sh90
Well-Known Member
Thinking in the near future its time to start introducing the above. How would you personally go about teaching it to your pony?
Walk to Canter Transitions
- Thread starter sh90
- Start date
JFTDWS
+++ Out of Cheese Error +++
When trot - canter is absolutely spot on the aids, I just start asking straight from walk - having created as much impulsion and energy in the walk first. If it takes a few goes for it to click, that's fine, I just praise the strike off and try again.
Liane
Well-Known Member
I found it easier the other day with my trainer if I did a walk pirouette which got them lighter in the front and sitting on the hocks and ask for the walk to canter transition as the pirouette was finished. It actually worked really well.
Tash88
Well-Known Member
Jiffy said something useful about walk to canter transitions in Dumbo's post on here - I'll probably get it wrong even though I've only just read it (lots on my mind at the moment!) so hopefully she'll be here to correct me if necessary, but essentially you should use walk to canter transitions as a way of setting yourself up to canter so that you give the correct aids that the horse will respond to. When preparing for the canter transition count down from three, then give the aid on one whilst breathing out. In this way you will be preparing yourself without over thinking it, and hopefully your horse won't anticipate too much and will go off your aid.
Some horses will get tense/overexcited when doing this so lots of praise and a scratch on the withers when they strike off, then bring them down to a nice steady trot. I'm not sure whether teaching walk to canter transitions should necessarily go with teaching direct canter to walk transitions too - maybe someone could answer this question?
Some horses will get tense/overexcited when doing this so lots of praise and a scratch on the withers when they strike off, then bring them down to a nice steady trot. I'm not sure whether teaching walk to canter transitions should necessarily go with teaching direct canter to walk transitions too - maybe someone could answer this question?
Under-the-radar
Well-Known Member
My mare has a rather large canter, and for a long time tended to go along stretched right out. The walk to canter transitions helps to get her to tuck her hind quarters under her more, so we could start working on a slower rhythm. Her walk to canter are fairly good now, but we are still a long way off having a canter slow enough to do a canter to walk transition. I think the quality of the canter has to be far better to get a good canter to walk, than it needs to be to do a walk to canter. From my understanding to get a good canter-walk, the canter needs to be at a walking speed.
I guess when to introduce any direct transitions is dependant on the horse - I guess a horse who has a naturally good canter, and who finds shortening easy, a canter to walk could be introduced much more quickly than with my mare, who struggles with shortening her canter.
Tash88
Well-Known Member
I think you're probably right U-T-R, besides direct canter-walk transitions are required in more advanced tests that walk-canter transitions and so it is probably expected that they require a higher level of training. My horse has a naturally rather collected and elevated canter so at the moment I am trying to push him on a bit without falling onto the forehand, so probably not ready for canter-walk transitions.
j1ffy
Well-Known Member
I'm glad someone found it useful! Also, think 'up' into the canter not 'faster' - I've always had a tendency to think that I need to accelerate into the canter but luckily a few horses have taught me otherwise
Finally, a lot of people talk about pushing the inside seat bone forward but I find it easier to think of lifting it forward to give the horse the space to step into (possibly this is completely wrong as it may push your weight to the outside seat bone and block the first step with the outside hind, but it definitely works for me).Finally repeat repeat until the horse understands, and praise regularly!
sh90
Well-Known Member
thank you for all your help guys going to mybe start to attempt in the next couple of weeks
Walrus
Well-Known Member
We taught mine using lateral work, so leg yield or pushing the quarters out on the circle to get some engagement, then straighten for a few strides keeping the walk 'small' and collected then ask for the canter, and I find it helps to really stretch up and sit tall and think up into the canter rather than forwards. You have to keep hold of the front (without being negative) to stop them running through. That's what I've found on my boy anyway.
Chirmapops
Well-Known Member
Really focus on the hindlegs, try to feel when they are stepping off the ground and see if you can influence them to come sharper and really march - that'll help you get the necessary energy wound up to do a nice clean canter strikeoff. Don't worry if you get a few strides of trot the first few times though, so long as your horse understands the "concept" even if he can't quite do it physically it will come really quickly.