Upward canter transitions: they’re easy in theory since it’s all about timing, but as an inexperienced amateur rider or someone who is just getting started it’s actually kind of tricky to get that timing right.
I actually remember the first lesson where I was finally allowed to canter one of the infinitely patient school horses at the stable where I first started taking riding lessons. Either my instructor wasn’t particularly clear in explaining the the timing of the aids to me or I was blinded by my enthusiasm to actually be allowed to start cantering and I didn’t hear them, but I legitimately thought I was supposed to run the horse into the canter for a while. It was a real lightbulb moment for me when I finally did learn to time my aids correctly!
I sure wish I had this video from Amelia Newcomb Dressage back then, but unfortunately for me that was before YouTube was founded (which makes me feel very old!) Gone are those days, thankfully, where I repeatedly ran my horse into the canter, but we can all still use a refresher on the correct aids and their timing!
Need some hep with downward transitions too? Here’s another recent video from Amelia:
