Make sure you can see the light – a cool canter with the Christop Hess clinic tip
The classical canter seat in dressage and when schooling is to site into the horse with hips aligned to the hips of the horse and the shoulders to the horses shoulders, thus advancing the stride with a asymmetric contact into the saddle allowing for the stabalising inside leg under tension and in contact with the horse in the girth area and the holding outside leg keeping bend and holding the quarters on line. This is the way to ride a canter when schooling and when in a dressage arena….. but! In order to generate the lift and ease of a rhythmic canter which is full of energy and is light and forward moving the horse has to be able to engage fully through its back a horse must have a strong back and be elastic in its stride.
When warming up and when teaching a horse to canter a light or two point seat allows the horse to rise in the back and ‘find his rider’. Christoph Hess, Germany’s FEI dressage and eventing judge explains, at a recent clinic, that the advantages are important and every horse can benefit from riding the canter this way.
This way of riding a canter creates an appearance of somewhat bouncy canter seat but it should never ever be heavy on the horse’s back (rider’s seat either just about brushes the saddle in the down phase or lifts again before coming in contact with the saddle. All movement of the horse goes through rider’s knees and hips. This way of riding in half seat is sometimes referred to as an “incorrect rising canter” but whatever we call it, it really builds feel, stability, upper body independence and arms suppleness. It also helps the rider with timing of the leg aids and with supporting each canter stride as and when necessary. This approach, additionally, increases reaction time when jumping, is great for very hot horses and helps those riders who tend to fold over the jumps excessively.
Many novice and intermediate riders have trouble with riding the actual canter stride of their horse without stiffness. If they feel nervous they might move own body in “shorter” strides or “longer” strides, they might worry about being left behind or bounced upwards, they might grip through their thighs and knees and lose their stirrups, they might lock through their hip joints and “drive” the canter by rubbing their seat down into the saddle. This encourages the horse to dip his back away from the pressure and therefore tensing the very muscles that needs to be relaxed and supple for the movement to be most effortless and pleasant to both sit to and to watch.
Riders with a tendancy to grip with their knees in canter or sitting trot will struggle to improve the quality of their horses’ canter will also find both of these exercises to have unlocking effect on their pelvis and knees and stabilising effect on their hands. In turn, this will help with expression and freedom of the horse’s movement.
Having a set of eyes on the ground will really help you with your canter work. Horse Scout has a fabulous listing for professional trainers and working with someone else who has your interests at heart will change your attitude to cantering with your horse and improve your riding relationship with him.
