A confident start
WHENEVER YOU’RE RIDING in new surroundings it’s a good idea to give your horse time in walk on a loose rein to get used to the different environment. “This arena is surrounded by trees and some horses can find it spooky,” explains Harry. “Giving you and your horse a few minutes with no pressure to take in your new surroundings will help settle any nerves you both have before you start proper work.” Princess seems settled and is taking it all in her stride. Charlotte moves forwards to trot. “The mare has a nice active hindleg and lots of natural impulsion,” comments Harry. “I would like to see a slower rhythm and therefore a bigger step; think of her stretching her hamstrings so her hindlegs come forward and under the saddle, rather than up and down. You’re aiming for each of her hind feet to land in line with the girth.” Harry suggests riding on a big circle in trot to encourage a horse to step under more. Slowing the pace of your rising also encourages the horse to step through and improves the quality of the trot.
Cracking canter
Being able to ride a clear canter transition helps with the overall quality of the pace and Harry would like Charlotte to focus on how she rides these transitions. He goes on to explain how he’d like her to ask for canter from a 20m circle on the left rein. “Take a bit more feel on your outside rein [the right rein] and move your right hand slightly out to the right and point your hips to the right. Step into your inside [left] stirrup as you ask for canter.” With an onward-bound horse like Princess, the aid to canter should be a more upward lift with the inside leg at the girth. Asking for canter with the outside leg back can drive the horse forwards into a flatter trot. Next, Harry assesses Princess’ canter. “It’s quite staccato — short and choppy — and it needs to be more legato — smooth and long. The canter has a correct three-beat; it just needs to have a longer and softer stride to improve the overall quality.” To achieve this, Harry asks Charlotte to pat Princess on the neck with her inside hand every few strides. “This encourages softness in her topline and also checks you’re not hanging on with your inside rein, which will block the inside hindleg from coming through sufficiently,” he explains.
Tidy transitions
Riding transitions from trot to canter will also help to improve a horse’s engagement, but it’s important to focus on the quality of the transitions. If they’re poor, they won’t benefit your horse. Harry notices Charlotte has a tendency to rush a transition. “You need to concentrate on the quality of the trot before asking for canter,” explains Harry. “The trot must be soft and swinging before making the transition.” Horses find it much easier to maintain softness on a circle, as the curve encourages the inside hindleg to step underneath more. With a better, more connected trot, the transition to canter will improve. “Your outside hand maintains a consistent contact, while your inside hand remains soft and giving throughout the transition,” he adds.