14
THE GALLOP IS THE FASTEST NATURAL GAIT of most horses. It is a fully extended gait: the horse stretches his head and neck forward and takes long strides. In this four-beat gait, there is a brief moment of suspension in which all four feet are in the air. A slower version is called a canter or lope, which can be merely slow or collected.
When training a young horse, the canter is usually not attempted until the pupil has had some experience carrying a rider and maintaining good control at slower gaits, and any full-speed work at the gallop is saved for later phases of training.
How the Horse Moves at the Gallop
Unlike at the trot, during which diagonal legs move in unison to create a two-beat gait, in the gallop each leg hits the ground in sequence. Even though two feet may be on the ground at the same time, they hit in a different order. At the fast gallop, the horse never has more than two feet on the ground at once.
Leads
Whenever your horse gallops or canters, one front leg and one hind leg come farther forward than his opposite legs. He is on either the left lead or the right lead, which means that during the phase of his stride when he is putting his feet down onto the ground, he is reaching farther forward, or leading, with either the left or the right feet.
If your horse is on the left lead, his left hind and left front come farther forward. His feet will land in a definite sequence and then all will be off the ground in an instant of suspension. If he’s on the left lead, the first foot to land after that moment of suspension will be the right hind. Then the left hind will reach farther and lead. Next to strike the ground will be the right front foot, then the left front reaches forward and leads. When the left front is picked up, there will be another brief moment of suspension, and the sequence is repeated.
The Gallop and the Canter Compared
At the gallop your horse is extended and traveling fast. His head and neck are stretched forward. His hind feet hit the ground in sequence, but the first one to hit is off the ground again by the time a front hits. Leg sequence is nonleading hind, leading hind, nonleading front, leading front, then the period of suspension.
The canter or lope is slower. Though these terms may be used interchangeably, horsemen often consider a lope uncollected (a slow version of the gallop) and the canter collected. A loping horse and a cantering horse tend to have the same cadence — the rhythm in which the hooves land—though there will be some variation, depending on the slowness of the gait and whether it is collected or uncollected.
Footfall order at the gallop with the horse on the left lead
Footfall order at the canter with the horse on the left lead
In the collected canter, your horse is not so extended; his head is up, his neck more arched. His weight is farther back on his hindquarters. He’s more prepared for a quick change of direction than he is at an extended gallop because he is more balanced for a turn.
When he canters, he has one or three feet on the ground except during the phase of his stride in which all four are off the ground. The canter is usually a three-beat gait. If your horse is cantering on the left lead, his right hind comes down first, then his left hind comes farther forward and leads, landing at the same time as the right front leg for the second beat of the cadence. Then his left front reaches forward and comes to the ground for the third beat.
When the left foreleg is lifted again, there is a brief moment of suspension, as in the gallop, in which all four feet are off the ground. At a medium-fast canter, the right hind is lifted before the left foreleg comes to the ground, making a brief instant in which your horse has two feet on the ground instead of one or three, as in the slow canter. If the canter becomes quite animated (that is, with a lot of impulsion and up-and-down movement), it may result in a four-beat cadence like the gallop, even though it’s much slower. In this instance, the paired front leg and opposite hind leg do not land together; the hind foot lands slightly sooner than the front.
How to Ride the Gallop or Canter
As your horse starts to gallop or canter, bring your weight sharply forward and your knees and calves into closer grip with the saddle. Your back should be hollow; maintain it that way by pressing your buttocks to the rear. This also helps you keep your heels down. Your thighs, knees, and calves should be in close contact with the saddle, firm but not rigid. Your arms (if riding with a snaffle and two hands on the reins) should be extended and moving with the balancing gestures of the horse’s head and neck. With a curb bit and one hand on the reins, that hand is forward and moving with your horse’s head and neck, thus staying in perfect bit contact.
At the canter or gallop, you should stay up out of the saddle, floating close to it, with your weight in the stirrups. The horse will have more freedom of movement when your weight is balanced through your knees and stirrups rather than on his back. At the canter the saddle should pat you, not bang you. No matter how fast the horse is traveling, the stirrups will hang straight if you are properly balanced.
At the extended gallop, your weight is brought more sharply forward at the waist as your hands shorten the reins: leaning forward has shortened the distance between hand and bit. Apply your legs with greater force to start the horse into the faster gait, after which merely rest them alongside him, ready to urge him on if he slackens his speed. Keep your back hollow and your heels down; your knees are your main contact and pivot points, with your upper body leaning forward and your buttocks raised slightly from the saddle and pushed to the rear. Use your shoulders to maintain your balance as you move in sync with your horse.
BODY POSITION
Rider’s position at the canter. Her weight is forward; back is hollow; head is up; heels are down; thighs, knees, and calves are in close contact with the saddle. Her arms are extended, moving with the horse’s head and neck.
At the extended gallop, the rider’s weight is brought more sharply forward at the waist.
Teaching the Green Horse
After your horse is well started and has good control at the walk and the trot, add some galloping to his training sessions. You must determine when he is ready for this step. This will depend somewhat on his age and his attitude. With a very young horse (such as a two-year-old you are working with in preparation for later lessons), it’s best to postpone fast work until he is at least three years old.
If you are training a skittish or exuberant individual who may use galloping as an excuse to bolt or buck, wait until you have established more control at slower gaits so he has confidence in your authority. If your horse is a mellow individual, you may be able to progress to the canter quickly. You may reach a point during a lesson when you suddenly realize he’s ready. It may be while working in an arena or pasture or when traveling across country. You just know that his attitude and the time are right. It’s best to try the canter when riding alone, because if another horse is traveling fast, your horse may become more excited. Keep the first cantering lesson brief.
To teach a green horse a first gallop, choose ground that is relatively level or slightly uphill with good footing.
If you are riding across country when you decide to try a short gallop, choose an area free of obstacles, relatively flat with good footing, or slightly uphill. (A horse is much less apt to buck while galloping uphill and more likely to buck while galloping downhill.) Don’t choose a spot that has a ditch or depression; if your horse jumps it, he may go right into a buck. Young horses often like to play and buck just from high spirits, and when they start galloping, they tend to slip right into play mode.
Cueing for the Lope
When training the green horse, put him into the lope or canter from a trot; it will be easiest for him. Later you can teach him to go into a canter from a walk or a standstill, but that takes more practice. He will be less confused if the first few lessons are from a trot.
Your horse should have good control at the walk and the trot and be responsive to your signals through the reins. He has begun to develop a good mouth and is able to understand your cues through the bit. He is ready for the canter after you have smooth transitions from walk to trot and from trot to walk and when he knows how to respond to the bit and to leg pressure without becoming confused or resistant. He knows how to speed up and slow down on cue.
To encourage your horse to go from a trot to a canter, squeeze harder with your legs and lean forward a little to signal him to go faster. His tendency will be to move faster to restore balance. Don’t lean too far forward, however, for that will have the opposite effect: he may slow down or stop. If he tries to trot faster in response to your cue, gently finger the reins to check him with the bit. This tends to control his energy, and because he cannot trot faster, he will break into a canter or a lope.
If your horse trots faster, continue squeezing with your legs and gently checking with the bit until he breaks into the canter. Then immediately cease checking with the bit, but do continue to keep light contact with his mouth. Follow his head and neck movements with your hands, keeping him on the bit with light contact but no longer checking him. Do not lose contact with his mouth or you will have less control over his actions if he becomes playful and tries to throw in a few jumps or bucks.
He should stay in good control, contained between your legs as you encourage him to keep cantering, and your hands as you maintain good communication through the bit. Soon your horse will learn that your leg pressure and the bit signal are his cues to canter. If you synchronize your legs and hands for a smooth transition, he will shift gaits fairly readily, without leaping forward into a gallop or merely trotting faster.
DON’T RUSH HIM
If the green horse is hesitant to break into a canter or gallop, don’t rush him. Keep asking for more speed at the trot and immediately release your cues when he increases his speed, so he knows that he has responded properly. Let him travel a few strides at the increased speed before you apply leg pressure again. After applying your cue several times, the horse will break into a gallop. He may gallop only a few strides and then drop back to a trot, but that’s fine.
Take as many lessons as needed to work on sustaining the canter or gallop. You don’t want to push him too quickly or he may try to bolt or buck. After several sessions of short gallops, the horse will figure out what he is being asked to do and will respond more quickly to your cue. You can then increase the distance he travels as he becomes more confident.
If your horse is sensitive and skittish, be careful about giving too much pressure with your cues or he may try to buck. It may take several sessions to work him up to a canter when you begin this phase of training. Take all the time he needs, so the first lessons will go smoothly and successfully.
Encourage him to trot faster, then let him drift back down to a slower trot. Do this a number of times, slowly working your horse up to the point at which he decides to break into the next gait. Eventually, he will shift into a lope on his own. It will be his idea—you are not forcing him — yet he learns that this is what you are asking and will make the connection. Soon he will understand to shift into the lope or canter when you ask him for it.
If your horse gallops too fast, spend a few lessons on slowing down. If he insists on going too fast, pull him into a smaller and smaller circle (using just the inside rein) to slow him. Use your hands lightly, taking and giving, pulling and slacking. He’ll usually respond by wanting to drop to a trot, so use your legs to keep him cantering. By using your legs and hands, you help him learn what speed to go, keeping the canter controlled.
Don’t Worry about Leads
When you first start cantering, pay little attention to leads. Allow your horse to lead with his right or left foot. Just make sure he is never cross-cantering or disunited; that is, his fronts and hinds are on opposite leads (see page 341). If he starts off that way, ease him back to a trot and start over.
When first teaching your horse to canter, you will not be making small circles where correct lead is essential for proper balance. During first lessons, it’s best to work in straight lines. Conduct lessons in a large-enough pen or arena where you have plenty of room for a straight canter or in an open field or on a nice trail or track with good footing, so you can allow the horse to move out freely.
If you try to concentrate on leads from the start, some horses become confused; this is simply too much for them to think about all at once. The young horse first must learn new balance — how to handle himself with a rider. Work on leads later, after you are both at ease with this gait and the horse is moving well and completely under control.
Teaching a Collected Canter
A canter is a three-beat gait, a slow and collected gallop. Some horses can gallop slowly but have not been taught collection and are still traveling in an extended manner — just slowly. In this instance the canter becomes a four-beat gait like the gallop. With their heads low, they look as if they’re about to fall down at every stride. Neck and body are strung out; they are traveling heavy on their front feet. They lack animation. The uncollected horse is not in a position to change direction suddenly or gracefully. To do a good job of changing leads while cantering, a horse must be collected, so this will be one of the next things you teach him (see chapter 13 for more on collection).
Urge your horse with your legs to keep him cantering, and finger the reins to keep him from going faster. Direct his energy into more animated action instead of more forward speed. Your hands should be moving with his head and neck as you communicate with him through the bit with gentle give and take. Your hands are moving with him, yet you are letting him know he is supposed to stay slow as you restrain him gently with your fingers on the reins.
Use your weight to advantage. Sit more upright than at the gallop; if you lean forward too much, your horse will take this as a signal to go faster. Using your weight farther back keeps him collected and traveling slowly. His head will be raised instead of extended, and his hind legs will push farther underneath his body. In essence you are compressing his energy, telling his front end to slow down and his hindquarters to move more energetically. He will have more spring to his movements, as his propelling power is directed up and down as well as forward. Checking him lightly with the reins while urging gently with your legs tends to contain his energy somewhat. This encourages him to spring and to travel lighter on his front end.
Speed Control while Keeping Animation
With practice, your horse will master a slow, collected canter. You’ll be able to put him into a canter from a walk, a trot, or a standstill by leaning forward and squeezing with your legs. As your horse takes his first cantering stride, lean back slightly so your upper body is only a little forward, and continue using your legs and hands to keep him from slowing down or speeding up.
Working with Leads
A horse is well along in training when he has mastered collection at the canter. Now he can take either lead from a walk, a trot, or a standstill and can change leads smoothly while cantering. The gallop and canter bring out your skill and showcase your horse’s training. Both gaits demand good response from a horse.
If you are familiar with the way a horse moves at these gaits, you can more readily understand how and when to use certain signals to encourage yours to perform as you want him to. Your judgment in what you ask of the young horse will be more informed.
Why the Horse Has a Leading Leg
At the gallop and at the canter, the horse moves his legs in sequence rather than in pairs; thus, one front and one hind will always come to the ground ahead of the others. For balance and agility, then, your horse must be on the same lead in front as he is behind; when traveling free, without a rider to confuse him, this is generally the case.
If a horse is galloping in a straight line, he will normally change leads periodically to keep from tiring. When he is galloping in a circle or making a change of direction, he normally leads with his inside legs. This helps balance him and gives better traction on a tight turn in bad footing. A horse that is circling to the left should be on the left lead; if he is circling or turning to the right, he should be on the right lead.
LEADS
Right lead: The leading hind foot is still on the ground and the right front has just come to the ground farther forward.
Left lead: The right hind foot lands first; then the left hind comes to the ground and leads. The right front strikes the ground next; then the left front comes forward to lead.
PROPER LEAD CHANGING
When a horse changes leads correctly, he does it smoothly, always changing with his hind feet first — as they are the feet that come to the ground first after the period of suspension. If he were to change leads in front first, as he would if improperly cued by the rider, or changed in front and not behind, he would have a rough, unbalanced gait and could hit a front and hind leg together. You must give the proper cues so your horse will be able to change leads smoothly and correctly.
Changing Leads
When cantering or galloping, the diagonal set of legs that are on the ground together undergo more stress and are more subject to tiring. In the right lead, the right hind and left front get the stress; the left hind and right front are stressed in the left lead. For this reason, the horse often switches leads when running free. If you are riding him and doing a lot of speed work, ask him to change leads periodically.
Many horses do so automatically, without cues, but some get confused and change leads only in front or in back. You may need to give your horse cues for changing so he will do it properly. Then the stress will be on the opposite diagonal pair of legs for a while, and the other legs get a rest.
When a horse changes leads, he does it during the instant all four feet are off the ground. If he’s been cantering on the right lead, for instance, he changes at the moment of suspension, and the foot that then comes to the ground first is the right hind followed by the left hind, which reaches farther forward. He is now on the left lead.
Determining Which Lead He’s On
There are several ways to tell what lead, gait, or diagonal a horse is on without leaning over to watch his feet, which will throw him off balance. You determine these by feel, by watching his shoulders, and by listening to the cadence of the hoofbeats.
If he is in the left lead, a glance at his shoulders will show that his left shoulder is always moving forward about 4 inches in advance of the right one. The left shoulder, like the left leg, is moving farther forward than the right at each stride. If you are traveling in a circle, your inside leg (the left one, in this case) will be in motion; your outside leg will be comparatively still, resting against the saddle.
Control of His Leads
To put your horse into a canter or gallop on a certain lead, or to have him change leads while cantering, you will need to use proper leg and rein cues. Your horse will more readily respond to your prompts if you first put him in a position that leaves no room for confusion or hesitation. By correct use of your legs, shifting your weight properly, and a gentle but firm hand on the reins, you can put him into the proper position or take advantage of his being in the correct position. It is easier to teach your horse his leads after he learns collection.
Signaling for a Lead
There are several ways to put a horse into a certain lead. One may work better for you, or with a certain horse, than another. It’s always good to know different methods and to tailor your lessons to suit your horse.
Putting the horse into the canter on the left lead from a trot. While sitting or posting on the outside diagonal, the right in this case, the rider gives the signal to canter on the left lead by squeezing with his right leg as the horse’s right front foot hits the ground.
Use Leg Pressure
No matter which method you use for weight shifts and handling the reins, squeeze harder with your outside leg, behind the girth, when you give the signal to canter (the outside leg is the one opposite the side on which you want your horse to lead). If you are making a circle to the right — that is, the center of the circle is to your right — and you want him to pick up the canter on the right lead, squeeze hard with your left leg.
This cue stimulates your horse to give his greatest push with his left (outside) hind leg and he will lead with his right (inside) leg. Because you have trained him to move away from leg pressure, squeezing with your outside leg helps signal for a turn to the right — the direction in which he’ll be going as he starts to canter on the right lead.
Cue When Turning
An effective way to make him take a certain lead is to give him the signal to canter when going around a turn or making a circle. This takes advantage of his natural tendency to lead with his inside legs.
Let’s say you want your horse to pick up the canter on the left lead. The best way to accomplish this on a green horse is to ask for the canter while he is making a circle to the left. This can be most easily accomplished the first few times if he is trotting.
Be sure to make him take the right lead as often as the left so he won’t become a one-lead horse. And give him the signal to canter on a certain lead at various places when you’re working so he won’t learn to anticipate your signals at the same place or at the same turn.
To pick up the canter from a trot, give the signal when your horse’s outside front leg is on the ground. This means that the inside hind leg is on the ground also and the outside hind is moving forward, ready to strike the ground. If you press with your outside leg at this phase of his stride, he will be in the correct position to begin the canter on the proper lead. He will be able to push off more strongly with his outside leg, the one you are stimulating with your squeeze (the right one, in this case, if you are asking for a left lead), which is now coming to the ground, thus making the transition to the left lead.
If you are posting on the outside diagonal, as you settle down into the saddle, give the cue to canter, pressing with your outside leg while your horse’s outside front foot — the right in this case — is striking the ground. If sitting the trot, press your outside leg hard as the horse’s inside shoulder moves forward. In some respects, it is better to try this technique from a sitting trot, as you are more in contact with your horse and thus able to use your hands and legs more harmoniously. If it is difficult for you to tell which phase of his stride the horse is in while sitting the trot, however, it is better to use a posting trot and give your cues on the outside diagonal.
Using the Inside Rein
A common way to ask for the canter or lope on a certain lead is to use the outside leg and inside rein. For example, to ask for a canter on the left lead, cue for forward motion (encouraging the horse to move faster — from a walk or a trot to a canter) with your right leg, to stimulate the horse’s right hind to push off harder. At the same time slightly “lift” the left rein. This encourages the young horse to lift his left shoulder, freeing it to reach forward in that lead.
It is easier to teach the horse his leads if he already knows how to move his shoulders in response to your cues. For instance, if you teach him what reining horse trainers refer to as the “counter arc” (checking with the left rein and using your left leg at the girth to ask the horse to step his front legs across to the right), you are more in control of what he does with his front end. Doing this in both directions makes for a more supple, maneuverable horse. If this is accomplished before asking him to lope or canter, the process of teaching leads will be much easier.
Start by teaching the horse to move his shoulders both ways at a walk, then a trot. Once you can move his shoulders at a trot, it is fairly easy and simple to use the inside rein and your outside leg to ask for a particular lead. You can do this from a trot at first, since this is easiest for the horse to figure out, and then from a walk.
This method helps you to teach the young horse to keep his shoulders up and not to “drop” one. It also provides a lesson on not leaning too much into a circle (heavy on his front end, uncollected, not very light in your hands and thus harder to have perfect control over his movements). Control over his shoulders is crucial to maneuverability because they determine direction and lead.
Prevent Cross-Cantering
When cantering or galloping, your horse will be on the left or right lead or perhaps disunited, which means he is on one lead in front and the other lead behind. Cross-cantering (another term for disunited) produces a rolling motion of the horse’s body that is uncomfortable for the rider and dangerous because the horse is unbalanced. When his feet are not moving in proper sequence, he is more likely to strike a front foot with a hind foot and throw himself. If your horse ever starts the gallop or canter disunited in his leads, stop him and start him again.
The Flying Lead Change
When he takes the proper lead readily and on cue, you can teach your horse the flying lead change — changing leads at the canter. He must make the change while he is at that phase of his stride during which all four feet are in the air.
Many horses will change leads automatically when working cattle, following the turns and dodges of the cattle, without training and without cues, because they know what they are doing and can anticipate the direction they need to go. But they must be taught the changes of leads for arena work and other types of riding in which they do not always know when the rider will request a change of direction.
The Figure Eight
The figure eight is a useful movement for teaching the flying lead change. For the first lessons, each loop of the figure eight should be a circle at least 100 feet in diameter. Canter the horse in a large circle on the proper lead, then give him the signal for the new lead as you change direction and begin making the other loop of the eight.
To make it easier for the horse, drop to a trot for a few strides in the center of the eight before you make the change and straighten the horse. You don’t want his body crooked or even a little bent from the last circle. Give him the signal to canter on the opposite lead after you’ve put him in position to begin the next circle. This way he’ll pick up the next lead readily, especially if he already knows how to take his leads from the trot. A few trotting strides will give him time to get into the proper position to go into the new lead. The more you practice, the fewer trotting strides your horse will need, and soon you’ll know he is ready to try the flying change.
SOME HORSES ARE ONE-SIDED
Many horses naturally take the left lead when ridden; some will not take the right lead at all until they are taught to do so. These horses are, in effect, “right-handed.” When a horse goes into a canter or gallop, he raises his front and gives a push with his hind legs. Most of the pushing power comes from the hind leg on the side opposite the leg he will use to lead. Because he is “right-handed,” therefore, his main driving power comes from his right hind leg and he naturally goes into the left lead. At the same time that he’s giving this push with his right hind leg, his muzzle will be slightly tilted upward and to the left.
Canter one circle of the figure eight. Just as you begin the next circle, check your horse with the reins for an instant, then immediately give the cue for the new lead. He should make the change of leads in midair.
You may find it helpful to keep your horse’s head bent slightly in the direction of the old circle for an instant before you shift to the new direction. Squeeze hard with your legs as he makes a stride, exerting more pressure with your outside leg behind the girth. This signals for the next lead. Use your legs when you are farthest down in the saddle, at the phase of the stride when your weight is pressed down hardest in the stirrups and your body is lowest. Be careful not to lean too much when indicating the shift of direction; you don’t want to put too much weight over what will become the leading shoulder. Don’t prolong the lesson; flying changes will tire your horse if sessions are too long.
Changing Leads on the Straightaway
After learning how to respond to your cues, your horse will make the flying change with minimal prompts. Then he should be able to change leads at your signal, whether he is making a circle or cantering in a straight line. Continue to practice doing changes on the straightaway.
BE SUBTLE BUT URGE
WITH FEELING
The method you use to put the horse into a canter on a certain lead, whether you turn his head to the outside or to the inside, will probably depend on the results you get. Some horses respond better to the first method, some to the second. Whichever one you use, be subtle and lean only slightly. Concentrate on using your outside leg energetically — a little behind the girth — to push the haunches toward the center of the circle and to stimulate the outside hind leg.
Picking Up the Canter from a Walk
A common way to ask a horse to pick up the canter on a specific lead is to lean forward and very, very slightly to the inside — to the left if asking for a left lead. Leaning forward, while simultaneously using the reins (lifting the inside rein) and your legs to indicate left direction, helps urge your horse to turn to the left. He will then lead more readily with his inside legs (the left ones, in this case), his natural tendency when turning or making a circle. Never lean excessively; throwing your weight over the horse’s shoulder will put him off balance.
Picking Up the Canter from a Standstill
As your horse becomes more proficient at taking the correct lead at your signal, you can teach him to start the canter on the proper lead from a standstill. The usual way to ask for a canter departure on a certain lead is with the help of diagonal aids, conforming with the horse’s natural tendency to flex his body a certain way when he goes into a certain lead. When asking for the canter on the right lead, flex his head in that direction, use your left leg to stimulate his left hind, and push his hindquarters a little to the right. This puts him in the position he takes naturally when starting the canter in the right lead.
Using your cues this way makes it impossible for your horse to start off straight, however, which you may want him to do later. Eventually, refine your cues so that just a slight touch of the rein will signal the lead to take. Then your leg is not needed quite so much as a cue, and you can use whichever leg is needed to help him canter straight.
When he is taking leads nicely from a trot in a circle, you can gradually work your horse into taking either lead on a straightaway as well as on a turn and from a walk or a standstill as well as from the trot. At first you may have to push his hindquarters a little to one side — to the left when taking a left lead; to the right when taking a right lead — but with practice he will be able to depart into the canter when his body is straight. Canter departure is a term often used to describe how well or poorly a horse executes this action.
Refine Your Cues
As you and your horse work on leads and learn to communicate better, start to refine your cues. You may need merely to shift your weight a bit, finger a rein, or move your leg slightly, and your horse will know what you want him to do. When your cues are done consistently, they can become almost imperceptible to someone watching.
When giving cues to canter, push with your inside pelvic bone as you shift your weight to the inside to increase the horse’s impulsion on that side. You don’t want to lean excessively; that will just put him off balance and impede his leading shoulder. You don’t want to hinder that shoulder; you want to free it so it can move forward easily and let that front leg become the leading leg. As your horse becomes familiar with your cues, he will come to associate the canter on a certain lead just by your position in the saddle.
After your horse has reached this stage in his schooling, he is more useful for any kind of fast work and is ready to train for athletic events. One of the main purposes in training is to have your horse always under control, working willingly and responding readily to your signals. He can’t do a good job until he is always where you want him, moving with good balance, with his feet under him properly. And this can be accomplished only after you have control of his cantering and his leads.
Your horse needs a lot of work and training at all gaits in order to develop dexterity and balance while carrying a rider and to learn to adjust the length of his stride to any given situation. As his trainer, you learn to give the proper signals at the right time to get the best response from your horse. Now you are working as a team.
Don’t Overdo It
If at any time your horse becomes confused or won’t take a certain lead, slow down and go back a step or two. Go back to putting him into a certain lead from the trot or on a turn. After a while, he’ll associate your signals with the correct lead, regardless of where or when you give them — especially if you give the cues at the proper phase of his stride to use his natural inclinations to advantage.
None of the sessions should last so long that your horse starts to resent them. He’ll become sour and refuse to respond or will start resisting the cues. As with all lessons, when your horse responds properly and takes a lead successfully, end the cantering session, and do something else. Intersperse short cantering lessons with lots of work outside the arena, and your horse will remain cooperative and enthusiastic.