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By: Sutton Murray
on July 20, 2011
in Dressage Questions
Rating: 1
Canter depart problem -
I have lyme disease and have been put on antibiotics. Due to this my muscles have seemed to become more weak. Two weeks ago my canter departs were wonderful. Lately when i ask for the canter my mare runs in the trot but will not canter. If my trainer rides her he wears spurs but I do not.
Now my confidence is lowered and Its making more of an issue because I'm hesitant.
Here are some ideas that do not take alot of strength:
Support the outside shoulder of the horse with your rein and lighten the horse’s inside shoulder.
Keep the contact with the inside rein, but stay neutral.
Lean on your outside buttock by lightly putting your outside shoulder back.
Ask for the canter depart by putting your outside leg back and touching lightly.
Keep your inside leg at the girth.
You need to start with the horse in a shoulder-fore position, as he did sort-of say. Specifically this is haunches on the rail, shoulders slightly to the inside, here's where you have the outside rein connected, even a little over the mane to the inside with lots of inside leg driving the energy into that outside hand. Then you need to get your INSIDE seatbone down and look over your inside shoulder so your weight stays there to the inside. From that biomechanical position, a little inside leg for pressure to hold the shoulder in, and just the outside leg back slightly should get you a nice up transition. Try to keep looking over your inside shoulder with your chin and eyeballs. This simple change should get it for you.
If your horse is speeding up when you ask, then you also need to work on the half halt,,, which is like stepping on the clutch to change gears. You need to shorten up the trot so the horse gets more engaged before the canter depart. And you need to learn to stay back and out of the way so the horse can step up. Up and down transitions on a circle between all gaits will help you get that connection.
Another exercise to try is the turn on the haunches, as you make that turn and you are almost to the rail, the horse is in the shoulder fore position with the outside hind is already engaged in the canter depart position. just ask from there! Easy Peasy!!!!
