help needed with transitions

[showjumperchick]

hi everyone, im having a teeny problem with my 5 year old and wondered if anyone could help. basically she cant do canter to trot transitions!( and trot to canter isn't so great either!) although she's sharp and spooky she's quite nice to ride- she works in a soft outline and generally tries to do as im asking. she can do lateral work and flying changes and her actual trot is perfectly balanced but she can only do walk-canter-walk. usually she goes straight from canter to halt, bucks on the spot and then walks on. she's always done this ( iv owned her for 1.5 years) and she does it at a show too. iv had her back checked and her teeth and tack -nothing wrong. she will fall into a trot if you just let her canter until she wants to stop but its a bit messy and all over the place! its not a huge problem if she never does it perfectly as all her jumping work is done from canter, but our current method of slowing down is a bit uncomfortable! at the moment im trying to get her to trot by using voice commands, as if i touch her mouth she immediately does her halt-buck-walk manouvre! any ideas???????

[DITZ]

Try to imagine the downward transistion as if its got 5 gears and try to change down through the gears slowly. Slow the pace down gradually (and THINK slow - it really helps) until you are only just in the pace you want to be in then close your fingers down the reins and ask for the final transition.

[NaTaLiE27]

Sounds like she needs to accept her leg in the downwards transitions. She needs to be traveling "up" into her transitions, in other words she should be engaging and shifting her weight while remaining in a contact to preform the transition. Start very simple walk-halt transitions.

To preform a correct transition think about:

sitting up, shifting the weight deep into your seat, resisting the forward movement with your seat, but keeping a steady contact with your hand and most importantly LEGS ON. If you are loosing impulsion through the transition it will be messy.

Don't pull back or try to make the transition quick, it may take a full lap of the ring to execute your first few correct transitions, be patient.

Once she does walk- halt move up to trot-walk then to canter trot.

You can still do trot and canter work but don't fuss over those transitions until your walk halt ones are good.

Same feeling for the trot-canter transition, ride "up" into a contact. A good canter transition feels like they are leaping into the bridle, or like when an airplane first lifts off the ground.

As many exercises as you can do to strengthen the hind end and back will help as well.