Perfecting canter transition

[meganjudd]

Hi, I recently bought a project pony and she's currently walking trotting and beginning to canter both in the school and out hacking. When I ask for canter in the school she finds it difficult to break into a canter (she trots really fast and then leaps into it..maybe throws in a buck). The school is in no way small (60x40?) but she really struggles around the corners. She is getting better but does anyone have any advice on how to perfect her transition? Thanks.

 

[Goldenstar]

I often teach it from the walk and using a voice command to back up my legs having first taught the voice aid on the lunge .

 

[soulfull]

Difficult to say without seeing you both. Could be she isn't balanced enough, could be the timing of your aids or she might need a tap with stick to say NOW not in 5 mins. Also make sure you are half halting before asking for canter.

If you feel she should really have got it by now, then keep bringing her back and asking again, with a tap with the stick. I had to do this teaching my mare walk to canter as she would just trot like a sack of spuds then canter

 

[philamena]

IME often means they've got too much of their weight over the forehand, especially the inside foreleg. Try really exaggeratedly neck-reining the weight over into the outside shoulder a long way before you ask, and make sure your own weight is exaggerated right back into your outside seatbone so the inside seatbone is really light and a bit forward, ge your weight right back off the forehand and ask when the inside shoulder is coming up... Once they get it you can gradually make all the set up and aids more subtle. And when teaching the transitions, come back quite quickly and re-do and re-do, so she practises it a lot in quick succession...

 

[SpringArising]

The most simple solution is to not let her run. As soon as she speeds up bring her back down to a walk, then try again. Do this for as long as it takes for her to realise that running into the transition isn't allowed. It's much easier to teach walk to canter on a smallish circle than along the straight, too.

Make sure that you are sitting back and aren't tipping forwards - that will only encourage her to move on the forehand. Outside leg behind the girth, inside leg on it and as Philamena said, ask for a very slight bend of the neck outwards to begin with.

 

[Barnacle]

Have you got her lunging off voice commands? Do that first and it should be easy peasy... You can even add an extra trot voice command to distinguish between a working trot and something a bit faster... Then you only ever ask for canter out of the former or out of walk and have the fast trot on command. When you're in the saddle, it should then be a matter of saying the words and getting her to associate the aids with them after.

 

[Donkey66]

Put a pole on the ground in the corner of the school at 45 degrees. Approach in sensible trot, she will jump over it and start cantering. Alternatively just get her cantering and do a lap of the school to help build up muscle and balance, and sort out the transition later.

 

[tristar]

I would forget about asking in the arena and take the pony out hacking, and practice on a straight line, only asking when she is well warmed up and going well in trot, I would use forwardness and her own energy to let her fall into canter with you asking with the leg aids,not worrying about which lead she is on, later when she`s more confident about what she`s being asked you could take her in a field and work on a slight bend to choose the lead you want.

I wouldn't make an issue of it and upset her, she could be running in trot because she doesn't understand or gets tense.

cantering up long slopes to just improve the use of the canter could bring her on no end.

 

[nato]

Would second the lunging piece - have her canter off your voice, then when ridden give the aids (don't tip forward as this makes it hard for her to get off her forehand and 'jump' into canter from behind) and ask for canter with your voice. She should soon get the idea

Another option is to do it out hacking - on a straight line tends to be a little easier for them when they are learning. Just make sure that she's responding to your aids in that she's picking up the correct lead, even if she's on a straight line (i.e. she should be picking up left canter if you ask with your right leg as 'outside' leg).