So you’ve mastered first level and you are ready to take the next step towards second level. Congrats! One of the hardest parts about second level is the simple change of lead. This is when you ride from a canter directly to a walk without any trot steps in between and then back to a canter. So in order to do simple changes of lead, it involves canter-to-walk transitions and the walk-to-canter transitions.
It’s not likely you will master both of these at the same time. The canter-to-walk is far more difficult for the horse and requires more strength. So your first step is to train your horse to do walk-to-canter transitions.
Preparations for Walk-to-Canter Transitions
Before you can even begin to attempt this moderately difficult transition, you need to make sure that your horse is forward and in front of your leg. There’s no way a lazy horse will magically pop into a canter from the walk. Your horse needs to move quickly off your leg, as if he’s being zapped every time your leg touches him. This is the feeling you want from your horse, that he is ready to shoot forward with a light aid, as if he’s waiting for your cue.
Try jazzing him up with some trot/halt/trot and trot/walk/trot transitions. But be sharp and quick and expect the same from your horse. In fact, read this article about my favorite exercise for hind end engagement. This exercise will wake up your lazy horse, and the added engagement will also help prepare you for the walk-to-canter transition.
Next, you need to make sure that your trot to canter transitions are spot on and effortless. You cannot expect your horse to go from walk to canter if he can’t even do it from the trot. So make sure that your horse willingly jumps into the canter from the trot with a snap of a finger with no running into it from the trot. It needs to be quick and on your aid.
Speaking of “on your aid,” your horse must fully understand what the canter aid is. You should aid the canter by giving one or two outside half halts, followed by gently swiping your outside leg back, and finalizing it with a soft thump of the inside leg at the girth. These 3 steps do not happen at the same time, but rather quickly, one after the other.
So if you are fully confident that your horse is forward and can effortlessly jump into a canter from the trot, and that he does so 100% off your correctly given aid, then you are ready to introduce the walk to canter transition.
Setting Up the Walk to Canter Transition
If you’ve done your homework with your horse and he is truly forward, it won’t take much time or effort to successfully make the transition from walk to canter. A forward horse who understands the canter aid will most likely pop right into the canter from a walk on the first try. The aid is no different from the trot. But how about we give your horse the best chance at success? Lets set the horse up to do it well without risky that dreadful runaway trot!
Try This
Start by getting your horse a little jazzed up with some more of those quick and punctual trot/halt/trot/halt transitions. Do this half way around the arena and then start doing trot/walk/trot transitions.
Trot about 4-6 steps and walk for about 4-6 steps. Then reduce the number of walk steps each time, and remember to keep your horse energized and prompt. Finally, do 4 steps of trot, and only about 2-3 steps of walk and quickly ask for your canter. The horse is expecting an upward transition, and if he knows the aid to canter, he should have no problem jumping right into it.
Why This WORKS
Sure, you may get a few trot steps before he canters. No worries. Keep doing the above exercise with sharper and more prompt aids. This is especially important in the trot/walk/trot. This is setting him up by getting him to think forward and really listen to you. If you were to walk around an entire lap without giving any other aids, and then you suddenly ask for a canter, you would not get it. Your horse would just be meandering around and not paying much attention to you, so his mind would not be engaged and he would not expect you to ask him to canter.
By doing this succession of transitions, you are getting your horse really attuned to you. He has to listen to you because you are continually asking for something. And by repeatedly asking for an upward transition after the downward, he will be thinking forward and anticipating the upward.
When Things Go Wrong
It’s ok if you get a few trot steps the first few times you try this. Just don’t let him do the “runaway trot” for half a lap before he finally canters. Help your horse to understand. Try the above exercise again but with sharper, clearer intentions. If you keep getting the runaway trot, your horse isn’t quick enough to your aids or forward. You’ll need to take a break with this and get your horse responding to you better in all other facets.
There’s also a lot to be said about “feel” when riding. If you go through the above exercise and are about to ask for your canter and you just don’t feel like it’s gonna be there, just don’t do it. It likely won’t happen. You don’t want to train it poorly. Start over and try again and make sure you have your horse’s attention this time.
Most importantly, you need to know when enough is enough. If you are not getting good results, just stop the exercise for the day. If you keep doing it badly, you are training your horse to do it badly. And you’ll likely become frustrated, which isn’t good for your horse either. Try again the next day, or go back to your training level work and polish up your basics.
When You Get a Good Walk to Canter Transition
Once you start nailing your walk to canter transitions, be sure to keep practicing them every ride, but don’t drill them relentlessly. One or two in each direction is all you need to do. And remember to practice them in different parts if the arena. Finally you can start asking for better quality in your walk to canter transitions by insisting on more and more quickness of the hind legs. Also work on keeping your horse round throughout the transition by keeping him in the outside rein.
And once you feel pretty confident, you can ask for your walk to canter transitions without the trot/walk/trot exercise to set you up. Before you know it, what once seemed like such a difficult feat will become effortless and seamless.
Keep Riding, Keep Refining
The Refined Rider
