[emsNkeeper]

I switched from a broken kimberwhick to a french snaffle about two months ago. It was the best descision I could have made. But I've lost the beautiful downward transitions from the canter. Now it takes us a bit to stop, walk or the trot is kinda fast and ugly lookin. Now if I ask for a halt or lower gait from the trot, I get it right away... but not from the canter. He does listen to half haults, and I have been using those in practice, but in a show, you don't know when the stop is coming so it's not really useful there. Thanks for any and all help.

[cassidy]

well thats difficult i mean i thin its just a case of getting your horse to understand you in a different bit!

i think it will mostly be from pratice practice an more practice good luck!!

[emsNkeeper]

I agree, but in practice, he just sticks his head out and goes through the bit, cause he now can. Now when I go from the canter to the trot, he is fast, but after a few strides, I can get him to come back to me... and that's fine, as long as the judge doesn't see that transition, which someone will sooner or later. It also makes it harder to do a simple change on course (only doing small/low courses that allow that).

[cassidy]

Why No When Schooling At Home Ride Him In Draw Reins!

[My Mr. Ed]

Here's some info I found

Downward Transitions:
The Key to Control

Practicing downward transitions is the key to teaching a horse to be lighter in its forehand and being able to regulate the horse's pace. To be effective in solving the problem, you must be sure to keep your legs on the horse's sides during the downward transition, encouraging the animal to keep its hocks engaged so that the hindquarters will support some of the forehand weight; and you must perform half-halts with your hands, so that the animal will not find a fixed hand against which it can pull.

The following exercise will help you in gauging your success: Mentally divide the ring into four parts. Pick up the canter at your first quadrant, allow the horse to canter a few steps, then start your downward transition far enough away from the beginning of the second quadrant that you will be able to do all of the downward transition steps and all of the preparatory steps for the next canter before you reach the second quadrant. As the horse's shoulder reaches the second quadrant, pick up the canter again. Perform this exercise at every quadrant, so that you will have accomplished four downward transitions every time that you go around the arena. After going around the arena once in a clockwise direction, change hands (i.e., change direction) and perform the same exercise while traveling counterclockwise. Do this exercise several times in each direction every day. This is a very valuable exercise that will not only teach your horse to be lighter in its forehand, but will also give you specific points at which to perform certain tasks, so that you'll be able to gauge your horse's progress.

Note: If your arena is very small, you may have to mentally divide it into halves, rather than fourths, in order to provide enough room for the transitions

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Downward Transitions

Downward transitions would include canter to trot; canter to walk; canter to halt; trot to walk; trot to halt; and walk to halt. These transitions are illustrated in Fig. 7-4. To obtain downward transitions, as has been mentioned above, a little seat, legs, and hands, go much further than only one of these or two of these can accomplish alone. The transitions are numbered in the diagram below, once again, generally from easier [1] to harder [10].

Figure 7-4: Downward transitions


The use of the leg aids in upward and downward transitions are for pushing the horse forward and helping engage the hindquarters. The reins in the downward transitions stop the forward motion of the horse and with the help of the seat and legs the horse is driven into the "wall" of the hands and forced to yield through the muscular and skeletal system.

To obtain a transition from the walk to the halt [1] the rider must drive the horse with the legs and effectuate a bilateral half halt with the reins and a short pushing action with the seat. (In general, before the first bilateral half halt, the rider can prepare the horse with a half halt using the outside rein. This is a general principle, not just here.) The actions of the legs, hands and seat must be applied just at the right time for them to take effect and must not be prolonged. If prolonged the horse can find something to resist again, but when applied for the correct length, the action of the reins can go through the body. When using the legs and seat in conjunction with the hands, the horse is made to square up as his legs are driven under the body. A perfectly squared horse is proof that the aids where applied correctly. Downward transitions are best learned and perfected on circles as the horse has already engaged the hindquarter more effectively than on a straight line, if the circle is performed correctly.

The transition from the trot to the walk [2], and the transition from the canter to the trot [3] are very similar to the one from the walk to the halt [1]. In all these transitions there is basically a bilateral half halt to prepare the horse for the transition, followed by a holding of the forward motion with the reins and gentle action from the seat and legs pushing the horse into the downward transition. The supple horse will respond from a single set of actions from each of these aids followed by a relaxation of the aids. If the aids are not relaxed once they have had their effect then the horse will become tense. This is especially so with the hands. If the hands are not relaxed immediately after they have had their effect, then the horse can use them to lean against as resistance builds up.

In obtaining a transition from the trot to the halt [4] the horse must be even more supple for the action of the reins to pass through the body. The legs and seat continue to support the reins in obtaining a correct halt. While the transition from the walk to the halt [1] might take one complete action from the reins, legs and seat, the transition from the trot to the halt [2] might take two sets of actions in succession with a moment of relaxation in between. Finally, the transition from the canter to the halt [6] might take as many as three sets of actions with realization in between. Obviously, the periods of action and of relaxation are very short. If the rider does not allow for relaxation between actions, but rather uses a prolonged action or yank, the halt will not be supple, quiet and exact. Again, downward transitions performed on a circle will be a great training aid as the horse can be made to engage better with the hindquarters and therefore will be more likely to be more supple in accepting the large engagement requirement as shown in Figure 7-5.



Figure 7-5: Canter to halt transition

The halt to reinback transition [7] is quite a delicate one. There should be no rush for this transition to be introduced. If the horse is taught this transition early he might use it as an avoidance technique when the movement was not asked for. Some riders use the retrograde to punish the horse, which, of course, is a mistake that will cause much difficulty later.

If the training has been correct, the reinback will come quite easily when the training is begun. The reinback is obtained by driving the horse with the legs but with hands that do not allow the horse to move forward. The rider feels the horse attempt to move forward but then feels the horse transfer the energy to moving backwards. The rider should control every set of steps backward rather than just "put the horse in reverse." In the reinback, the horse moves back using diagonal pairs of legs. For instance, the left fore and right hind move back together. There is no moment of suspension.

The transition from the canter to the walk [5] requires that the rider bring the horse to a walk smoothly. The rider asks for enough downward transition that the horse does not just go to the trot, but not so much that the movement appears choppy and appears as if the horse almost came to a complete stop.

Transitions to the reinback from the canter [10], trot [9], and walk [8] don’t require as much precision and tact as the transitions to a perfect halt from these gaits. Nevertheless, their correct execution is quite beautiful and of great gymnastic value if not abused.

When the transitions have been correctly executed the horse looks supple and beautiful, while incorrectness or over demands on a green horse will be result in tension. Tension may be manifested in tail switching, head tossing and mouth opening.

Upward and downward transitions do much to help with the transformation process that make dressage beautiful. The transformation is observed by an impartial onlooker who can see the dressage taking effect.

Summary

Just like a little leg, a little seat, and a little hand can create much power for upward transitions and softness for downward ones, when they are correct. An excellent exercise is to walk the horse as fast as possible until the rider feels the horse will just about break into the trot. At this point the rider can bring the horse to the trot without any additional pressure with the legs, but just simply by sitting a little taller. This small change will increase the pressure of the seat on the saddle. The horse is expected to remain on the bit when making upward and downward transitions. The rider must feel that the horse has enough impulsion to move forward and up onto the corresponding upward transition. In downward transitions, in contrast, the rider may apply the aids in waves, using more such waves from the canter to halt, than from the walk to the halt. Both upward and downward transitions involve moving the horse into the reins, from the back forward.

At the walk, alternate legs are applied to give the horse impulsion, such that as the horse brings the hindquarter forward, the rider applies the leg on that side. This helps the horse move forward with more spring and energy. In upward transitions, the amount that we hold the horse with our hands will depend on the amount of upward spring that we desire, and that the horse is capable of at the time.

The transitions into the canter are made easier from a circle, in order to obtain the correct bend. As training progresses, only a slight bend to the inside will be required. Whether the transition to the canter takes places from the halt, walk, or trot, the aids are: outside leg behind the girth taps the horse slightly, so the horse is alerted to engage the hindquarters. The horse is driven into the canter with the inside leg on the girth, and instant after the outside leg is applied. The inside rein maintains the horse’s position to the inside while the outside rein determines the total amount of position to the inside. The rider sits taller onto the inside riding bone. Eventually, the horse may be asked for an upward transition into the canter by merely using the inside riding bone. But the hands and legs of the rider will have brought the horse to the point where that little amount of pressure is all that is needed.

The rider must really feel the horse on the bit so that the energy applied through the seat—as subtle as this pressure is—is retained within the horse and is not lost. This is another way of saying that the horse is between the rider’s hand and legs.

In general, before using bilateral half halts, whose effect is to further engage the hindquarters, the rider can prepare the horse with a half halt using the outside rein. If the hands are not relaxed immediately after they have had their effect, either on a unilateral or bilateral aid, then the horse can use them to lean against as resistance builds up. A perfectly squared horse is proof that the aids where applied correctly in a downward transition to the halt. Downward transitions are best learned and perfected on circles as the horse has already engaged the hindquarter more effectively than on a straight line, if the circle is performed correctly.

When the transitions have been correctly executed the horse looks supple and beautiful even to someone who knows little about dressage. What is more beautiful than a horse moving forward, on the bit, with floating and engaged hindquarters that give spring to the movement? When the action of the legs, seat, and reins go through the body and can be seen in a horse that is supple and light and can perform athletic upward and downward transitions a horse becomes a joy to ride. Even more so, when the rider can use these aids to extend and collect a particular gait, or transition into work on two tracks, as we shall see later.

[atkhorses1]

This is some WONDERFUL information. The BEST and most CLEARLY written to understand. THANK you Mr. Ed for posting!!! I'm going out to try this now.


This is exactly what I'm trying to teach my 11 yo daughter to do in the saddle. I have such a hard time with words when explaining how to ride. Many of the words we use that explain exactly what to do are above her level i.e. downward transitions. She finds it so difficult to go from a canter to walk because even tho I've explained over and over and over again not to have a steady hard pull on the reins, to have a pull release action, she just doesn't get it and continues to pull hard. I don't know if this is because she's scared the horse won't stopp (in effect, he would stop if she did the pull/release action better than a hard constant pull) I've been working on this with her for months and she doesn't get it.

If anyone can post some exercises or phrases maybe for me to repeat to her that would be most helpful!!

Once again, I love this piece of information!
Kelley King

[emsNkeeper]

Mr. Ed that was just the sort of thing I was looking for. Thank you very much!

[My Mr. Ed]

I'm glad I could help!!!