Hints for Hopeful Dressage Riders

HINTS FOR THE CANTER

So, why is it such a sin that our horse does not pick up a canter, takes a wrong lead or breaks into a trot? It does not matter who was at fault, you are not going to the Olympics yet! For example, what is accomplished by hitting and running a horse into the canter when the cause of the problem was that the horse was not balanced in the first place? Neither horse nor rider should be punished for making a mistake.

There are so many exercises which improve a horse’s way of going and his transitions but we also need to be very aware when that specific exercise has accomplished the purpose. For instance, we may perform a canter from the walk. This will encourage a horse to make the transition more from his hind end if he has a tendency to be a little heavy on the forehand or has a habit of rushing into it. If we constantly ride the transition this way when the result has been obtained, the transition may start to lack the forward movement or energy desired.

We may experience a horse switching leads behind. This could be due to a weakness in the hind end such as a stifle, in which case the horse should be worked in straight lines and up hills to strengthen the area. It could also be a disobedience if he constantly does it in the same place. If it is a result of a disobedience, try to keep him moving forward with contact on the outside rein and softly bending with the inside one, keeping your outside leg back to prevent him from swinging his haunches out. Try not to lean forwards or to the inside but keep the inside shoulder slightly back. Concentrate on keeping a solid three beat rhythm. Observe whether he tends to drift in or out of the circle each time he switches. Is it near the barn area each time? Does he speed up before he switches? If so, it could well be disobedience.

It is a good idea to sometimes ride with the attitude that you are just going to play and have fun. I have learned from riding this way, especially when I do not have much time and only intend to literally just warm up my horse, that I have often had the most productive schooling sessions and accomplished much more than I had ever intended.

Dressage is one discipline that we can easily get into a rut and try too hard. We can become very intense. How many times do we find that when we take our minds off what we are doing and talk to someone while continuing to trot on a circle, suddenly our horse seems to miraculously improve? We as riders should be very aware when we find ourselves becoming too intense since it is usually the horse who suffers. I think the mind set is one of the most difficult aspects in dressage to accomplish. We really have to discipline ourselves and be willing and flexible to change strategies. The majority of us feel defeated if we cannot produce that which we are trying to accomplish. Remember, there are many good trainers out there to help.