The canter trot transition is a difficult and important transition to master in Dressage and it even shows up in the Grand Prix! This transition is an important test of throughness and suppleness and while this seems like a simple transition, a lot can go wrong during this transition.
Some common mistakes in the canter-trot transition are:
- Horse loses rhythm
- Horse hollows back and raises the head
- Rider pulls and leans forward
- Horse looses impulsion and stops in the transition
- Horse drops the poll too low
- Horse slows down in the canter before trotting
All of these common mistakes are an evasion of the horse not wanting to stay engaged and pushing with the hind end. Here are some solutions and ways that you can fix the canter-trot transition:
- Ask for the transition on a circle line and keep the bend
- Yield the hind end out during the transition
- Be patient – let the horse find their way into the trot
- Don’t lock up the hands – this will cause the horse to stop in the transition
- If the transition sucks, fix the trot. Don’t give up.
- If the horse doesn’t want to trot, make it difficult for the horse to keep cantering by going onto a small circle, over bending the horse and pushing the haunches out until the horse trots.
