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Post by cookie on Jan 20, 2013 12:36:03 GMT 1
A comment on the fressian thread from Amanda has prompted this from me. I have a Welsh cob who I'm trying to improve his schooling. He is naturally on the forehand and a bit long through the back from a confirmation pov.
His walk and trot have improved enormously, relaxed and working much better from behind and seeking the contact nicely. his canter is looking a lot better on the lunge and getting there but very slowly.
He is still a bit one sided after an old injury and finds right canter particularly difficult, we are seeimg progress though and he's had regular physical checks. He does worry if he thinks he's done something wrong so we are careful what we ask of him.
What are your fav exercises to improve the canter please?
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Post by antares on Jan 20, 2013 13:12:36 GMT 1
What did you do to improve the walk and trot? Not really sure how much you have done with him generally but for improving the canter I use the same methods as the other paces;
Lateral work
Lots of shortening and lengthening strides - exercises such as lengthen down the long sides, shorten on the short sides and vice versa; 5 normal strides, 5 lengthened strides, 5 short strides; 10m circle at one end of the arena in shortened strides then go long and lengthen out then shorten again for another 10m circle at the other end (and then any other exercise i can think of similar ilk)
Teach them a really really good half halt
Canter walk canter transitions
Canter halt canter transitions
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Amanda Seater
Grand Prix Poster
Listen to your horse you may be surprised what he may tell you about yourself
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Post by Amanda Seater on Jan 20, 2013 13:20:55 GMT 1
for improving a particular lead hind - renver.
Many rein back to trot transitions..after some of the following to lift the weight off the shoulders and onto the haunch and reacting to your leg/ seat
slowing the walk and then going forward again into a longer walk or trot.
Slowing the trot and extending it .
When I say slowing using lots of half halts( on off, on off, on off) so they really slow and shorten themselves and start to sit on thier haunches and then allow forward giving the reins( not throwing them away!) and then adding the leg. Only a brief moment between release of hand and adding the leg.
Having a horse off the forehand is a prerequist for an easy canter transition.
Also don't forget to get your aids in time with the hind leg of the desired lead.
So much more writing needed!! A lesson or demo is easier to get the idea of this rather than brief written words!
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Post by lisap on Jan 20, 2013 13:32:20 GMT 1
My favourite exercise to improve the canter is to find a long, steep hill and canter up the hill. This does all the hard work for you, as it engages the back legs, raises the forehand and stops the horse from taking a hold.
In addition to the steep hill (and coming down the other side at a walk is also a great way of engaging the hind legs), correct work in the school can make a big difference.
I'd strongly advise against working on a circle. Only use a circle to take the steam out of a cantering horse that is taking a hold, otherwise try to work on straight lines, but ride right into the corners of the school as if you were not going to turn at all. Riding deep into the corners actively engages the horse's inside leg and creates the correct bend without you having to use the rein.
With a canter that gets long, hollow and flat, transitions are the answer. Thousands of them. Get the walk, halt transitions quick, active and light. Then move on to the walk trot, trot walk. When these are perfected do halt trot, trot halt, until the horse is soft, responsive to the leg and active. Only then work on the trot/canter, canter trot. Ride deep into the corners in trot. As you approach your selected corner for the upward transition, softly turn your midriff slightly to the outside of the school. This will bring your inside leg onto the girth and outside leg behind the girth. Only do a few steps of canter before asking for the downward transition. Most long, less fit horses cannot maintain an 'uphill' canter for more than a couple of strides, and this is what you want to practice, not going around and around with the horse getting longer, flatter and heavier.
Hope this helps.
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Post by Hannah on Jan 20, 2013 14:07:37 GMT 1
Lots of great ideas already. I would add rein-back, and lots of it to your schooling sessions. Preferably rein-back directly to trot, and then RB direct to canter. I would only canter short distances, you want to stop before the horse gets unbalanced, and try to gradually increase. I would also introduce walk to canter. All of these will help keep him off the forehand.
ETA - randomly scattered and 3/4/5 poles in a row will also help engagement and belly lift.
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Post by cookie on Jan 20, 2013 15:37:21 GMT 1
Brilliant stuff guys.
What did we do for the walk and trot? Transitions, poles & encouraging the forwardness, as I had spent rather too long slopping along as a passenger if truth be told...
Really just starting the lateral work now, likewise indirect transitions. Shortening the strides too is still a work in progress so I'm starting to see all these things need to keep coming to allow the canter to progress.
Short bursts, understood. We have an 80m school so can do some straights.
"long and less fit." That's us. Lol
what I'd give for some hills... Essex isn't known for them... Poles I can do and do do.
Thank you, I think focus is the bit that I lose this time of year!
My other slight problem is he is one of those who will stop or slow when the rider becomes unbalanced. I'm not dreadful but also not the most balanced either.
I am working hard on this, have a good instructor and a sharer who is more balanced but perhaps not as confident as I am. This does effect the canter transition, I need to get it all in place before asking... Lots to think about and work on.
Thank you all for taking the time to respond.
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Post by heather on Jan 20, 2013 15:40:59 GMT 1
Lots of great ideas already. I would add rein-back, and lots of it to your schooling sessions. Preferably rein-back directly to trot, and then RB direct to canter. I would only canter short distances, you want to stop before the horse gets unbalanced, and try to gradually increase. I would also introduce walk to canter. All of these will help keep him off the forehand. ETA - randomly scattered and 3/4/5 poles in a row will also help engagement and belly lift. Thank you hannah;-) Time you were a fully fledged EET? You answered exactly as I taught you. Super  Heather |
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Post by cookie on Jan 20, 2013 15:42:43 GMT 1
renvers, that's new. We've been learning shoulder in and leg yield. When I say we, I mean me and the horse. Instructor and sharer helping  Presumably renvers in walk building up, which haunches do I want to bring in to improve the right canter lead? Of to try and work it out lol Sent from my GT-I9100 using proboards |
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Post by heather on Jan 20, 2013 16:42:28 GMT 1
Am I going senile, who said 'renvers' cant find it in the posts! Renvers is the last lateral exercise I teach as although the same as travers and half pass, horses find it much more difficult to begin with. If you are only learning SI and LY, dont attempt renvers, as the horse has to bend into the direction of the movement in traver, hp and renvers, it is a much deeper lateral bend and I would never teach it until the SI is fully established.
Lisa P. totally in agreement with all you said too! ;-)
Heather
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Post by cheekychops on Jan 20, 2013 17:12:41 GMT 1
I've been going through a similar process with my cob too and have been doing lots of trot-halt transitions and reinback at E and B. Also we transition to canter following leg-yield up the long side. Canter in short bursts, normally just round the corner and up the long side. Above all as my instructor says, "sit up, sit up, sit uuup!"
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Post by marianne on Jan 20, 2013 17:17:04 GMT 1
ok you lot if you're going to use French words you really MUST learn to spell them correctly ;D
"renvers" as I know it means the top of a slate roof, and I can't find ANY horse related meaning in my dictionary ...
(if I'm wrong I apologise PROFUSELY in advance !]
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Post by cookie on Jan 20, 2013 18:12:44 GMT 1
heather, a quick look on wiki pedia had made me think it was a bit further on than we are . In fairness I wasn't clear from my original post what kind of level we are working at. Sent from my GT-I9100 using proboards
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Amanda Seater
Grand Prix Poster
Listen to your horse you may be surprised what he may tell you about yourself
Posts: 3,866
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Post by Amanda Seater on Jan 20, 2013 18:20:32 GMT 1
PANTS I MEANT TRAVERS!!  teach me to answer something on the rush. sorry  renver -" a half pass sort of movement" as in the neck /nose is bent/pointing in the direction of travel.. the haunches are on the track. Travers is a half pass sort of movement but the shoulders on are the track! when I mentioned this I was being a bit flipant but once you have this lateral and you want something specific to engage a specific hind leg travers( with a slight bend) works a treat.... it is NOT for starting out at a canter( that is another thing that others have talked of) but if a particular lead is difficult it works a treat walk to canter. I would only use it a little as the risk is crookedness. It briefly positively engages a hind leg and frees up the corresponding ( inner ) fore leg. If I want to start a horse at canter intiially straight line up a hill - I have a lovely canter and gallop track for just such a thing. |
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Post by heather on Jan 20, 2013 18:37:16 GMT 1
Marianne, I cannot find one book in my extensive collection, where 'renvers' is spelled any other way, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haunches-inEven google it and you will not come up with any other spelling, travers also. Heather |
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Post by heather on Jan 20, 2013 18:39:03 GMT 1
Amanda, Renvers and travers are the same movement, the fact that renvers, the inside becomes the outside, so you have to reverse the bend out of the corner, is what most riders, and often horses when learning it, find difficult. I would start with travers to teach the travel into the direction of the bend, but not until the SI was well established ;-)
Heather
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