Walk To Canter!!! :D Whoo!!! :D

[Showjumper]

Decided to school Dolly tonight as on the last few hacks she's been really heavy in my right hand. Had a bit of a play - she was very on her forehand when we started and whizzing about. I stupidly asked for canter before she'd settled and got a few bucks in protest...my fault but not acceptable so asked for a trot then brought her down to a walk and did some leg yielding then some turns on the forehand and haunches to get her thinking and to shift her weight back.

Then moved off in a nice, purposeful walk. Got towards a corner leading onto a long side and decided to try walk to canter. Never done it before, ever, so not sure why the idea occured to me - maybe Dolly thought it would be fun? Anywhos, as we rode into the corner, I opened my inside rein, brushed her with my inside leg and exhaled. Straight into the prettiest little canter! Cantered round the school, changed the rein, and did it again!!! :D

My pony's a dressage pone and I never knew it :D Clever little mare!!! :D

[Horsesaddle]

Well done any pics of her cantering or no? I m just guessing here is it easy for D to keep her weight in one place or not?

[Showjumper]

Not from tonight - these are the most recent cantering pictures I have of her from the end of June:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b124/dollymare5/LastCanterDay2.jpg
http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b124/dollymare5/CanterCanterDay2.jpg

Not sure what you mean about her keeping her weight in one place?

[Horsesaddle]

sorry about the confusion i was meaning when i read her thinking and to shift her weight back

^ that part

[Shannon_Clover]

Is that the Barnes Buckle safety release from stirrup if foot trapped?

[No_Angel]

great news:D I can't believe how grownup she is tho:eek:

[izzysmycat]

Well done you! Star and I are just working to get a consistent correct leg strike off. Walk to canter then lead changes are my holy grail!

Jo x

[Showjumper]

Horsesaddle, what I was doing by getting her to shift her weight back was to lighten her front end so that I could pick her up and move her about easily with very little pressure as opposed to using more pressure to get less when she's on the forehand. Keeping the weight back constantly isn't something I try and do, we'll do one or two laps of the arena collected and with her using her back end, then I'll give her a long rein to stretch out, then back to it again :)

Geri, yep, those are Barnes buckles - brilliant things but if your foot slips forward in the stirrups they give you very fetching bruises on the front of your calf bone...better than falling and getting dragged though! :eek:

Hehe No Angel, she's fab isn't she! :D She's not quite as toned as in those pictures at the moment, she's had a week off due to mud fever and gorged herself :rolleyes:.

Oooooh lead changes...that can be our next thing :D

[shandy84]

Well done you guys, she looks lovely at the mo :)

[izzysmycat]

Hooray! We did it. I decided to see if she would walk to canter as a one off. Bit early really, but yes she did and on the right leg. I am a proud mummy!!

Jo x

[Showjumper]

Wehey!!! :D So pleased for you that's awesome :D We'll be a forum of walk to canterers soon ;)

[Tami + Floss]

I've been working on these with Floss. Taken a long time but we can get walk to canter with little aid and flying changes. We've also got to the stage where we can do walk to canter, then back to walk to at X and then walk to canter on the other rein. Mary King and Pippa Funnel, eat your heart out! We are all going to attacking the dressage world with a bang :p

ETA - And when I say a "Bang" I don't mean by falling off and hitting the deck :p

[Showjumper]

lmao!