We introduce two exercises from the Arena GPS series (www.equestrian-mobile-guides.com) that help to prepare and improve the canter depart.
Both exercises are most effective when you ride trot - canter transitions. They are simple enough that you can ride them with a 1st or 2nd Level horse.
What Makes A Horse Difficult?
In most cases the difficulty probably consists of the horse “not sticking to any rules” that the rider has learned. None of the standard recipes of the riding instruction manuals seem to work on a horse like that. He hasn’t read a single book and obviously doesn’t know how to behave as a proper horse. In addition, difficult horses are usually too sensitive and explosive, or too phlegmatic and sucked back. So, their disposition is problematic.
One problem I see in many riding lessons is that horses pivot with their inside hind leg in a turn on the haunches. In dressage, this is considered a mistake because the footfall sequence of the walk is interrupted, if only three legs are moving and the fourth one is stuck on the ground. It also cause the horse to brace with his belly muscles and the muscles of his inside hind leg.
