Masterclass
The Olympic dressage rider explains how to develop collection in canter through riding a 10m circle
Emile Faurie on perfecting the collected canter
AIM
I DO this exercise quite a lot with horses from a young age up to grand prix level. I canter a circle then gradually decrease the size until I’m on a 10m circle and can feel the horse lifting up through the wither and the back from the hindleg. Then I ride back out onto the bigger circle.
A lot of riders’ natural tendency, including my own, is to ride backwards into collection. For me, it’s really important that riders ride forwards into collection from the hindleg to the contact, not backwards from the contact to the hindleg.
This exercise makes it easier for the rider to ride from the back to the front to help develop betterquality engagement, and lift up the back and the wither. It also helps to keep the horse balanced in the contact, so that the rider has an even feel on both reins.
THE EXERCISE
1 Start off by riding the exercise in working canter on a 20m circle.
TIPS AND PITFALLS
The moment you realise the horse is struggling, especially the younger horses, ease your hands forward and ride back out onto the bigger circle, increasing the tempo slightly.
If you feel the horse is falling out through the shoulder, give both hands forward and put both legs on to get him straight and connected into the bridle, before then increasing the circle size and decreasing again.
Don’t ask too much of the horse to start with; horses will find it challenging due to the straightness and balance that’s required.
Make sure you sit central in the saddle to have enough contact with the lower leg.
‘Collection should come naturally from the horse sitting back on his hindquarters’
2 Next, decrease the size of the circle gradually — so from 20m to 16m, to 14m, to 12m and then finally to 10m, making sure that you ride at least two circles of each size.
3 Focus on riding the line of the circle — use your inside leg to produce enough impulsion and “jump” from the hindleg and your outside leg just behind the girth to help steer the horse around the circle. Keep the horse between leg and hand, encouraging him to come around your inside leg and go into the outside rein — don’t be tempted to turn him around the circle with the inside rein.
Make sure also that you have an even contact in both reins.
The collection should come naturally from the horse sitting back on his hindquarters on the smaller circle.
4 Make sure you don’t stay on the 10m circle for too long (no more than two or three circles). If you feel the horse is losing the connection, push him back out onto the big circle with your inside leg, keeping his body straight, and increase the tempo to an active medium canter.
NEXT WEEK
Grand prix dressage rider Hannah Biggs