Trot to canter transition

[Chestnut_Mare1]

My mare is a difficult ride. Typical chestnut mare but very sweet and honest. She hates the outside leg aid for canter and will kick out if I don’ ask just right.

I have to use mostly inside leg for the bend and seat for the upward transition but that does not get me a prompt transition. If I go to the whip all relaxation is gone for the rest of the ride.

It takes all the way from A to K for her to pick up a canter. She is a big mare with a long body and not the strongest hind end. She is a 17h 14 year old wb/tb.

How can I improve our transitions? We school 1st at home and will show training this year.

[merrygoround]

Two keys to canter transitions. The quality of the trot, before you ask for it, and the quality of the half halt. The half halt allows her to rebalance, and shift her weight back, but you cannot get a good one if you hold her head. So, riding a strong active trot, sit deep for a heartbeat, keeping your legs on, simultaneously taking a deep breath, and lift off. Let your outside leg just slide back, just before you do. The function of the outside leg is to ask the outside hind leg to reach under. The impulsion comes, as you are already asking, from the inside.

[Huntin_Pony]

Adding to MerrygoRound’s thought, the timing of the “lift off” is also important. The upward transition initiates from the outside hind, as said, so you need to cue when that foot is on the ground and about to push off.

[Scribbler]

Honestly I think particularly at the lower levels the canter transition is more about the horse’s balance and willingness to go forward than precision of timing of aids.

I get why the suggestion is to put the leg on at the right moment in the trot footfall pattern, but if the horse is not balanced and forward they will not be able to respond promptly even if the cue is perfectly timed.

Conversely, if the horse is balanced and forward, you can get a good transition just with a voice cue. I know that won’t work for a dressage test but I point this out to show that the horse needs to be physically and mentally ready to canter.

Here are some of the things I’ve seen go wrong.

Not letting go of the horse’s face, trying to keep a green horse in “frame” either from rider fear or desire for a headset.

Horse not being balanced enough and on the forehand so they fall into the canter rather than lift into it.

Horse not yet physically comfortable with cantering in the confines of an arena or on 20 metre circles.

Horse allowed to get generally behind the leg and under tempo, often because rider is more comfortable that way, so the energy for a prompt transition isn’t there.

Or there is something actively bothering the horse, hocks or saddle fit or something. I assume she can canter nicely at liberty or on the longe line.

As far as mare being unhappy about outside leg aid, is she unhappy when you use the single leg for lateral work? If not then what she is telling you is not “I hate the leg aid” but rather “I know you are asking for canter and I don’t want to.”

If you change her physical relationship to canter (balance) and mental relationship (energy level) so she wants to canter then you can work on timing of aids.

I made some mistakes in this regard in the early days with my mare, pushed her to canter before she was balanced, and she has never let me forget it.

[Chestnut_Mare1]

Some great suggestions thank you.

Mare loves to canter. And is getting more fit so it is getting more balanced. She is a big horse to put together. She needs a lot of bend to have a nice transition. The issue is that she kicks out at my outside leg when I move it back to cue the canter. She does this in both directions.

[Scribbler]

Don’t move it back so far? Use less pressure? Just use a suggestion not a full leg certainly not a spur or heel?

You said the transitions were slow which was why I had the other suggestions. If the transition speed is OK for where you are now and she is responding not resisting i’d just dial back the aid to the nearest whisper.

[merrygoround]

The rider’s outside leg supports the reach under of the outside hind. It in no way should be you used forcefully enough to generate a kick out, but if any shift of your leg does incite a kick out, ignore it. Focus on the forward part of the transition. It’s harder to kick back if your’re going forward. Try it!

[lorilu]

Are you coming to canter from a posting trot? If so post big to get a very active trot with good impulsion. Be sure her haunches are working and under her. Post on the correct diagonal, sit ONE step while you cue with inside leg at forth and just shift your outside thigh back a hair. Push diagonally with your outside seatbone towards her inside shoulder while allowing the lift of the inside shoulder( ie, let your inside hip rise a bit. ). If she doesn’t canter right away go back to a big posting trot. Don’t chase her into it.
For many horses the walk-canter trsnisition is easier until they develop the strength and balance for trot canter.

[TequilaMockingbird]

Is she in front of your leg for other transitions? Can you push for more impulsion at the trot with a simple aid and then bring her back with a half halt from your seat to a really dinky trot? Or do you have to get after her to get more impulsion in the trot? Play with transitions within trot before asking for the canter transition. Only ask for canter when you’re getting respect to your aids in trot first.

If she is not being prompt to respond I would still use the whip. You can often get a lot of response from the whip even when you’ve barely used it. Think a touch and not a whack. Ask with the aid you want a prompt response to and ask with your voice simultaneously if she’s good responding to that on the lounge line. If you don’t get a quick response, just barely use the whip. Maybe even just pretend you’re going to use it if your horse is that sensitive.

If she’s in good balance and otherwise in front of your leg, you shouldn’t need to worry about foot falls and super exact timing just to get her to respond to the canter transition.

If you can, try to avoid using too much outside leg back for the canter aid. Brush it back slightly if you have to but try to use more inside leg and the inside seat bone. I know my horse started to give me really exuberant canter transitions if I used to much outside leg after getting used to my trainers for subtle aids.

[atlatl]

Lots of good advice already, I will only add that I’ve found it helpful to do several transitions within the gait, trot in this case, surging forward then coming back several times before asking for the canter. I just sit and ask, it takes practice to get the timing right; post, post, sit and ask.

[alibi_18]

@Chestnut_Mare

Some great suggestions thank you.

Mare loves to canter. And is getting more fit so it is getting more balanced. She is a big horse to put together. She needs a lot of bend to have a nice transition. The issue is that she kicks out at my outside leg when I move it back to cue the canter. She does this in both directions.

You need to learn to use your half halt for a longer period of time to ask for the canter. Like you would trot actively a few trotting steps on the spot and cue with your leg/seat. No upper body/arms movements. Let her bring you up.
Ask for the canter at one precise point, and mean it.

Don’t cue the canter with your outside leg anymore.

Cue it with your inside leg and ask for even more bend while you are at it. Trot - on the spot on the spot on the spot (it won’t really be) - cue Canter with inside leg.

Also, start those walk - canter transitions. You’ll thank me later.

Have fun.

[RedHorses]

It can be helpful to school “Now!” transitions and “soft” transitions on different days. By this I mean spending some time on one day getting a prompt response to your aids and not worrying so much about easy, soft, round transitions. Ignore the dramtics and just canter, now! It helps to start with walk trot transitions before going to canter. As you get the sharper response on that day you work to lighten your aids and get a softER response.

Another day you might spend some time getting very smooth, balanced, soft, step into transitions even if it takes half the ring to get it. As the transitions come more easily on that day you work on making them come a little quicker without losing the balanced, softness, easy stepping into the new gait.

As your horse gets better the distinction between the two days becomes less pronounced and you can do both in one ride.

[Chestnut_Mare1]

@alibi_18

You need to learn to use your half halt for a longer period of time to ask for the canter. Like you would trot actively a few trotting steps on the spot and cue with your leg/seat. No upper body/arms movements. Let her bring you up.
Ask for the canter at one precise point, and mean it.

Don’t cue the canter with your outside leg anymore.

Cue it with your inside leg and ask for even more bend while you are at it. Trot - on the spot on the spot on the spot (it won’t really be) - cue Canter with inside leg.

Also, start those walk - canter transitions. You’ll thank me later.

Have fun.

I think this may work very well! Think trot on the spot then canter. Going to try this tomorrow.

[Chestnut_Mare1]

@RedHorses

It can be helpful to school “Now!” transitions and “soft” transitions on different days. By this I mean spending some time on one day getting a prompt response to your aids and not worrying so much about easy, soft, round transitions. Ignore the dramtics and just canter, now! It helps to start with walk trot transitions before going to canter. As you get the sharper response on that day you work to lighten your aids and get a softER response.

Another day you might spend some time getting very smooth, balanced, soft, step into transitions even if it takes half the ring to get it. As the transitions come more easily on that day you work on making them come a little quicker without losing the balanced, softness, easy stepping into the new gait.

As your horse gets better the distinction between the two days becomes less pronounced and you can do both in one ride.

You’e right about just making it happen some days… I overthink everything and maybe I’m not allowing her to come up to me…

[MissAriel]

@alibi_18

You need to learn to use your half halt for a longer period of time to ask for the canter. Like you would trot actively a few trotting steps on the spot and cue with your leg/seat. No upper body/arms movements. Let her bring you up.
Ask for the canter at one precise point, and mean it.

Don’t cue the canter with your outside leg anymore.

Cue it with your inside leg and ask for even more bend while you are at it. Trot - on the spot on the spot on the spot (it won’t really be) - cue Canter with inside leg.

Also, start those walk - canter transitions. You’ll thank me later.

Have fun.

This is a much better explanation for what I do than I could give! :o

For me one of the keys was not involving my upper body to ask. My job is to get him there balanced and forward; then it is his job to start cantering as soon as I ask with strong inside leg and just a whisper of outside leg.