Tips for canter transitions when nerves affect my position and heels come up

[Lovemycat2023]

I ride weekly - usually a group lesson or a 30 minute private - and have done for about 20 years.

I'm struggling with canter transitions on a horse I’ve been riding recently and just can’t keep my heels down. I think it’s because I get nervous (only on him) and tip forward / grip with my knees. He has a tendency to go all giraffe-y in the transition which is the bit that makes me nervous. I’m working on outline and the right bend, and that’s coming, but I feel my body is letting me down.

I know the cause but having a real mental block getting past it! Does anyone have good suggestions please? Thanks all

Canter transitions are hard especially on a riding school horse so you have my sympathy. Riding school horses are often used to being rushed into canter in a pretty rough and ready fashion, different riders will ask slightly differently in terms of leg positioning and with novices their leg aids are usually not particularly precise, the difference between a squeeze to say trot faster and a canter aid (and a 'whoopsie I got unbalanced and my leg swung backwards, I wasn't asking for anything at all!') isn't very clear, leading to confusion for the horse about whether or not you actually want canter, and of course being the saints they are, the default if confused is usually slow down/stop rather than spring off into a lovely forward canter which will unnerve people if unexpected! Plus it's not uncommon for the rider to get unbalanced during the transition itself and pull on the reins or bounce on their back which is not particularly nice. So I expect the reluctance to go and hollowing is probably related to all that, but it's not super comfortable to ride for sure.

What can help, practice, a lot of it, I know that's trite/annoying to say but it will just come with time and building your strength and balance, anything you can do to develop your lower leg stability and depth of seat (which can be done in the walk and trot, you don't need to repeat lots of canter transitions although this helps too), so no stirrups work, lunge lessons are great (can you sometimes use your private lessons for a lunge session?), or do you have someone who does mechanical horse or horse simulator lessons nearby as these are brilliant for position work?

On this specific horse I'd think about what mechanically is going on for him to try and achieve a smoother transition - do you ever see others ride him? Observe the canter transition carefully if so. You want him to push off from behind (his inside hind specifically to strike off into true canter) and lift his front end for a nice uphill forward gait. I suspect like most riding school horses he probably lacks impulsion and doesn't tend to work correctly over his back. So although yes bend and suppleness is important and you don't want hollow giraffe, pulling his head down or from side to side to get 'outline' or bend probably won't help, he will be more likely to tip onto the forehand or go behind the vertical leading to an unbalanced or rushed transition. What you want is suppleness over the back and through his ribs and core rather than just head down. You can experiment with exercises like asking for a controlled step or two of leg yield from your inside leg then ask for canter, do it from the 3/4 line towards the fence or on a circle but aim for literally a step or two only, as he lifts his inside hind up is when you want to cue the canter, takes some thinking, timing and coordination from the rider but can help the horse get the idea of stepping upwards into the canter. Or try asking from your light seat, again may help him feel confident to lift his back through the transition.

Generally I'd say the single biggest problem is rushing the transition, I know I do it myself particularly if it's a situation like a dressage test where you really want the transition to happen at a presice point, you start with what you think is a nice quiet but correct aid and from a good position, the canter doesn't immediately happen so you start tipping or flapping your hand or booting, horse rushes off in a flat fast trot unbalancing everything further and it's all a vicious circle - try and pay attention to the quality of the trot, plan your transition, get yourself well balanced, sit deep, be confident you are asking correctly and just give it a beat to come, if you don't get the canter first time you can back up with a flick of your stick or simply come back to the nice balanced trot and ask again - getting flustered is the enemy of ever getting it correct!

I would also do a lot of work on your sitting trot. Perhaps even doing a circle in sitting trot before asking for canter.

Great advice from the previous poster.

other thing that draws the heels up is when the front end is running away from you. Practice collecting him up in walk and trot- ie. Asking him to shorten and lengthen his stride- you’ll want to shorten and collect before cantering so he can power through behind and you’re not losing all the energy through the front door. Even better, walk to canters- that should wake him up and make him listen, and you’ll need to be very clear with your aids. Should remove some of the nervousness as well.

and then then q- why are you feeling nervous?

hard to implement but remember if you’re slouching like a sack of potatoes then you’ll probably fall like one too. Use your core to create balance for the horse, the improved posture will help your leg position and sit you deeper in the saddle

The other thing, and sorry I know I already made a long post, is for nerves I have had some success for myself and others with a sort of exposure therapy - the part that people often feel wobbly about with canter transitions is that surge of power forwards and/or the bumpy sensation that's the horse 'lifting off' so to speak into the canter - if you have a horse and companion you'd trust with this, it can really help to go out hacking , stick a neck strap on, hold on tight and at the bottom of a hill have a good blast (or a couple of them) in a really nice forward canter in a straight line - just feel that sensation of what it's like to really experience the power and convince your brain that nothing bad happens with increased speed. Or more expensively but perhaps less old fashioned 😂you could try some lessons on a nice dressage schoolmaster who really lifts into the canter - again just experience the sensation?

My lesson feedback yesterday was ‘look up and breathe!’ Horses know when the rider is nervous. If you’re nervous on him can you switch to a different horse to improve your confidence?

This is the best way I’ve heard it described. When I hack out (not at my school but on holidays) I like a cob which doesn’t have the same lift motion, and it’s that feeling which makes me nervous. Thank you for putting it into words that I can work with!

The thing is on the other horses I ride I have no nerves at all, and then back on him they come back, so I do need to keep working with him.

I do like the suggestion of lunging - I’ll see if I can set that up for my next private lesson on him. I find sitting trot on him quite nice, although I tend to keep it very steady, so maybe pushing that forward more would help.

I've worked with a number of nervous riders (having been one myself for many years), always happy to have a chat to see if remedial hypnosis – similar to hypnotherapy but without the trance – would be an option.

Apologies if it's been mentioned already but would a lunge lesson on this particular horse help? Knowing someone else has their hands on the reins can help you concentrate on the leg aids. (Bonus points for no stirrups!).

I would definitely have lessons on the lunge without stirrups to get sharper transitions as well as a half halts. When I first had my pony she could only canter by trotting faster and faster and rushing into it.it took a long while to get crisp transitions and it felt safer asking for canter on a small circle going into the corner.we really struggled with her being disunited but I always remember my instructor saying “one man’s wrong leg is another man’s counter canter.Keep going it will get easier.

I’m currently getting myself through exactly the same scenario - what’s helped is taking canter out of the equation, so concentrating on improving my seat in walk and trot - lots of transitions, lots of no stirrups, lots of sitting trot, varying the pace within the gait, mechanical horse lessons. I’ve also changed riding schools as the one I’d been going to closed so I’ve been riding a smaller, more finely built horse which I find much easier than a wide cob. A few weeks ago I did a few strides of canter - it was deliberately few as my instructor told me to ask for canter on the third quarter of a circle going into the corner, canter round that corner then come back to trot at A. It was fine as I’d taken all the pressure off. Then having got that out of the way, for the next few lessons we went back to mostly trot work. And then I had a lesson focussing on canter transitions which was also fine! I hope that gradually building up lots of positive canter experiences I’ll be back to what I was doing a few years ago - but with more technical skill!

Thank you for sharing - it really helps and actually going back to basics is a good plan. I did cancel my more advanced group
lesson last week as I felt it was too much pressure. Unfortunately getting a private lesson is tricky but I’ve booked another one for August and will ask for the lunge work then.

In the meantime I think I might drop down a group which will let me work more on sitting trot, and maybe some canter transitions, but without the pressure. Good luck!

Have you tried transitioning straight from walk to canter so that you don't have that jarring bouncy trot transition? That was how I learned. Horse I ride is massive and has a big stride which made me want to grip on. He does do a lovely walk to canter though, just ask as you come to the corner, so he strikes off on the correct lead.

Bring your outside leg back a bit behind the girth and nudge while squeezing your inside leg. If he has been trained to, he will push off hard, maybe give a little head toss as he does and give you a nice slow canter.

Another tip is to open your knee and bring your calves into contact with him. Your feet will stick out slightly, it's not technically good form but that position naturally pushes your heels down and prevents you clenching your knees around him. Just do it until you overcome the impulse to grip.

Lunge lessons are a good idea.

Also do you have mirrors? If not get someone to film you ride so you can see where you are going wrong with balance.

If your leg is back then your heals will come up & you will also lose balance.

Sit upright with a straight line back hips ankle. To keep your head up think about the back of your neck touching your collar - it feels like you are tipping your head back but if you look in a mirror you will see it's actually sitting up straight.

If the horse is putting their head up & hollowing that could be where you are unbalanced but it could also be where the horse is uncomfortable in the back.

Try different horses and see if it's any different.

There is no shame in just walking & trotting & just hacking. My yard is full of experienced & mainly older horse owners. There's some that only hack at walk & trot, some compete at intro dressage (walk & trot) and generally really enjoy their horse & riding without ever cantering.

Hello all - I thought I would feed back after my lesson at the weekend. Interestingly although I rode another horse, where I don’t get the nerves, I still found my heels coming up and “scrunching up” in the transitions. Luckily she goes into canter very easily so I had plenty of time to work on it, and the final transition where I focused on a little tap rather than a squeeze was better. Lots to work on still but pleased with progress.

That's great OP. It's definitely easier on a horse that's happy to pop up into canter off a quiet aid. Just a case of practice, practice, practice and it will eventually feel so smooth you'll wonder what the trouble ever was 😃

Sounds like you are making progress. I’d just add that it is the outside hind - not the inside - that is the first leg to move in the canter transition, so remember to move your outside leg back and give the nudge with that one. It’s more effective if you can ride a good corner before giving the aid so that the outside hind is engaged rather than swinging out as this will help the push off. Also remember to keep some weight in your outside seat bone so you’re not leaning in and unbalancing the horse. That’ll also help keep the outside hind at the party.

if you find yourself tipping forward then think of lying back in the saddle! Sounds odd but we do lose track of where our bodies are at times and when I was coaching my daughter she thought of “lying back” and ended up sitting vertically upright! Clearly not something you want to take to extremes but very useful to reeducate our bodies.

Thanks for the reminder- I think I have a tendency to lean in as well as forward! Weight to the outside is a good reminder.

I have a very similar problem to the extent that I'll either lose a stirrup or get them jammed back against my heels when over-asking and I've found, (thanks DD for watching) that going from a walk rather than trot is so much easier especially with a big horse. You have time to do reins, legs and voice on the right stride because you're slow.

Personally moving my hips properly is my bête noir, I end up bouncing and falling back into trot, so any tips on moving my hips whilst keeping heels down and lower legs relatively still would be very welcome!

I also recommend doing Pilates, because having a strong core is so good for riding!

Signed, another tipper, leaner and flinger-of-everything-in-canter.

I'd say it's not dissimilar to the OP. The thing about trying not to bounce is the instinctive reaction to that thought is to tense and grip with your legs, which of course only makes you bounce more and more, vicious circle. To stay properly deep and balanced in the saddle in canter without gripping you do have to do a surprising amount of, for want of a better turn of phrase, thrusting 😳 in rhythm with the horse, it's a weird sort of relaxed yet engaged sensation, totally different to just being floppy or tensing up, hard to explain in words but it will come one day and feel completely natural. As for the OP practice is the main thing, lunge lessons, mechanical horse, lots of work on your sitting trot and canter, with and without stirrups... Off the horse pilates is about the only exercise which works the exact same muscle groups as riding but anything which either improves your cardiovascular fitness (it's bloody hard to be relaxed yet engaged, remember your aids and precision etc if you've run out of puff and are gasping for air) or builds general strength, flexibility and balance (so weights, gym etc) will also help.

I'd say it's the thrusting part that does me in (!) but I have ridden all morning four times in the last 6 days (nice easy horse and mostly walking in the forest) and it is getting better. Time in saddle also good.

Thank you for your good advice and I'll try to keep it in mind whilst doing everything else all at once!

@NormalAuntFanny Agree with the thrusting movement, but sitting to the canter well is different on different horses. I ride some ex-polo ponies, and they are quite flat like cobs, and that’s not the same motion as the big gelding I rode last week (more circular).

Absolutely @Lovemycat2023, in my club there are a couple of cob types I can canter with ease then it's all the big boys 17hh and more and they all have some hideous rocking horse action or other, some are bouncy, some have extra long necks or head off to one side etc etc etc. Club horses in short.

And these are my bête noirs. I did another two mornings and just said thrust thrust thrust in my head and managed it a bit better.

We're going to the seaside next week and there's a stables which will let you canter on the beach if they like your level so I'm going to do that.

Oh my gosh - 100% in the same place! I rode a bigger horse last week and everyone said his canter is so comfortable it was like a rocking horse. Well it was like a rocking horse but so uncomfortable and unsettling for me! Hope you make it to the beach!