The canter to walk to transition is quite often one of the first real stumbling blocks that horse and rider combinations hit in their training. It’s the first exercise that requires a substantial degree of collection, which can be hard work for an inexperienced horse or rider.
When introducing a new exercise, it’s always wise to give the horse the best possible chance of getting it right. First make sure that your horse is happy and comfortable cantering a ten-metre circle anywhere in the arena. If that feels easy, light and in self-carriage, that’s a good sign the horse is strong enough to tackle the canter-walk transition.
You can then develop the transition out of the small circle. The easiest way to do this is to ride the ten-metre circle from the track. As you then return to the track, the horse should naturally be in its most balanced and collected canter. This is then a good time to ask for the walk – particularly as the presence of the arena wall should back the horse off a little and keep them straight.
Important point to note: the first few attempts will not be pretty! It’s a lot of ask the horse, and it will take them some time to understand where they need to put the balance in the transition. Gentle repetition and lots of praise are needed here. I also like to keep doing the transition out of the circle for some time, so they know what to expect and become more confident in it.
So what about the rider’s aids for the transition? If you are coming out of the circle, you won’t have to worry too much about sitting the canter back. Just ensure you are using enough leg to keep the hind leg jumping underneath the body. When you get to the point where you ask for the transition, remember to sit tall and deep, and keep the leg closed – resist the urge to stick your feet out in front of you and pull back! This only encourages the horse to bear down on the rein and come onto its forehand. A balanced seat is vital here, along with a softly restraining (but not pulling) hand. Counting yourself down can also be useful – I like to count ‘three, two, one AND walk’, with the ‘and’ being one extra stride before the transition. It helps me to get myself and horse in the best possible balance, and makes sure that the horse is waiting for the transition instead of anticipating.
Once the transition is really established on the circle, you can start riding it in other places. I like to progress to the half circles or the serpentine loops. That way, the tighter turn in advance of the transition still has the balancing effect of the circle, and the horse can easily link the exercises. From there you can move on to straighter lines and more challenging positioning, before putting everything together for the simple change.