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Jane
Savoie's DressageDaily Lesson of the Month
How
Do I Get My Horse To Pick Up The Correct Canter Lead Every Time?
By Jane Savoie
 Do
you struggle getting your horse to pick up one of his canter leads?
If so, here are some tips and exercises to help you with this all too
common problem.
The first
exercise is done completely in the walk. It’s a great rider coordination
exercise. You’ll practice positioning your horse alternately for
the left lead and then switch to the right lead after a few strides.
PhelpsPhoto: Diane Creech and Devon L won the FEI Test of Choice for
Young Horses at the 2006 Palm Beach Dressage Derby
Let’s
say you decided to pick up left lead:
- Put
your weight on your left seat bone.
- Flex
your horse to the left by turning your left wrist as if you’re
unlocking a door. That is, start with your thumb as the highest point
of the hand, Turn your thumb to the left, and bring your baby finger
very close to the withers but don’t cross over the withers.
In this moment, your knuckles or fingernails will be pointing up toward
your face. Then put your hand back in the original position with your
thumb as the highest point of the hand.
- Support
with your right rein so your horse doesn’t over bend his neck
to the left. His face should be one inch to the inside of a neutral
position. (Neutral means his head and neck are straight in front of
his body so that his chin is directly in front of his “cleavage”.)
- Your
left leg is on the girth to say, “Go forward to the canter.”
- Your
right leg is a couple of inches behind the girth because it will signal
his right hind leg to strike off into left lead canter. (He has to
start cantering with the outside hind leg in order to end up on the
correct lead.)
- Stay
in this “left lead canter” position for a few strides
in the walk, and then switch your aids as if asking for right lead
canter (Remember, you’re doing all of this in the walk). That
is:
-
Weight on the right seat bone.
-
Right rein flexes the horse’s head one inch to the right.
-
Left rein is like a siderein that prevents too much bend in the
neck.
-
Right leg on the girth.
-
Left leg behind the girth.
When you
get ready to ask for the depart, do the following things:
- 1.
Keep the horse positioned to the inside as you did above.
- 2.
When you ask for the canter depart, push your inside seat bone forward
toward your horse’s inside ear.
- 3.
Give a little squeeze with your inside leg on the girth to tell your
horse to go “forward into the canter”
- 4.
Use your outside leg in a windshield wiper-like action to signal the
outside hind to strike-off into the canter.
Check that
you’re on the correct lead by:
- Keeping
your head erect, but peak down at his front legs. If you’re
on the correct lead, the inside front leg should reach further forward
than the outside front leg.
- Make
a circle. If you’re on the correct lead, the canter will feel
balanced. If you’re on the wrong lead, the canter will feel
unbalanced.
If you
end up of the wrong lead, chances are you didn’t keep your horse
bent through his body and flexed at his poll to the inside during the
transition. Your horse will pick up whatever lead he’s bent and
flexed toward.
Here are
2 things you can do to help with the bend:
- 1.
Walk on a small circle to bend your horse. Just before you finish
the small circle, keep the bend and apply the aids for the canter.
Once he canters, arc out onto a larger circle.
- 2.
Walk or trot on a small circle. Leg yield (That is, push your horse
sideways.) out to the larger circle. Keep your inside leg on the girth
as you leg yield to help with the bend. If you’re circling to
the right, imagine you’re pushing his rib cage to the left while
his neck and hindquarters stay to the right.
Related
Links
Jane Savoie Joins DressageDaily With Informative Articles on Dressage
Training
Are You Sick and Tired of Struggling
To Put Your Horse On The Bit?
For more information tips on picking up the correct lead and solving
other training issues, go to janesavoie.com/shop/index.html
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