Flying high

Every horse has their own character and when training, it’s important to take this into account and work with your horse and his personality. This is the key to success, because a happy horse is a successful one. The way to do this is by making sessions fun.

This issue, we’ll look at ways to improve your horse’s canter, which will set you up for teaching more advanced work, such as flying changes. By including these ideas little and often in your training sessions you’ll notice a big difference in your horse’s balance in canter, as well as general way of going.

Top tip

When you’re teaching your horse anything new, don’t do it for too long. Settle for a few good steps then offer a walk break and praise.

Activity matters

In tests, you’ll be marked higher if your horse shows active steps in canter. You can develop this activity by using exercises that help your horse produce it naturally – here’s one way to do that…

• Pick up canter and come onto a 20-metre circle
• Ask your horse to collect by riding into a travers (quarters-in) position. This will help to ensure he’s using his hindleg to contain the energy, rather than just slowing down and losing impulsion
• Make the travers steps small and quick, and then straighten up again
• Next, bring your horse’s shoulders to the inside to ride a canter shoulder-fore for a few strides before riding straight once more
• Repeat the exercise a few times to help your horse understand what you’re asking – this anticipation of the work will help in the early stages to prepare him for what you’re asking him to do
• Praise his effort (rather than the results), give him a walk break and then change the rein and repeat

Top tip

Try lots of exercises in the canter, such as riding travers, shoulder-in, counter-canter, and on and back. That’s how to teach your horse to really sit. Then, when you feel him sit for a couple of strides, ride forward again.

Lift off

Many horses have a tendency to pull down on the rein, particularly in canter, to try to avoid taking weight onto the hindleg. If you can relate to this with your horse, the following exercise will help…

1. From walk on a large circle, pick up outside lead canter (counter-canter).
2. Stay on the circle and slowly ask your horse for slight inside bend. Remember, you’ll need to allow the outside rein forward a little when you’re flexing him to the inside in counter-canter.
3. As you ride this exercise, think of lifting your horse, so he’s sitting on his hindleg and not his shoulder.

Discover more about preparing for flying changes in December Horse&Rider, out now!