canter aids – Horse Listening

How Many Aids Are You Using?!

"Which aids are you using?" I routinely ask my students this as they develop a particular skill, especially once they have gained enough experience that they can analyze a problem while they ride.

But here, we can do it off the horse. Let's use this example:

You are in left lead canter, and getting ready to leave the rail to make a left circle. As you head into the circle, your horse drifts out, loses balance and breaks into trot. (If this does really happen to you, don't worry! It happens all the time to all levels of rider and horse!)

It's like he is losing just enough balance that he is unable to maintain the canter. What aids would you use to correct the problem?

(If you like, stop here and quickly think about or jot down the aids you would use. Then read on. I've added links in blue to other articles that explain some of the specific concepts better.)

***

1) Outside Neck Rein

One of the most common errors is to use the inside rein to pull the horse into a turn. When you pull on the inside rein, though, the horse's neck has to follow your hand. So before you know it, the neck is pulled to the inside, which requires the outside shoulder to bulge outward. The horse then HAS to step out in order to manage to stay upright. While you're trying to turn the horse left, he's got his neck left but is actually stepping right.

Use the outside neck rein to catch the outside shoulder that wants to bulge toward the rail. That helps keep the horse's front end from drifting around the turn. The neck rein is also the initiator of the turn.

2) Outside Leg

Use the outside leg to prevent the horse's hip from swinging out.

Another tendency is for the horse to swing the hind end outward. When you are on a turn, you want the horse to turn "straight" (well, not literally, but physically). If you use your outside leg back slightly, you can influence the hind end so that it follows the front end on a single track.

There's got to be more than just those two aids. So let's fill in the details. It takes some concentration and "feel" to break things down even more.

3) Inside Seat Bone

Put your weight on your inside seat bone, swinging it forward on the turn line so that you encourage your horse to come under your inside seat more - to basically keep him on the turn and not drift out from under your seat.

Using your weight aids is something that needs a lot of fine-tuning at first. But with practice, you will be able to first know which seat bone you have more weight on, and then be able to actually direct the weight to where you want it to be. Your weight can have a lot of influence on the horse.

4) Inside Leg

Use a strong downward-stepping motion on your inside stirrup - like you are standing on the ground through the stirrup, in rhythm with the stride.

The stepping down helps the horse have a solid balancing aid on the inside rib cage, which encourages better bend and balance through the turn.

5) Inside Rein

Give a tiny bit with your inside rein as you cross the middle of the arena, to allow the inside hind leg more space to step into. Keep the outside rein fairly steady.

6) Impulsion

Use two legs for forward just before you leave the rail. This helps him engage a little more before he starts to drift, sending him forward rather than sideways.

7) Keep Your Balance

Try to let your seat come through more after you ask for impulsion (don't resist), so you keep your center of gravity over the horse as he moves off. Don't get left behind!

8) Use Half-Halts

Even while you ask for more energy, use half-halts to help the horse stay in balance and not just run faster and onto the forehand. You can try a half-halt before you leave the rail, through the middle of the circle, and then again as you finish and go to the next movement. But it might depend on your horse - you might need more or less.

Pinpointing your aids like this is actually a very interesting exercise, because while we often recognize the most significant aids, we rarely feel everything that the body is doing to produce one result. I bet you can think of a few more to list here as well.

Seriously?? So many aids for one simple movement?

Well, yes. And, not really.

The thing is, once you get the hang of it, it won't be nearly as complicated as it sounds here. If you think about it, we can probably break down every movement into multiple aids and skills like this. The more aids we can control through our ride, the more sophisticated we can be in communicating kindly and gently to the horse.

From Wikipedia:

Automaticity /ˌɔːtəməˈtɪsɪti/ is the ability to do things without occupying the mind with the low-level details required, allowing it to become an automatic response pattern or habit. It is usually the result of learning, repetition, and practice.

I like this word! And I like how it feels when I'm doing this while riding. The less you have to think about things, the easier it gets. But at the beginning, you do have to learn the skills first (practice, practice, practice!), before they become blueprinted into your body.

***

After a few rounds, and a few transitions down to trot and then back up into canter, things should get better. Your outside aids might keep your horse straighter. Your "ask" for impulsion might help him reach further underneath with his hind legs. He might drift less and then not at all. And slowly, his canter might become more fluid, stronger, more balanced.

And even while you know which aids you are using, you won't actually have to think about them. Well, maybe you'll be thinking about only one or two!

12 Riding Quick Tips – #10: How To Canter Instead Of Just Trot Faster

trot canter transition — Photo Credit: J. Boesveld

Does your horse just go faster faster when you ask for the canter? It happens often - the legs speed up, maybe the head goes higher, and it becomes more difficult to stay with the horse. Sometimes he falls to the forehand and maybe "roots" on the reins (pulls downward) instead of cantering at all.

There are many circumstances when this can happen - it's not reserved just for the beginner rider or novice horse. There can be miscommunication, confusion and/or imbalance between even the more advanced horse and rider combination. Don't worry if it happens. Just know what to do, and work through the situation to improve the transition in the long term.

What To Do

1. Slow the horse's legs down.

If you aid for the canter, and the horse just rushes faster, half-halt and re-establish a nice relaxed trot tempo. Chances are that your horse is excited and a little wound up, so just abort the canter mission for the moment. You won't give up on the canter, but you will first calm the horse, slow the legs and rebalance.

As soon as you feel you've contained the forward energy, and your horse seems more settled, go right back to asking for the canter. Often, you can get a great canter transition just after "bringing back" the trot energy.

2. Check your aids.

Make sure that you are using the correct aids for canter. Do a quick self-check:

inside leg at the girth?
weight on the inside seat bone?
outside leg "swishing" behind the girth (I think of it like a windshield wiper)?
reins short enough to help the horse balanced but not too tight?
upper body toned and strong so that you don't collapse during the transition?
are you using an established voice cue for canter?

3. Ride the canter yourself.

Many riders tend to freeze during and after the transition to canter. It is very important for your seat to actually change from the trot to the canter as the horse changes gait. If you stiffen your back or tighten your knees, you might be interfering with the horse's ability to take the canter step.

If your seat continues in the same manner as it was in the trot, it can also negate the canter aids. Although you can't actually canter in your seat until the horse takes that first step, you must be ready to change immediately as it happens. In fact, better trained horses may not take that transition if your seat feels tight or tense.

If one or more of these strategies works and you get the canter, ride in canter for a little while to let your horse know he's on the right track. Then take a walk break. Pet the horse. But don't stop there. Get a few more trot-canter transitions before you go on to something else. Make sure your horse has a chance to fully understand what you are asking for. Soon enough, you'll eliminate the trot faster routine and just go from a nice swinging trot straight to canter.

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Wrong Canter Lead? 5 Ways To Fix It!

Do you have trouble getting the "correct" lead when striking off into canter? You might be new to riding, or your horse might be young or uneducated. In either case, it helps a lot if you know different ways to encourage the horse to strike off in the correct lead.

It's About Balance

Lead problems stem from one main cause. If the horse is unbalanced, he will have more trouble picking up his lead regardless of how athletic he may be. Lack of balance can happen in many ways. The horse might be heavy on the forehand, and instead of changing gait to canter, he only runs faster and faster into a bigger and more scrambled trot.

He may bulge one shoulder or the other rather than step underneath with the hind legs. This will result in sideways movement (either into the middle of the ring, or out toward the rail) when you ask for the canter. He'll likely stay in the trot because of the misalignment of his body.

He may resist moving forward when you apply your aids. You might get tail swishing, a hop from the hind end, or a slowing down in the trot as he braces with his front legs. This may be caused by a true discomfort (tack?) or physical problem, so do get it checked out if it happens often. Otherwise, it might just be confusion.

Regardless of why your horse is struggling, the key here is for you to maintain or resume balance even while you are working on getting the canter lead. The first fix is to try coming back to a controlled, rhythmical trot before you try again.

However, in some cases, slowing down to re-balance may not be enough. You might need to exaggerate your aids to help the horse realize how to take a lead in the first place. The following five suggestions should give you a starting point. We'll start from basic preparation to more advanced.

Outside flexion, outside leg

This is the most elementary way to get an inside lead, mainly because you're going to set the horse up to essentially fall into position for the lead. Use this for the young horse just beginning to canter, or for a horse that is very crooked to the inside (maybe he swings his hip to the inside during the up transition).

Use your outside rein to ask for outside flexion (you should see the corner of the horse's eye toward the rail). Use the outside leg as you normally would, swinging back in a windshield wiper motion just in the moment of the down stride.

Have a soft inside rein so you don't inadvertently pull the horse's head to the inside at this moment. You can always bring the horse's flexion back to the inside after you get the lead.

Inside flexion, inside leg to outside leg

This is a little more balanced and therefore a little more difficult. This time, ask for the horse to look to the inside of the ring (inside flexion). Use your inside leg to stabilize the horse while still in the trot. Then ask for the canter with your outside leg.

Your inside leg helps the horse maintain better balance just before the strike off.

On a turn

It's usually easier for a horse to take the correct lead if he can step into a turn or circle in the same direction. So if you want the right lead, ask for the lead while turning right. See if this helps.

On a straight line

It is usually more difficult to get the correct lead while moving straight, but it might help some horses keep their balance while transitioning. In this case, you will support the horse so that he doesn't lean or fall one direction or the other, and only ask once you feel he is moving straight comfortably. He should be familiar enough with leads at this point so that he can respond to your outside leg aid.

From the walk

This is most difficult for some horses, but it can be helpful to not be running off in the trot in the first place.

In this case, get a good walk, and ask for the canter transition straight out of the walk. If your horse trots a few steps before the canter, just ride it and let him. The difference with this trot is that it is fairly controlled because it's coming out of the walk. Just starting from the walk might be all the help he needs.

***

Regardless of the strategy you use, be sure that you are still riding on your inside seat bone through the transition. If you have fallen to the outside, you will invariably be encouraging the horse to step under you - which means he will pick up his outside lead.

Stay consistent in your expectation to keep a controlled, rhythmical trot before each transition. If the trot gets faster, just break to a walk, regroup, and re-establish the balanced trot. A scrambling trot will never end up in a good canter.

Initially, accept any attempts at the canter. Avoid pulling back on the bit or losing your own balance through the transition, as this will further disrupt the horse's balance. Just sit well, ride whatever you get, and encourage, encourage and encourage.

Finally, remember that these are all "corrections". In other words, you won't be using these strategies forever to get your lead. Once your horse becomes more aware of his canter leads and accurately responds, you will go back to quiet aids to encourage a balanced, straight, calm transition.

What do you do to get your horse's lead? Let us know if you have a different strategy, or if you tried one of the above.

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design your overarching goals
long- and short-term planning,
debrief your special events such as clinics or shows
reflect on, plan and evaluate your goals
sample goals and pages

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Crystal Clear About Canter Leads and a Quick Fix

Are you crystal clear on your canter leads? Do you know which one is which and when you need to change leads?

It happens to everyone at some point in their riding journey, horse and human alike.

The whole idea of staying on the "correct" lead is important in riding development. The main reason we worry about leads is to maintain balance, especially on turns and circles. If the horse is on the "incorrect" lead going around a turn, he has to work extra hard to bring his canter stride through each step of the way.

Some horses break to a trot because they simply can't maintain the gait while on the outside lead.

Some horses have an easier time and just keep going, getting more strung out and unbalanced, but somehow sticking with the canter gait despite the imbalance. If your horse is one of these, you might have a harder time figuring out if he's in the correct lead or not.

What Is A Canter Lead?

Simply put, the horse will always "lead" with one hip and shoulder ahead of the other while in canter. So if he is on the "right" lead, his right hip and shoulder will be ahead of the left. We often teach beginner riders to look down at the shoulders to identify which shoulder is leading. Over time, you can learn to feel without looking at all.

Of course, the lead is caused not by the front legs, but by the hind legs. If you break down the canter stride, the outside hind leg is the first strike off leg. So, the left hind leg starts off the sequence of footfalls that allow the right hind leg and the right shoulder to lead. This is why we use our outside leg as the initiator of the canter gait.

Which Lead Is The "Correct" Lead?

If you are going right, the right lead is the "correct" lead. If you're going left, the left lead is "correct".

But here's the thing. I've used quotations on "correct" and "incorrect" because really, those are just definitions of sorts. We define the left lead as "incorrect" when the horse is going right. But it's "correct" when the horse is going left. So it's easy to see that the horse may choose either lead, depending on his balance mostly, unless he is well versed in responding to your aids.

Also, as you both progress, you might one day purposely ask for the "incorrect" lead to get a counter canter. The counter canter is a great exercise in suppleness which helps develop hind end strength and flexibility. It also is a way to demonstrate that both the horse and rider can in fact pick up whichever lead in whichever direction - showing that the horse's balance is good enough to allow for either lead at any time.

So really, the "correct" lead might change meaning over time. But for the purposes of this article, we'll stick with "correct" meaning the same lead as the direction of movement.

What If Things Go Wrong?

As previously mentioned, "incorrect" leads happen all the time, especially during the developing stages of the horse or rider. The gait might be asked for at the wrong moment in time by the rider, and the educated horse will just follow by taking the opposite lead. In this case, the rider has to learn the correct timing of the aid to get the desired canter lead.

Alternately, the horse might be in the learning phases and might not know to respond promptly even if the rider's timing and aids are correct. In this case, he might not recognize the rider's outside leg as asking for the strikeoff, trot through the aid and strike off with the inside hind leg, again causing the counter canter.

Fix The Lead

There is a golden rule to stick to when things get discombobulated.

Secret: Slow down that trot!

Chances are, after you got the wrong lead, your horse eventually broke into an unbalanced trot (or you asked him to go back to the trot). In either case, this trot will likely be fast, on the forehand, and difficult to ride.

Your job at that moment is to be the creator of balance. Keep asking the horse to slow down in that trot. Wait for him to "come back under you" - so that he isn't running out while you just try to hang on. There is no point in asking the horse to try to canter on even while he's barely keeping balance in the trot.

So wait for him. Take your time. Teach him that there's no panic even after that uncomfortable canter thing just happened. It's all good!

Wait.

But here's the clincher. As soon as he's balanced, calm and ready - go! Be sure your aids are crystal clear - exaggerate the "windshield wiper" action of your outside leg.

If he only speeds up again in the trot, bring him back to that nice, slower tempo. Under all circumstances, don't kick him faster faster and "hope" he canters off. (There is one exception: while training the young horse, you should accept whatever he offers at the very beginning.)

Some horses can in fact canter out of an awkward trot, but invariably, that canter will be similarly hard to maintain. Always balance the trot before asking for the canter again.

Still Taking The Incorrect Lead?

There are several other ways to work on getting the correct lead. We'll look at those ideas in the next article.

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What Are The Leg Aids For Canter?

leg aids to canter — Photo Credit: NBanaszak Photography

While the leg aids change little between the walk and trot, the canter does require some change in function and coordination.

Even when riders seem to know what they're doing, there may be some confusion about the fine tuning of the aids. Students often ask me to review especially the leg aids for the canter to make sure they are asking for the correct lead, and timing the aid in a way that helps the horse the most.

Basic aids

The basic aids are the way you first learn to ask for the canter. This method helps the rider find and keep balance especially as the horse changes gait and takes that first step into the canter.

1. Inside leg at the girth

The inside leg must stay at the girth. This leg might not have to do much in terms of squeezing at the calf but it is important in case the horse falls in on the inside shoulder. Many horses will lean into a turn or come off the straight line when they move into the canter, and the inside leg is the aid that helps keep the horse straight through the transition.

Put pressure with the lower leg and calf if your horse falls in. Wait for the horse to straighten up before you apply the outside leg, even if it takes a few strides before he's ready. If he doesn't fall in, you can apply both legs almost simultaneously (inside leg should go first though).

2. Outside leg behind the girth

I call this the "windshield wiper" leg. If you can free your leg at the knees, you can "swoosh" your lower leg back behind the girth, and basically teach the horse to take that first step with the outside hind leg as you swing your leg back. Please note that the leg doesn't have to stay far back behind the girth, though it should be positioned a little further back than the inside leg to be effective in keeping the hip straight and asking for the correct lead.

In general, you shouldn't have to apply a lot of pressure with the outside leg.

3. Seat

Well, I'd be remiss to not mention the seat here, even though I know I'm focusing on the leg aids.

The seat really is THE aid that indicates the gait change. In other words, your legs position the horse's body so he doesn't swing in with the shoulders, or swing out with the hips... but really, it's the seat that indicates the canter.

Just to keep it short - you position yourself so you are sitting tall on the inside seat bone, and you switch your seat rhythm from the trot to the canter. You can sit the last few trot steps so you can be in the saddle for the transition.

Please Note

Notice that I didn't mention a kick in any of the aids.

Sometimes I get questions about why I don't want to kick into the transition, and I realize it might be a little controversial for me to say this. However, in theory, the strike off for the canter does not need the rider to bang the horse on the sides and throw her weight forward (or fall behind backward). In fact, the quieter you can be, the better it is for the horse (and invariably, for you as you negotiate the balance change into the canter).

If your horse absolutely won't canter without a kick, then yes, go to the kick. But I encourage riders to work toward first positioning the legs as above, second exaggerating the windshield wiper outside leg, third changing the seat to a canter movement, and FOURTH - kicking with both legs. Then work toward weaning your horse off that kick, and become quieter in your position.

The Upper Body

The idea is to not fall forward or backward through the transition. Many of us want to collapse forward in attempt to encourage the horse to "go forward" - but changing from the trot (or walk) to canter is not really going forward at all.

In fact, it's more about changing the horse's legs. It's not about going faster, or getting longer in the body, or pulling on the horse to keep him shorter, or anything at all. There should really be no change (in our dreams!) other than the legs going from the two-beat trot, to the three-beat canter with an easily heard moment of suspension.

Ideally, the first step in the canter should be bold and strong, but not runaway. The next steps should be the same. You should clearly hear the three-beat rhythm of the footfalls. The canter should be round (not flat), ground-covering (not fast) and consistent (not slow down-speed up - slow down - speed up).

The Hands

This article is about the legs, so I won't go much into the hands except to say that they really shouldn't do much. 🙂

Ideally, they'd maintain the horse's flexion and bend. The rein might need to be shortened a little (an inch or so) if the reins were long-ish at the trot. Otherwise, there's little to do other than not interfere.

For a more advanced description of all the aids, check out the 7 Essential Aids For An Epic Canter Transition.

Now that I've shared my version of the leg aids for canter, I'd love to hear yours. What problems have you had with the transition to canter? What solutions have you found over the years? Share in the comments below.

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Riding gives us the place to just be.

Of course, there are other purposes too. Some of us revel in the challenge of learning the skills required to becoming a good team member of this unlikely duo. Riding is like no other sport or recreational pursuit simply because of the equine partner that must not only carry us, but also do so effortlessly and gracefully. As we develop our specific skill sets, we also grow as human beings in character, emotional maturity and mental acuity.

But there is one other motivation that drives some of us to persevere in the never-ending learning process that is horseback riding: improving the horse. As your own skills develop, you begin to realize that not only can you meet your own needs through riding, but also that you can even become an instrument of benefit for the horse."

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This book is geared toward the rider:

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Along the way, you will find chapters that discuss everything from the seat to the leg aids to the reins, discussions on half-halts, imbalance, halts, straightness and more!

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7 Essential Aids For An Epic Canter Transition

When you first learn to canter, it's about all you can do to get the horse to change his legs from a two-beat trot to a three-beat canter. You do pretty much anything you can to make the transition happen - lean forward, kick, kick harder, kick some more, let the reins go, use your voice....

You might feel like the canter is a huge speed-up from the trot, and when the horse finally does canter, the euphoric feeling of strength and power sends you into a rocking horse motion that just can't really be adequately described to the non-rider.

But then you get better at it.

You realize that the canter departure doesn't have to resemble a rocket launch. You develop your aids till both you and your horse look a lot more civilized - and a lot less frantic. At some point, you realize that you can trot, maintain the trot rhythm, and elegantly step into the canter. Your aids become invisible, prompting less educated onlookers to think that the horse is reading your mind.

So how exactly do you develop an epic canter transition? How do the aids become refined enough to create a smooth, balanced and active upward transition? In the following seven steps, I've tried to break down each component of the transition in order to explain the nuances that go into a split-second movement! Although it might seem a little complicated, I hope that it can describe each moment that goes into a better developed canter departure.

Once you know each part that goes into the one movement, you might be able to problem-solve your departures with your horse and focus on one or two aspects as needed.

1. It All Starts With the Seat

Well, we already know this. But how does the seat exactly play into the transition? First off, your seat should be trotting when the horse is trotting. So if you are sitting the trot, your seat bones are actually moving in the rhythm of the trot. Be sure to promote a strong but not fast rhythm - one that your horse finds easy to move in while remaining supple.

If you are posting the trot, sit the last few strides before the canter. Use your seat to draw up the horse's hind legs, asking for more impulsion.

2. Use the Inside Leg/Outside Rein

The inside leg has a very important job in this moment. Apply the whole leg (from ankle up) at the girth to ask the horse for a mild bend to prepare for the inside lead. If your horse has a tendency to lean in just before the transition, your inside leg becomes even more critical in helping the horse maintain balance by not allowing him to drop his rib cage toward the middle of the ring.

The outside rein does little except to act as a "neck rein" - the one that sits onto the horse's neck and prevents him from drifting to the outside. It also can apply the half-halt aids before and after the departure.

3. Half-Halt Preparation

Do one or two or three half-halts before the transition.

We often tend to "throw everything away" (as in, lengthen the reins, take the legs off the horse, fall to the horse's front) as we head into the gait change. Fight that impulse and instead, keep the horse together. Keep yourself together!

Falling to the forehand and trotting faster before the canter almost always ensures a low-quality canter gait. Although the horse might transition, he will likely be on the forehand, braced in his neck and jaw and hollow in his back. He will also likely fall back to the trot sooner than later, no matter what you do to keep him going because he simply can't maintain his balance.

Instead, after you ask for impulsion, half-halt the horse to balance his weight to the hind end. Keep your legs on for impulsion after the half-halt.

4. Use the Outside Leg - Ask For the Lead

The outside leg initiates the lead. Some people call it a "windshield wiper" motion: swing your lower leg behind the girth to ask for the first stride. The horse's outside hind leg should strike off into the lead as your leg reaches back.

5. Canter With Your Seat

So far, your seat should have been trotting. Now, it needs to transition. So you go from two seat bones moving in tandem with the horse in the trot, to a canter motion with the inside seat bone leading (to allow for the horse to take the inside lead). Your seat now needs to promote the canter movement - swinging back and forth thanks to your supple lower back.

Keep your shoulders fairly still by moving through your back. The swinging movement allows for the illusion of your shoulders staying still while the horse is moving.

6. Use the Half-Halt Again

Just because the horse is now in canter doesn't mean that you should stop riding! Many of us tend to freeze in our aids, opting instead to just hang on to the increased movement of the canter. Well, as soon as you have enough balance and are able, ride actively again.

Half-halt - once, twice, three times maybe - in the rhythm of the canter. This helps the horse to stay "together" after the transition. The sudden surge of energy needs to be controlled so that it doesn't just fall on the horse's shoulders and forehand.

7. Canter on!

Now all you have to do is commit to the horse's movement. Your seat should allow the movement that your horse offers, and it's your job to not let your upper body fall forward/backward/sideways while your seat follows, follows and follows (unless you do another half-halt).

* * * *
When you first start paying attention to each of these aspects of the canter transition, you might need to actually think through every part, talking your body into the necessary activity while negotiating the canter movement. But rest assured - with practice and time, things become more and more automatic, and then you can focus more on your horse's specific needs.

Though we are talking about so many steps all subdivided here, in reality, it all comes together within a few seconds - from preparation, to the request, strike-off and follow-through. Eventually, it happens so seamlessly that the departure becomes just a quick thought - one that transpires between both you and your horse in an epic, seemingly mind-reading fashion!

How do you ask your horse for the canter? Let us know if there is anything missing in the comments below.

Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding

From the first book in the Horse Listening Collection: Horse Listening, The Book

And so begins the book that reflects the most important learning I have had in all of my riding years: that I want to be the best rider I can be for the sake of my horses.

This book is geared toward the rider:

- the rider's motivations

- the essential skills for the rider

- some specific strategies

- solutions to common problems

- and the results: the great horsey moments we get to experience

Along the way, you will find chapters that discuss everything from the seat to the leg aids to the reins, discussions on half-halts, imbalance, halts, straightness and more!

Special in this book are the "In The Ring" sections that give specific suggestions based on the preceding chapters. Take these to the barn to try with your own horse!

Available as an eBook or paperback.

Horses. Riding. Life.

Tag: canter aids

How Many Aids Are You Using?!

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Horse Listening Book Collection - beautiful paperbacks with all the excellence of the blog - in your hands! Click on the image for more information.

12 Riding Quick Tips – #10: How To Canter Instead Of Just Trot Faster

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Now is the time to re-evaluate your goals and path to riding success!

Wrong Canter Lead? 5 Ways To Fix It!

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Use this hands-on guide to create your own personalized, structured and organized horse riding goals. Track your progress for a complete year.

Crystal Clear About Canter Leads and a Quick Fix

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding

What Are The Leg Aids For Canter?

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding

7 Essential Aids For An Epic Canter Transition

Finally! The Ultimate Rider-Centered Program!

Buy the book for many more riding tips! Horse Listening – The Book: Stepping Forward to Effective Riding