Canter Transitions

[cassiejane]

I am riding a friends horse at the moment, very nice horse, anglo arab - he is a tense little horses and tends to run faster and faster.

I have managed to get him to settle into a nice walk and trot rhythm and he is very responsive, (most of the time) I only have to tense my stomach and pelvic floor muscles and he does a downward transition.

I cannot seem at the moment to get a nice canter transition he just runs and runs into the canter until he falls into it.  

I was wondering if anyone could suggest how I could help him - he is not a baby (10 years old) but I have no idea what he has done in his life upto now, although I have been told that he has done dressage, hunted etc, but I think he has been out of work for some time.

My gut feeling is that he is just not balanced in his paces or toned in his muscles enough at the moment to get a good transition and that I should work in walk and trot until he improves in those paces before moving to the canter.  Would this be the right thing to do.  What work can I do to help him improve his balance and muscular tone.



 

[karen thompson]

Is it just when you are schooling he runs into canter - what's he like out on a hack ?

Sorrells transitions to canter are a bit like this at the moment - but on a hack I get a lovely upward transition.

Karen

[cassiejane]

I have not cantered out on a hack as yet - apart from wednesday night when he decided that in fact he was the only horse who was allowed to lead the ride and tried to do fastest ever trot to the front.  

When I refused to let him go to the front and made him trot slowly he tried to canter up the road but even this transition was dodgy so I guess it is not just in the school.