Canter Camp

After our lesson a couple of weeks ago with SW, where we got the a-okay on the current work, and decided he just needs habituation to more environments before we go to actual shows to show, I made a plan to work on canter.  When it got into the 50’s this week we started walking and trotting single, double, and triple poles.  He was nice and rhythmic and pretty polite but never offered canter steps after.  Yesterday I set up double poles at one end of the ring and triple poles to a small X on the long side. And the rodeo commenced.  See above for reference.  He bucked, he made shapes, he almost smacked me in the face flinging his head around.  At one point he was wildly cavorting and I looked up to see a guy in a power truck stopped to watch the fun.  Yeah.  Anyway, I rode through everything solidly, never even lost my stirrups, alternated easier stuff with just the trot poles, then the trot poles to the X.  After about 20 minutes of this, and 7 or 8 canters after X, he did a trip through with only minor back humps and we quit on that with lots of pats.

So, I am proud of myself for being brave, sticking to the plan, and thinking my way through his wildness.  My thoughts afterwards were: more forward on landing will keep him from being able to screw around so much, wear my sticky breeches ALWAYS when working on canter, and maybe I need to wait for a little warmer weather, say 70+, when he is a bit more lethargic to try this again.  I thought about it overnight and decided, as one will, to do some research on YouTube.  Eventually I came upon a gem by Amelia Newcomb, Three Exercises to Improve the Canter Transition.  Armed with knowledge I put my poles away, did our usual warmup, used two of the three exercises together and we got our first trot to canters ever without poles.  Quietly.  In a balanced fashion. Only one lead, but still.  Lots of peppermints were involved!

The recipe was walk trot walk until he was a little buzzy off my aids, then a trot leg yield from the 1/4 line to the track and just as he gets there counter bend/flex and ask for canter.  I added in using my voice command for canter, some light taps on his outside shoulder and waiting him out on about a 15m circle counter bent and continuing to ask.  After about a circle of that he stepped lightly into the canter and did a lovely balanced circle. I could have just about cried.  After a mint and lots of praise we tried the right lead.  I couldn’t get him to step into it but scratched him, switched back to tracking left and went through the steps and got a nicely balanced left canter again.  Lots of praise, a canter circle to a trot then halt, treats, praise, tack off and turned free.

I know the recipe might change but I am SO HAPPY to have had an actual successful trot to canter transition twice that does not involve poles or running him into it.  Today was a good day!