collected canter

[mydressagetb]

i have a 9 year old tb mare. i am currently riding her dressage and shes doing great and seems to like it .. she is great walk trot and canter, but when we canter she goes at her own pace which isnt to fast but isnt nice and easy. she keeps her head in fine adn nice and pretty. but not as slow as i would like. I have tried to get her to collect the canter and make is very slow .. but shes like impossible . its not that she has a hard mouth. or anything .. becasue i can ask her back down to the trot and she does it on a dime. but when i sit deep and shove down by heels and ask her to shorten her stride i hardly get any response. She collects very nicely at the trot and all i have to do is sit deep in the saddle and she shortens up everything easily. but the canter is a different story. plus she kinda has ADD so .. that doesnt help at all. what can i do??:)

[galadriel]

Collection takes a lot more strength, and collected canter can be the most difficult. Maybe she's just not strong enough to give it to you yet; maybe she just needs to build a little more muscle.

[SailleCinza]

Remember that collected canter isn't just a shorter stride. You may need to just work on shortening her stride until she is calmer, then add EXTRA impulsion to that short stride. The result will be more of a collected canter - with extreme impulsion and a short stride, she will bounce practically up to the ceiling. :)

[Luv 2 Trot]

Im no expert with dressage, but i ride western so i know the difference between fast canter and slow. You may want to try checking her or half halts if thats how you refer to it. It really helps and slows it down. The other problem may be that you need more contact, try another bit. I had to do that with my TB QH X and it is really helping. just consider trying the half halts or checking and if that doesnt help much....talk to your instructor about a stronger bit.

[Torie]

In this situation I don't think a stronger bit is the answer. Collected isn't just a slower canter the strides should become shorter and the horse will need more impulsion and to engage the hindlegs more underneath him whilst still reamaining light in the front. This is difficult for the horse and it will take time for him to develop the muscles and strength to carry himself in this way, a stronger bit will make no difference to the horses strength and will only cause further problems. It sounds as though the horse hasn't quite got the strength to collect the canter yet, at the moment only do very short amounts of collecting the canter and be pleased with whatever collection she gives you as she sounds a very willing horse who just needs more time.

Torie xx

[felicitie]

please NO dont change BIts!!!! thats what western riders ALWAYS say to do... thats just a quick fit and will NOT fix the problem.. actually over time it will lead to more problems... i think that the others are right... she might not yet have the muscle build, strenght or balance for canter yet.... I have been reading a book called the simplicity of dressage.. it says that when you are having trouble go back to the basics.... so go back to trot canter transitions... I wouldnt canter alot on this horse yet... make your transitions clean..and responsive... only let her canter for a few strides then back to trot...get her balanced and again ask for a transition to canter.. if you do this it will get her to transfer her weight onto her haunches and will build up her muscles.. then over time she will beable to handle longer periods of cantering..
I hope this helps and please!!! dont just change bits.. work through the problem!

[Tangle]

Luv 2 trot - I think this is one instance where dressage and western diverge :). Collected canter should maintain the same rhythm and impulsion as medium or working canter - you just cover less ground so there's more "bounce".

The one time I've seen collected canter taught it came much more from the stomach and hips than from the legs:

In order for your hips to follow your mare's back in canter, they need to go round in circles - as though they're following the top of a wave. In an ordinary canter you've got nice small waves, spread quite a way apart. To get collected canter you need to try and make the waves bigger and closer together - so your hips need to start thinking an oval with more height than width.

Don't know if that will help, but it might give you a different way of looking at it. I'd agree, though, that she'll find it very hard at first so it may take a while. Good luck with her :)

What's ADD?