Does your horse hollow and come above the bit as soon as you ask for canter? You seem to have a nice feeling in the trot and your horse is round and soft, but the instant you ask for canter, your horse turns into a giraffe! This is one of the most common problems I see with my students and their horses and it can be really frustrating. In this 2-minute article, I (Amelia Newcomb) am going to teach you how to ride smooth, round, and soft canter transitions.
The first thing you always want to start with is your rider position. So many riders tip forward and pull when they ask for the canter. Sit back, keep your hands down, and connect your seat in the saddle. When your horse picks up canter, focus on following the canter stride with a deep seat. This will give you and your horse confidence.
Next focus on the trot-walk-trot transition. Oftentimes, a horse that hollows in the canter transition has a little bit of hollowing in the walk-trot transition. In the trot transitions, focus on keeping a consistent frame and maintaining a steady contact that doesn’t change. If your horse hollows in the trot transition, ask them to be a little rounder, and think about dropping the neck when you ask for the upward transition.
After you’ve schooled the trot-walk-trot transitions try the canter transition. Think about riding your horse with a steady forward rhythm and tempo into the canter transition to make sure they have enough forward driving energy to pick up the canter using their hind legs and back (if you need help with your Rhythm, check out this other article I wrote). You want to think you have enough RPMs in trot that you could canter at any moment without speeding up beforehand. Make sure you can keep your horse round as you push a little more forward in the trot. If you can’t keep your horse round in the bigger trot, school that before going to the canter. If your horse can’t keep the balance in a bigger trot, they won’t be able to keep it in the canter!
One of my favorite exercises that helps keep your horse round into the canter is the Snowman. For this exercise, you will ride a figure eight with a 20m circle in the canter and a 10m circle in the opposite direction in trot. This is the best exercise to improve your trot-canter-trot transitions.
Other tips:
-Prioritize the Roundness over having the transition exactly where you want it to be.
-Work on a bending line (like a circle) to help your horse with their balance.
-Double-check your position!
-Pick a pattern to give yourself balance and parameters for your aids.
If you’re like me, a quick article like this is a great way to learn, but you’re hungry to learn more and become a better rider. Check out this free Contact & Connection Webinar & Worksheet. After only 30 minutes you’ll understand contact, connection, and roundness at a whole new level so you can ride with balance and harmony!
Amelia Newcomb is a USDF Gold medalist. Based in Somis, California, she incorporates complete dressage training from starting the young horse through the FEI levels in both her in-person and online programs. Amelia works to develop a trusting and confident relationship between horse and rider. Her approach incorporates all aspects of horsemanship from basic groundwork to advanced dressage movements. Amelia’s mantra has always been “Dressage for All”, which is evident in both her in-person and online coaching. With a successful YouTube video library of hundreds of free educational videos, over 290,000 subscribers (and counting!), and thousands of students enrolled in her online USDF-accredited courses.
