Magic hack for simple changes, anyone ….

[smiggy]

I’ve been struggling for a year, managed a season of ele last year as there were a few tests without them but the new tests, bar one, all have the flipping things.
We have a collected canter and a great walk to canter but the canter to walk just evades us. I think I have it then bam, runs through my hand and trots.
Have had various ideas from instructors, he won’t put up with anything stressy. One was getting me to aim at the wall, another to halt and rein back but he just gets upset, so that won’t be happening.
The lighter I have him in collected canter the better, I do it on a half circle with little half halts on outside rein, I think it’s all going well, then no !
All ideas welcome , it ruins the whole test as two 4 scores drags everything down .

 

[Matafleur]

The canter needs to be properly on your seat, not on the hand, for a good simple changes. Can you collect the canter to pretty much on the spot and then move it on again? Once you can do this without having to use too much hand in the collection, the changes will improve hugely.

My trainer has been using walk poles with her young horse to clean up the clarity of the SC but the balance down is already good. So come back to walk as close to the poles as possible and then the poles help the walk quality. This may help you lose some trot steps but the key is really in the quality of the collected canter.

 

[LEC]

On a 20m circle - start with canter/trot and go 4x4 so 4 canter and 4 trot strides. Be strict about being on the button. Then mix it up 10x10, 6x6 etc I can pretty much get to 1x1.
Then start doing this walk/canter. It might be a bit messy to start with but they have to stay through and it gets them sharper. Plus it makes you sharper, the horse sharper and kind of takes the pressure off as you do a lot so overall quality gets better. Troubleshoot as you go along so if not sharp off the leg sort and go back. If too hot in the brain go back to canter/trot and get that good.

Finally I had a lesson last week with Jonelle price. Her big thing was your bum should wipe the seat in canter and stop when you want downwards. So it was very much wipe the seat of the saddle which helps the rhythm, the softness in your seat and keeping your seat the right depth. Works pretty well for keeping downwards soft. Have a work on that and if horse does it with minimal seat come down - treat/praise so they understand.

 

[JGC]

I had one that I struggle with this for a while. I don't think it was an exercise that got it to click per se (although some do not like doing it towards a wall as they feel a bit trapped or stressed). I sort of managed to get this feeling where I felt the canter stride energy going up, instead of forwards, so a real feeling of lift and on the hocks and then I could "set her down" oh so gently and she would "land" in the walk.

I don't know if you've ever done any yoga, but that feeling of sending the energy up the front body and down the back body without in any way changing your alignment from the vertical is the exact same feeling.

And took me so long to master but any rein action or leaning back allowed her to pull or lean or go downhill and therefore only helped her to trot.

Don't know if that makes any sense, but it took me probably over a year to get it but I have been able to reproduce it on numerous horses since. It is an amazing and so worth the time and effort struggling to get - even if it definitely did not feel like it at the time. Thank you, Judy

 

[JGC]

Oh and meant to say - breathing - huge diaphramic breath on the up. Massive out on the way down.

 

[humblepie]

It is fortunately something my horse found fairly easy but I found for me having a school master lesson helped me get the feel for how it should be and the response needed and agree that a lot of it does seem to be through the diaphram and seat.

 

[JFTDWS]

Generally, when you find a downwards transition ends in resistance / running, I'd suggest the horse doesn't "trust" the contact. It's really easy to believe the transition isn't going to happen, and overcook the hand, and then the running / ignoring the aid escalates.

I'd work on all the downward transitions, rewarding the walk with a clear, over-exaggerated release into walk (or trot). So that probably means working on indirect canter-walk transitions, aiming for as much softness as possible, and gradually reducing the number of trot strides required. It works well coupled with LEC's controlling the number of strides between canter-trot-canter transitions exercise, or the same exercise canter-trot-walk-trot-canter.

 

[smiggy]

Thanks all
Really excited to work on this again, was in a let’s just give up place, but now enthused !

 

[Goldenstar]

I would teach a verbal que by blowing out thought my teeth and lips and combine it with breathing out
Naughty I know but there go.
Once established you gently withdraw it .

 

[SEL]

I would teach a verbal que by blowing out thought my teeth and lips and combine it with breathing out
Naughty I know but there go.
Once established you gently withdraw it .

I once saw a Mary King demo where she had a specific little cough to get her horse to extend in trot

 

[Squeak]

I would teach a verbal que by blowing out thought my teeth and lips and combine it with breathing out
Naughty I know but there go.
Once established you gently withdraw it .

I also often use a verbal que when teaching it as it gives them a bit more warning that something more than just canter trot is coming.

Agree with LEC that the seat is also an important aid and should be used to help encourage the change, I often prepare the transition by closing the front of my thigh so that they collect and sit on their hind a bit more.

 

[Goldenstar]

I think it can take a bit experimentation to find the best way to half halt the horse .
Some need a steady squeeze with the thigh some respond best to on and off slowly or quickly the amount of lower leg and placement of your legs and if the inside is very much the leg you use or it’s both or a bit of one and more the other or in fact still lower legs depends on the horses way of going .
Finally the issue shows an issue with the collection and using the shoulder fore into the transition is a classic way to train and it almost always helps.
Also making your walk transition from the track into the first steps of a 10m circle is a good way to develop the transition at home later you can sit them in a mild shoulder fore and ride them on to a short diagonal line from the track and then make the transition.
Always walk long enough in training don’t take them back to canter ,only canter them when walk is really settled and good.
Sometimes knowing the upward transition is coming is sometimes the thing you need to take out of the horses mind .
When Sky was a this stage we only did canter walk for a while no canter trot that might help .

 

[HopefullyRiding]

Small circles and practice! Quality of canter and timing of the aids will set you up the best but it will take time to strengthen the sit that is required. Plenty of counter canter and counter canter leg yield will help to balance the canter. Wait for the right moment in canter to ask rather than trying to do it at the wrong moment or in the wrong canter. It sounds like you've got the feel of the canter you need, just practice keeping it!

I also think it's one of those that when training you have to not react or get frustrated when you get trot instead of walk. Just get the canter back and go again and make a huuuge fuss when it's right.

 

[nikkimariet]

The canter you have prior to walking - this is the collection you need to practice. Can you get it anywhere in the school, on any line and even out of counter canter? You need to practice coming back in 3/4 steps then going forward then back again.