I Learned to Canter Today

Trot work, including lateral work, extensions, collection etceteras comes very easy for both Delphi and me. We have historically struggled however with canter work, both separately and together. I had a canter breakthrough in our lesson with Karen today. At the beginning of the lesson Karen gave me some insider theory concerning how best to ride the canter. Karen's seat at all gaits is impeccable, and particularly so at canter-- other top trainers such as Lurena Bell and Jeff Moore have noted this also. So, in considering the way that she-Karen- rides the canter, she came up with a simplified version of how she sits for canter:

by pressing your elbows down toward your thighs, keeping your elbows firmly and stably attached to your torso, you create and maintain the rhythm of the canter from the balls of the feet upward by sitting in such a way that you let yourself get pulled into the saddle. Be sure to maintain the canter rhythm to prevent your seat from popping out of the saddle, and you can give and take the reins while still maintaining your elbows pressing firmly down.

Note how firmly my elbows are attached to my core:

Here we see Delphi's relative elevation improve and though my elbows remain firmly down I could sit more securely by letting myself get pulled into the saddle:

Delphi maintaining self carriage and collection and me maintaining upright posture, core, and elbows down; a true feat for us in canter!

Photos, theory, and training courtesy Karen Brown.

Gryphon Schooling December 2011

Wish List

Includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Canter pirouettes
• Piaffe
  
• Canter half pass
• Flying changes

During our lesson with Lurena Bell at Belle Terre Farm yesterday, we schooled the prerequisites for all the above. Lurena reminded me to continue strengthening and suppling the lower back by doing walk exercises such as shoulder in, pirouettes, walking turn on the forehand, etceteras to continue to teach Delphi to articulate her lumbo-sacral joint which will in turn improve all her canter work, including pirouettes and changes. We schooled half steps while keeping Delphi round yet up from the withers. We schooled large canter pirouettes by doing haunches in on a circle. We schooled canter half pass with the premium on keeping Delphi engaged, supple, and sitting over her haunches.

Asking Delphi to sit more over her haunches in canter:

Canter half pass right:

Slightly more up from the withers in canter:

Half steps:

Half steps:

A soft, happy eye at the end of the lesson: