Has anyone any tips on teaching a SJ what counter canter means. It's getting beyond a joke, when I did my last BD she did beautiful changes (not required at Novice
Maybe try riding shallow loops down the long side of the school, then make them deeper. If that goes try to doing a figure of eight so that when you get to X you do a few strides of counter canter, then trot. Next time do a few more strides, and so on and so on until you can do one loop of the figure of eight in true canter and one in counter canter.
OMG I have just had the most awful session with my boy (exracehorse) because I hurt my knee running. The trick is to be really clear and even 'overexaggerate' the aids at first until they understand. Being strong and clear is definitely the key.
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Thanks. She's fine with loops off the track, it's usually when she has to come across the diagonal or do a loop back to the track
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Words of my trainer still ringing in my ears from this morning
'RIDE EVERY STRIDE' without seeing it, it sounds like you are doing what I do and relaxing for a millisecond, which is just when they do it! (Back to the track=nearly there, in my brain)!!
try exaggerating the bend around the leading leg (that you want to keep), and keeping everything else very soft. keep outside-of-bend leg slightly back to discourage the change, other leg doing nothing. my tricksy mare got the hang of it eventually, incl canter serpentines, but i had to be really passive about all my aids and not give her a reason to change, if you see what i mean.
Glad it's not just me. She will pick up any canter lead down the long side. When I can get her to do counter canter, she makes it look like she has a disability. I could understand, but she's not unbalanced, she just doesn't want to do it
I'm the other way, have beautiful counter canter, she is learning changes, & my trainer Tracey can do them on her, but in my case it's the blind leading the blind, with Tracey shouting, "she's changed, she's changed!!" OMG, wish I was you lot, as our sj has so improved, but wish we could do a beautiful change rather than counter canter or canter, trot, canter. Sighs enviously.....
Glad it's not just me. She will pick up any canter lead down the long side. When I can get her to do counter canter, she makes it look like she has a disability. I could understand, but she's not unbalanced, she just doesn't want to do it
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mine is a chestnut mare - she is just difficult !! she can do it easily but having been a showjumper for the past 10 years she just finds it easier to change and cant see why we should go round on the wrong leg - its just silly !!!