3 Exercises to Improve the Trot-Canter Transition
The canter transition is one of the most difficult things for both horse and rider. It requires timing, coordination, and feel for both the horse and rider to get smoothly from a 2-beat trot rhythm into a 3-beat canter without excitement or misunderstanding! This week’s archive video brings you three exercises that will not only make this gait change easier but really dial up the quality and fluency of your transition from trot to canter.
1. The Snowman – start at X in the middle of the arena and make a 10-meter circle in trot. When you come back to X, change direction onto a large 20-meter circle in the opposite direction and immediately ask for the canter. Before you get to X again, make a transition to trot and at X change direction back onto the small circle in the opposite direction. The curves and changes of direction in this exercise kelp get the horse and rider collected and organized for the upward and the downward transition into and out of the canter.
2. Walk-trot-walk-trot canter – Do several walk-trot-walk transitions just before asking the horse to canter. These transitions will wake the horse up to your aids, get the horse collected and energized and ready for the transition into the canter!
3. Leg yield into canter – Go up the 1/4 line and leg yield to the rail from the inside leg. When you get to the rail, ask the horse for the canter and arc off the rail and onto a 20-meter circle in the canter. This is a great exercise to get the horse off of the inside leg and into the outside rein before asking for the canter!
Have a look at this video where I demonstrate all three exercises on Phargo, and let me know in the comments if you find it helpful or have any exercises that YOU think improve the canter transition!
Thanks for watching and happy riding!
Amelia
