Introducing the canter pirouette for the first time is a big moment in a horse’s development. The jump from Advanced Medium to Small Tour is one of the more difficult steps, and the degree of collection needed for the pirouette is usually the biggest hurdle to overcome. It would be impossible to cover the complexities of training a good canter pirouette, so it will be split into four separate posts over the next month, covering the following topics: building collection, the working pirouette, turning tighter, and the final polish.
From the early days of training, it is useful to ride small adjustments in all paces, within the horse’s capability. This ensures that the horse is already used to lengthening and shortening the stride. In this way, building a degree of collection comes naturally, and develops alongside the horse’s own strength and carrying ability. It should not come as a shock when the rider asks for greater collection in the canter, but more of a continuation of the work the horse has been doing all along.
As a coach, it can be difficult to teach combinations how to achieve enough collection for the canter pirouette as so much relies on feel. The same is true of all the scales of training – it is more complicated to find the right aids for suppleness or straightness than it is for a half-pass or shoulder-in. So much relies on the rider already having a feel for what they want to achieve, and the confidence to react quickly, confidently, and consistently.
The most important thing to remember is that collection starts from the hind leg, so the rider’s leg should support the rhythm before anything else. All too often, riders try to shorten the canter through a blocking rein. Instead it can be helpful to think of the seat and rein ‘catching’ the energy produced from the hind leg – think back to front, not front to back! The video below with Robert Dover explaining the ‘Rubber Band Exercise’ is focused on the trot, but it is a useful analogy to bear in mind when riding the canter collection:
I also like to encourage riders to think of widening the distance between their seat bones or ‘opening’ their seat. This subtle shift in balance is often enough to encourage the horse to shorten the canter and sit more. Of course, in the early days in particular, this weight aid may need to be backed up by the rein, but it is important to think of the rein as a supporting aid, not the main driver of the exercise – small pat on the neck can be a nice reward for the horse, and a good check for the rider to make sure they are not reliant on the rein.
As with the simple changes, it can be useful to do some preparatory work on the small circle. At this stage, the horse should already be fairly balanced and engaged in his canter, so a ten to twelve metre circle shouldn’t pose much of a problem. Shifting it away from the track and into the middle of the school is a good test of whether the horse is turning and connected from the outside rein, or relying on the fence for support. Once the circle is established, the rider can ask for some more collected strides, again making sure that the horse doesn’t change the size or the shape of the circle or the rhythm of the canter. A slight shoulder-fore positioning should be maintained to encourage the inside hind leg underneath the horse’s body, which helps with balance and connection.
In any collection exercise, getting out is just as important as getting in. The horse should always feel that he has an ‘exit’ from the collection, so he doesn’t get stuck. Working on a basic circle, shifting smoothly and easily in and out while maintaining a quick and secure rhythm is the most straightforward way to ensure the horse doesn’t get overwhelmed or blocked by the difficulty of the added collection. The most important thing to bear in mind is that this is all really hard work for the horse. Don’t ask for too much or hold it for too long – just a couple of strides of true collected canter is more than enough to start off with.
Once the horse is able to shorten and collect the canter easily on a circle, the rider can go large on a straight line. Without the additional balance and suppleness provided by the circle, this can be a bit more challenging, so it is important to keep the shoulder-fore feel. It can also be useful to play with transitions in the counter canter – again, the horse needs to use more balance and stay more on the hind leg, and this can help encourage him towards the more collected canter. The more comfortable the horse is coming in and out of collection, the smoother and easier the canter pirouette will be.