program can transform how you think about, ride, and develop the canter. For you and your horse. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS

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