canter to trot transitions help.

[tbjumper127]

so for about the last 6 months i've put a LOT of riding and work into my horse, and now he's got quite a bit of muscle and quite a lottt of power. then again i'm a 5' girl riding a 16.3hh TB so :P lmao

anywho, with this, our canter to trot transitions are difficult. i currently ride him in a kimberwicke, and i try to use my seat before anything to make the transition. when i try to push him up into my hands and into the bridle for him to come back down, our strides just get shorter and shorter and bouncier and it's like all i'm doing is pushing him into a more collected-type canter, and not really into a trot.

any tips on this? am i using too much hand? i always use my legs, but when i do that it just seems like his short choppy strides get faster. when we're normally cantering, not trying to make a transition, he has nice big(rushy) strides..we're working on his canter right now lol.
but yeah, tips?

[cvb]

tbjumper

it sounds like you are doing a nice job of collecting him up a bit, but not really asking for the transition ? what are you actually doing ?

One of the things Mark Rashid suggests is to think of the footfall. Remember that trot isn't necessarily slower - just a different order of feet ! ;)

So in your canter think "1-2-3 1-2-3 1-2-3" and even say it out load if that helps. And then as you want your transition just *think* 1-2 1-2 1-2 1-2 and see what happens. First time you may not get much reaction. So then add in some half-halts to say "hey listen something is about to change". and try again.

[coss]

think of "breaking" in the period of suspension, slow your seat and change the way your seat moves so it is a trot seat rather than a canter seat (slightly). close the leg so it is holding but not asking for more impulsion.
by the way you have explained your seat movement "pushing" it sounds like you are actually asking for collection and your horse is doing as you ask.