CANTER LEADS. Instructor Club/Center Region Year. Time: 20 min

Transcription

1 CANTER LEADS Instructor Club/Center Region Year Topic: Canter, being aware of leads Certification Level: D-2 Class Size: 2-6 Arena Size Needed: At least a small dressage ring, enclosed Time: 20 min Objective: D-2 Riding: Ride at the canter in both directions in an enclosed area and be aware of leads. Equipment Needed: none References: USPC D Manual, 2 nd Edition, pp Safety Concerns: Calm experienced pony, confident student with no prior scary incident Safety Check: Medical armband/bracelet. Before riding: bridle fit/safety, girth tight/stitching, leathers stitching/bars, helmet fit/approved, horse boots fit/attachments. For a more complete list refer to the USPC D Manual, 2 nd Edition, p. 27 and , Pony Club Safety Book, and Pony Club Horse Management Handbook Lesson Procedure 1. Introduction of Self/Students Hello, my name is and I am member from Pony Club or Riding Center. Let s go around the room and you can tell me your name, certification, and your horse s name. Allow the students to do this and give each one a name tag. (Do Safety check. Everyone should be lined up in the middle, facing you.) 2. Verbalize Objective of Lesson Today we are going to learn about cantering on the correct lead. 3. Ask Prior Knowledge of Topic Who has cantered before? Who knows what I mean when I talk about leads at the canter? Who knows how to tell if you are on the correct lead when you canter?

2 4. Demonstration/Discussion: The canter is a three-beat gait; it sounds like one, two, three, one, two, three. It has a rocking motion like a merry-go-round, but a bit faster. The rocking motion makes it fun to ride! You will need to have good balance and control. We will talk about the aids to ask your pony to canter and how we keep your pony going as well. When your pony starts to canter, it is called a canter depart. To canter you must prepare your pony and then ask for the canter. You prepare to canter by sitting deep and tall and have your reins short enough to control your pony, but not tight or pulled back or he won t go. Wake up your pony with leg squeezes so that he wants to go faster, but keep him in an energetic walk or a slow sitting trot. If you post he will think you want to trot faster and not canter, so you need to sit when you ask for the canter. If he trots fast or runs he won t be ready and will just trot faster instead of canter. Once he is prepared then give the signal/aids for a canter depart. Put your outside leg (the one next to the rail) back a couple of inches and squeeze or nudge your pony s side. If he is lazy, you may have to use your leg quite firmly, and you may also have to cluck to your pony or say Canter! Push with your seat as well. The outside leg, moved back a bit, and squeezing, tells him what lead to take. Relax your hands to let him begin cantering. Be careful not to pull back on the reins as he starts to canter. Keep your hands down on your pony s neck or hold a neck-strap. You may need to use your legs and seat to keep your pony going in the canter. Give a leg squeeze or nudge with every stride as your seat sinks down in the saddle. You can also give a little push with your seat (like swinging in a swing) at each stride. Keep your hands down low and quiet, hold a neck-strap or a safety strap if necessary, and be careful not to accidentally pull back on the reins. Pulling on the reins will make your pony stop cantering and can confuse him. Look up and ahead to where you want your pony to go, and remember to guide him around the corners and keep him close to the rail. It helps to sit deep and tall and remember to breathe. Relax as much as you can and let your seat rock easily with your pony. You may even feel like you are leaning back a little to keep your seat in the saddle. To ride the canter, you must sit down; don t stand up, don t lean forward, or bounce, which can put you off balance and might make your pony go too fast. Now let s talk about how to stop your pony. To come back to a trot and to a walk, do the following: Take a deep breath and sit deep and tall. Squeeze and relax your hands on the reins as firmly as you have to until your pony slows down and begins to trot. Use a quiet voice command, Whoa, if you need to. If your pony trots, post for a few steps and then sit deep and tall again, breathe and squeeze with your hands to ask him to walk. Remember to thank your pony with a pat and say Good Boy! So, there are four phases: prepare your pony to canter, ask him to canter, keep him cantering and finally asking him to trot or walk. Now we know how to canter and stop our ponies. Does anyone know about leads?

3 It is important to have your pony on the correct lead so he can balance and easily keep cantering for you. How do we know if he is on the correct lead? When a pony canters, his front and hind legs on one side reach out ahead of the other, like a person skipping. If his left legs are ahead, he is on the left lead. If his right legs are ahead, he is on the right lead. If he is going to the right, his left front leg will move forward first, but then the right leg/shoulder moves and goes farther forward. Watch for the inside shoulder to go farther forward. Eventually you will be able to feel if your pony is on the correct lead and won t need to look down at the shoulder. It can be easier for your pony to get the correct lead if you ask on a turn or make a big circle and ask. 5. Application of the activity: It is time to try the canter. Since you have not had much experience cantering let s do it one at a time, and the rest of us can watch for the correct lead. Who would like to go first? (One at a time have them canter and offer assistance. If it goes well then you then ask about leads. If they are struggling, then don t worry about the leads too much. Once they have all cantered one direction and have all been safe, then you could do two at a time. Have them canter both directions. The ones that watch can help determine the leads while watching.) Remember that cantering is hard work for your pony, even if it s fun for you. Give him a break now and then, and don t overdo it. At first, canter only for short distances. Don t try to canter too long or too fast. If your pony gets into a fast trot, slow down and start over. Your pony can t start a good canter from a fast trot and it teaches them bad habits. Let your seat relax and rock gently with your pony s canter. It may help to pretend that you have saddle soap on your seat and that you are polishing the saddle. Keep your legs relaxed and your knees and ankles springy. If your legs get stiff, you will push against your stirrups and bounce. Go with your pony s balance around turns. Don t lean way over, but don t lean out to the outside, either. Canter only on good footing (not slippery) and on level ground or slightly uphill. Cantering downhill, around sharp turns, or on slippery ground can get your pony off balance and is not safe. 6. Additional Ideas if time allows: Canter different directions. Work on getting the correct lead. Canter from the front of the group to the end. Canter larger circles. 7. Conclusion: You all did a great job. Now let s see if you can answer a few questions. What do you do to prepare your horse for a canter? (sit deep and tall, and wake him up with your legs) Who can tell me the aids for the canter depart to the right? (your left leg (outside leg) goes back a little and squeezes and you push with your seat and open your hands just a bit) How do you keep your pony cantering? (Use your legs and seat, use legs squeeze or nudge

4 with every stride as your seat sinks down in the saddle.) How do you know if you are on the left lead? (The right leg/shoulder (outside shoulder) reaches forward first, and then then left leg/shoulder (inside shoulder) goes forward but farther). So when you are home practicing your canter, be sure to prepare your pony so he can do a good job for you. Then ask him, but don t let him run into it and learn bad habits. If he starts to run into the canter, then stop and do it again. Have fun and thank you for coming today. Photo permission USPC from Susan Harris

5 The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. The Kentucky Horse Park, 4041 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY / (PONY) Fax 859/ Copying permitted for internal use by and for members and volunteers of The United States Pony Clubs only.