Canter transitions - tips for getting them better

Hi!

Here are a few things to keep in mind for your canter transitions 😻🐴:

🥕 One clever tip is to ride a circle and ask for canter just as you finish the open part of the circle and the track curves back towards the fence. The fence on the outside then gives you support and frames the pony a little.

🥕 Mind your bend. If you are on the left rein and asking for left canter, the horse should be flexed to the left, but watch that it does not bend too much through the neck. It is easy to take a little too much on the outside rein, which leaves the horse flexed the wrong way. Whether the horse bends in too far or is flexed to the outside, the transition suffers and you risk striking off on the wrong leg.

🥕 Sit tall over the horse and take care not to fall forward or collapse on the inside.

🥕 Vary where you ask for canter, from both walk and trot. Remember that canter transitions, and the transitions back to walk and trot, are what build the horse's canter, but they take their toll too, so keep the work fairly relaxed and do not train for too long or too often.

🥕 Do ask for help, both from a trainer for the finer points of your riding and the transitions in particular, and from a saddle fitter to make sure your tack sits well on the horse. The saddle looks as though it might be sitting a touch far forward in the video, although that could be down to the camera angle.

Good luck! 🦄