Dressage test in June

[Gabrielle]

I am not sure if anyone can help me but I have a problem with my mare with the transition from canter to trot.

I ride her in a double bridle when schooling or dressage as she is very strong in a Dr Bristol snaffle but really behind the bit in just a curbed bit.

She just seems to run. I sit deep and keep my legs off her and gently put tension on the reins when in canter and say trot and she doesn't slow down she just goes into a really high fast trot. She is a Section D.

Any ideas? :confused: :)

[cvb]

I've been having a similar thing with our Fell, and in an recent lesson, the instructor had me coming down from canter to walk/halt very quickly. Then the horse starts to expect to have to slow and balance themselves, so they start to sit back a bit more anyway, and then you can keep the trot again.

The first few goes we were all over the place, and the idea is to stop straight. :rolleyes: But then we started to get it.

And it has helped. Then I would also do a whole load of transitions, e.g. on a circle, so they start to get the feel that its just a change in gait, not speed.

If she's running into the trot, does she feel on the forehand already in the canter ? Are you half-halting to prepare for the transition ? Does she balance herself on a circle ?

[Gabrielle]

Hi cvb

I have been practicing with the half halts and she just stops cantering very suddenly and trots really high legged. She was also very sharp the last few times I have been working her and trying the odd buck and throwing her head around a bit. Basically having a bit of a paddy!


I was a bit unsure of where to go from there - then I realised that I was riding her in a schooling whip. As soon as it put it down she calmed down. I broke this mare and supervise anyone who rides her and they never ride with a whip, I would only allow them to ride with a whip if they were more experienced than me, which none of them are! :p

She is throwing her head up and leaping a bit when I ask her to canter aswell. In trot she is very forward going but I think she has always been and I haven't noticed. I am able to bring her back to a slow trot though. Last year I was almost doing a piaffe - she was moving forward all the time but very small distance to the trot action. No problems, no head tossing, no leaping, no bucking.

This could all be because I am preparing her for her first ridden show this Saturday (28th May) and she is still in at night which she wouldn't be normally and I am giving her barley which I shall stop from Wednesday this week so she may calm down a bit then.

I must admit I love it.

But I want her to be well schooled and to do as I ask not throw her weight around when she doesn't really want to do it :D

She isn't nasty at all she loves everyone and wouldn't hurt anyone. I think she knows I like it and gives me what she thinks I want. :)

[cvb]

mmm - so are you sitting calm yourself ? Make sure you're just asking for a change in gait not anything else.

Some exercises that can help - do something that will keep her mind occupied, right up to the transition - e.g. leg yield across the diagonal - when you hit the long side ask for canter. Or ride shoulder-fore and then ask for canter and ride forward into a half-circle. When you get to the other side of the school, ask for trot and shoulder-fore again.

Working some more on the half-halts sounds like it would bear fruit as well - sounds like she might be dropping behind the leg when you ask ? And hence dropping into trot ? The half-halt is a hesitation, a rebalancing, but she still needs to stay between leg and hand. A good exercise for this is to ride changes in pace within the gait (e.g. within trot, or within canter) so they get used to slowly and speeding up, and altering their balance as they go.

I know you said you like her the way she is :D I am spending a lot of time right now getting my mare to take her time about things - she's off like there's a fire somewhere :rolleyes: Now she has actually had a sore back - so rushing off is going to make life more difficult for her and more painful - so we'll get more resistance etc.

So so what happens if you slow things right down as well. pretend you're a western rider ;) (I ride western as well). As the canter is just gait not pace, this should be fine - but it can be amazingly hard work when they are not used to it, so can be a great exercise to try.