correct canter aids

[Rojeth]

im a bit confused about the leg positioning for the canter aid. When i first started i was told to move the outside leg back, put the inside leg forward to the girth and kick with the outside leg to keep the canter. Then i changed schools and was told to sit and kick with both legs equal in the 'normal' position (not moving either back). Now i've moved again and i was told to put the outside leg back, keep the inside leg still and kick with the inside leg to keep the canter.

Could somebody please tell me the correct aid for entering canter, as im a bit confused!

[jUmPingIsLifE]

outside leg back, inside leg at the girl squeez with both :)

[Rojeth]

ahhh...

i have been tryin very hard to rid myself of the kicking habit :rolleyes: but its well ingrained and quite hard to do! although the instructor at this new place was quite hot on it and the horse was very responsive, so im definately trying!

when you say at the girth, should i bring it forward then? wont that unbalance my 'lower' half and make him turn?

[intouch]

If you "step" into your inside heel, that will bring your inside hip slightly forward, then draw your outside leg back slightly from the hip and squeeze with the calf. Your upper body should remain upright facing in the direction of travel, so it shouldn't unbalance the horse. Practice lots of transitions, a good canter transition is a real pleasure! ;)

[Harleyhorse]

Sit normal in the saddle and then move your outside leg back(about 2") and squeez with both legs! Thats is how I was taught, well, gosh, 13 years ago! :)
HH

[Bay Mare]

What intouch said but squeezing with the inside leg.

[intouch]

A responsive horse will respond to the inside hip advancing, without anything else! :D

[Styric]

I was taught one that's a bit complicated.

Half halt, collect, shift your weight back (cause I tend to lean forward) and kiss or say canter. If he doesn't switch directly into the canter, then to shift my inside leg up ever so slightly (even the thought of doing it works), my outside leg back a couple inches and squeeze with them both, but the outside more to tell or encourage him to strike off with that leg to get the correct lead.

Shift your outside leg up ever so slightly, and your inside leg back a few inches and squeeze with your inside leg to get a counter canter.

Basically the point of the outside leg is to balance the horse and signal the correct lead. If you squeeze with both equally , later on when you're working on flying lead changes, it's a bit more difficult to signal which lead your asking for if you don't have the leg to cue it. That and you get alot more crossfires. (where the horse canters with one lead in the front and a different one in the back).

[Lgd]

The inside leg stays 'on the girth' which means keep it in your normal leg position - refers to the horse's girth not the saddle girth! The inside leg maintains the forward impulsion i.e. keeps the canter going.

Most riding school horses will need the outside leg to go back a couple of inches to ask for the canter strike off. Once they are in canter it should be able to move back to the normal position. If you keep it behind the girth you are likely to push the horse's quarters in and make it go crooked.

'Real' dressage horses are usually trained to canter off the inside hip moving forward and the application of the inside leg. The reason for this relates partly to keeping the straightness of the horse in the strike off and at higher levels it can become confusing for the horse in the lateral work when the outside leg is needed to move the horse's hindquarters over e.g. trot half pass and you have been teaching him that the outside leg back means canter.
Also from a practical point of view it is impossible to switch your legs for the one-tempi changes without leaping all over and putting the horse crooked and off balance if you use the outside leg back aid. Any movement you see in top level rider/horse combinations is generally related more to the swing of the hip advancing rather than the leg actually being moved back.

[*HoRsEtArD*]

i was taught that you should half halt to get your horse listening and responsive then slide your outside leg behind your girth and squeeze the canter on with both legs keeping you upper body still.........and all that jazz. but i suppose everyone gets taught different, another farm i went to just said sit and kick :eek: and then the HORRIBLE woman came at the horse with her lunge whip while the kid was boucing and kicking as hard as he could!!!