ANSWER:
It is the other way around. If the horse has not learned to balance himself,
i.e. if he has not learned to go on the bit, to use a more modern term, the
canter work will not be successful. Rushing is always a sign of a
lack of balance. The hind legs thrust more than they carry, because their
hip and stifle joints have not developed the necessary elasticity and the
flexor muscles of the hind legs have not become strong enough yet.
Riding on a loose rein is not very productive, unless the horse stretches
correctly forward-downward. A strung out horse on a loose rein has dropped
his back and is dragging his hind legs (Cf. Alois Podhajsky, Die Klassische
Reitkunst, 1965: "The long rein must never be misunderstood. It should not
lead to exercising the horses without reins or simply letting them run
around. Such work is as harmful for the tendons and ligaments as for the
posture and the entire physical and mental development."). This develops the
wrong muscles and increases the wear and tear on joints, tendons and ligaments without adding
any useful learning experience. If you "take a contact" by shortening the
reins on the strung out horse, without engaging the hind legs more first, he
can easily panic, because this suppresses the back and hind legs, and the
imbalance becomes worse. This effect will appear more strongly in the canter
than in the other gaits.
That's why I would address the horse's being strung out first. Starting at
the walk, energize the haunches, so that they take more determined strides,
touching down closer to the center of gravity. Slow the rhythm down, as your
horse will most likely try to speed up in the process. The hind legs need a
chance to catch up with the rest of the horse. When you feel like you are
sitting directly on top of the haunches in the walk, go through the same
process in the trot. By improving the engagement and balance, you
automatically improve the rein contact, because the correct rein contact is
merely a consequence of balance/self carriage. The horse has to learn to
balance himself over his haunches in the trot as well. When you have
accomplished that, the horse is ready for the canter. In other words, the
issue of correct rein contact has to be resolved in the walk and the trot
long before you can even think of cantering.
Good preparatory exercises are transitions between gaits, as well as within
the gait, turns, circles, voltes, serpentines, lateral movements: anything
that challenges and enhances the balance.
In order to improve the canter itself, after the horse is sufficiently
balanced at the walk and trot, you can practice transitions walk > trot >
canter > trot > walk at the longe line in side reins. Finding the optimal
length of the side reins is a matter of repeated adjustments. They should be
long enough so that the nose does not come behind the vertical in the
canter, but they must be short enough so that the horse cannot invert and
use his underneck muscle. Otherwise, the exercise is worthless. It is
important that the horse is completely calm before you ask for the canter.
That's why I have found it useful to return to the walk until the horse
settles down. Then you build the exercise again by asking for a quiet trot,
and finally a quiet canter. Keep the reprises short, because the quality of
the gait will deteriorate the longer you keep the horse in the canter. Under
saddle, keep the canter tours short as well, but practice repeated
transitions from a balanced, calm trot into an equally balanced and calm
canter. The horse's back must lift and swing in the trot, so that the horse
can "roll" forward-upward into the canter like a big, slow wave.
All classical authors warn their readers against premature canter work,
because it is so damaging for the horse's legs and overall development.
Since your horse has only been in any kind of serious training for 3 months,
he may not be ready to work on the canter yet. He may need more preparation.
Take your time. Due to the inclusion of the canter even in Training level
tests, riders tend to forget how much strength a balanced canter requires
from the horse. Some horses are "canter horses". They are so naturally
balanced that their canter is better than their trot, right from the start.
Others are "trot horses". For them, it can be quite a challenge to learn to
balance the rider's weight on their back in the canter. They may have to
learn to do a shoulder-in, possibly even half passes in the trot, before
they are balanced and strong enough to canter *well*.
And this is always the issue. There is no sense in riding a gait or an
exercise, if we don't do it well. It is always the "How" that matters, not
the "What". Or as Neindorff says: "Zeigen Sie lieber wenig und das Wenige
gut, als viel und schlecht." (It is better to ride simple exercises and ride
them well, than to ride difficult ones poorly.) It is up to the judgment of
the trainer to make the determination when the horse is ready to begin
working on a certain gait or movement, or whether he still needs more
preparatory work, i.e. whether the gait or movement can be improved by
practicing it, or whether it is better to prepare it with other exercises.
- Thomas Ritter
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Last Update: January 13, 2007