Getting Engagement in Canter

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ChocoCornflake

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Hello! Was wondering if anyone has any schooling tips for improving the quality of the canter...
If I long rein my boyo, I can get him into a really nice, springy, engaged, balanced canter, but it all goes to pieces when i get on!
He tends to whizz off with his ears pricked and above the bit and fairly fast and flat and tense as though he's anticipating jumping! Which makes it rather hard to do any proper circles and stuff... oh, and his canter to trot trans are awful too!
Can anyone help...aiming to go out and do some novice/elem this yr but i think the judge will laugh at us
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Light seat canter, dont restrict at all with the hand and let him carry himself and find his own rythym. Once you come back to full seat, give each rein in turn for 2-3 strides at a time to encourage a 3 beat canter and a softness in the neck.
 
one idea my instructor told me for my horse who rushes is to canter around the arena and at each letter come back to trot and do a 10m circle then as you hit the track go back to canter. He never gets chance to speed off and the transitions improve too. However being honest I quite often miss a letter as need a little more room in the 20 x 40 in the 20 x 60 i seem to manage to get it better.

hope it helps
 
Lots of transitions so that he doesn't get chance to speed up. Ride circles are loops - again so he can't speed up. You could also try riding slightly shoulder in. Just because he's trying to speed up don't take your leg off, keep riding him forward using half halts. If you give him lots to think about apart from just the canter he'll soon slow down then you can work on the engagement.
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The more trans you do, the more balanced the canter will become which means he wont go faster and flater, could take a while but is worth it in the end ! ... i had to do it with my horse a year ago as a 5yr old now hes staring canter pirroeuttes (however you spell it :S) because he is waiting for me and im in control ! ... most of the time !!
 
sounds like you need to have your 'boy' more between the aids. Also he neds to understand that a leg at the girth does not mean faster but go into the outside rein. This connection is important as you cannot 'use' and 'empty rein. ie you must connect him forward to it before you can feel it to gain balance.
Also do not think 'bouncy' is engaged. often this is actually a little tight and restricted and is a symptom of what i am talking about. I do not long rein in canter for this reason as it often can lead to a shortening of the neck, ie holding back not riding to the hand. Another clue is your problem with the downward transition this also implies that you need to be able to connect more with the outside rein so that when you feel that rein as the outside shoulder comes back towards you[ and hence the inside hind leg is available for balance] then he will be able to 'carry' more weight on the hindleg further under the body by 'sitting not shortening his neck.[engagement]
So i work first on geting easy transitions on a circle. Do not lean inwards with the shoulders make sure that you draw back the outside leg behind the girth , this holds the outside hind on so that the inside hind has to take the weight rather than step out and then down on the inside shoulder. It is all about projecting the shoulders up but this is done by guiding the hind legs under rather than pulling the front. sit talll and soft, dont lean back you need to let the horse up under your seat and time the ask on his inside leg with your inside leg . really be clear as to the size and shape of the circle you are on as this will tell you how much and when to apply what aid.[size of the circle =balance required and engagement to remain in rythmn] keep your nose pointing between the ears. This all will sound obvious but you will be surprised how many people think they are doing these things but in actual fact are not , especially on the left rein and make sure your shouders and hips are parallel to his]
In the down ward transition thinks of the canter becoming easier and lighter. raise up in your spine and support with the calf muscles and take on the outside rein as that outside shoulder comes back towards you, he can then answer your question by carrying on that inside hind leg.
I would start off by dividing a 20m cirle in half riding a transition every time you cross the centerline. then,once he is comfortable with this ask divide it to 4. if he does not respond to the upward dont throw your reins at him and drive with the seat sit quiet , rebalance, check the flextion and connection with the outside rein and ask again, keep repeating. Remember a gymnast who only has her own body to look after will repeat and repeat a movement a thousand times before she would expect it to be right, you have you and your horse to train the reaction in!
Also remember you can use the aids rather like you use you voice, it does not have to monotone it can be quick and sharp or it can be light when you have what you want rather like the difference between a shout and a whisper.
i hope that makes some sense. canter quite often take some time to get right because , due to it momentum it shows up our weaknesses futher down the training scale, nearly always that lack of connection and understanding the limits of the outsde rein connected to the reaction to your inside leg with his inside leg.
 
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