ANSWER:
Try to improve your horse's balance before the down transition, i.e. drive
the hind legs more underneath you and apply half halts to let the horse
settle more into his hind legs. Then the down transitions will improve. A
common mistake that many riders make is that the push their horse onto the
forehand in the canter with their seat. When the diagonal inside hind
leg/outside front leg touches down, you feel an "undertow" pulling you
forward-downward in the saddle. If you follow this pull, or if you actively
encourage it, you drive the horse downhill onto the forehand. The canter
will become faster, and the horse will become heavier. In order to balance
your horse, you have to resist this pull with your seat bones. Push them
down, or maybe even back and down, instead of forward. When the hind legs
are in the air, you have to drive a little with your legs. Otherwise the
horse will drop out of the canter, because your seat is asking for more
flexion of the haunches, i.e. more work for the haunches, and they will only
be able to comply if you increase the energy level. When the horse's front
end rises in the canter stride, you have to enhance the vertical lift with
your seat, e.g. by pointing your navel towards the ceiling and lifting your
pelvis (without losing touch with the saddle). Your seat then creates a
vacuum that the horse's back will fill, so your seat bones never lose touch
with the saddle.
When the canter is balanced and uphill, you will find that the down
transitions will be smooth and uphill as well.
- Thomas Ritter
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Last Update: January 13, 2007