Lighten up

If you struggle with your horse’s balance in canter, you’re definitely not alone. An uphill canter can take ages to develop, especially with bigger-moving horses or those who are naturally built more on the forehand. But don’t worry, it will come as long as you’re willing to put in the work.

In the last issue, I discussed some of the techniques I use to improve a horse’s balance in trot and canter, particularly when they’re less established in their training. This month, I’ll focus on further developing balance in canter and preparing your horse for more difficult movements.

Remember that every aspect of your horse’s training should be done slowly – little and often is key. Not only can overdoing things make your horse sore and increase the risk of injury, but he’s likely to become stale, too.

I hope you’ve been having a go at last month’s balancing exercises and everything’s going to plan. If so, why not step up a level and try my exercises this month? Here’s how to get started.

Exercise 1

On and back

Once I’ve warmed up in all three paces on a longer contact, I like to start schooling sessions with canter work. This is because canter is really effective at increasing activity in all gaits, which naturally improves connection from leg to hand. To help develop your horse’s balance in canter, he needs to engage his hindquarters so he’s able to carry himself, not rely on you to balance him, and this exercise can really help.

How to ride it

Establish canter on a 20m circle, then ask your horse for some more forward steps, encouraging him to push from his hindquarters. This activity is what reduces your horse’s desire to rely on your hands for balance, so it’s important not to skip this step.

Once you get a good forward reaction, move your upper bodyweight back a little and ride a couple of half-halts to collect the canter before riding forward again, aiming for a more uphill balance than you had before you rode the exercise.

Progress to repeating a few steps on and then a few steps back, taking care to only use your hand during the half-halts, then softening it again.

With time and repetition, you’ll notice your horse will be able to sit much more as he becomes stronger through his quarters and able to take more weight behind. This will improve his balance and create a more uphill feel.

Top tip

When asking your horse for smaller steps, make sure your legs are wrapped around his sides, ready just in case your horse offers trot rather than a more collected canter.

Discover more of Dannie’s ways to improve your horse’s canter in September Horse&Rider – out now!