Towards a quality strike off to canter on the correct leading leg
Obtaining a correct strike off to canter, on the correct leading leg, is an exercise required at Galop 3 level (French federation equestrian tests, from 1 to 7 equivalent to BHS stage 1). The quality of the strike off will evolve as the horse and rider improve in their dressage techniques. The rider needs to steer his horse during flat work whilst controlling the pace, and keeping balanced, so as to perform a good quality transition to canter.
Canter is a dissymmetrical rocking pace with a suspension period, over three phases, followed by a projection phase. Canter can be with left or right leg leading, depending on the forelimb which covers the most ground. If the right leg is the furthest forward, then the horse is cantering on the right leg. Canter is divided into three beats. Here is the example of canter on the right lead:
Hind left strikes the ground (in the example)
Outside diagonal strikes the ground (right hind leg, left font leg in the example)
Inside forelimb strikes the ground (front right limb in the example).
The quality of the canter will improve progressively with the degree of the horse and rider’s level of dressage. With training, perfecting the canter leads to the horse becoming more balanced and more upright as his weight is transferred back to the hindquarters with engagement of the hind limbs. The gait then progresses from horizontal energy to a more vertical energy. Aiming for this more vertical stance starts as soon as the horse strikes off, or even in the gait which precedes the strike off to canter.
Aims
For the rider
A complex but essential exercise, striking off on the correct lead teaches the rider to control his horse’s pace, his own and his horse’s balance, as well as learning to steer the horse properly on the flat so as to obtain a good quality transition. This exercise is taught to the rider at Galop 3 level (equivalent to BHS stage 1). At this level he is required to strike off on the correct lead, and not just to canter. As the rider’s technical prowess improves, and the horse’s level of dressage improves, the quality of the strike off will reach a better level.
For the horse
In addition to being an integral part of the horse’s learning curve, striking off to canter is an excellent physical exercise for the horse. As the level of schooling improves, the horse learns to transfer his weight to the haunches and to bring them down, to engage his hind leg (getting balanced), which favors muscular reinforcement of the abdominal muscles, the hindquarters and the top line. The aim is to verticalize the horse to move towards collection.
Variations for the exercise and scale of progress
The way striking off to canter evolves
From the novice rider (Galop 2, prior to stage 1), or horse (3 year old just after breaking in), to the experienced rider, and a well trained horse, there will be a lot of changes to the quality of strike off to canter. From just changing gait up to canter, with very few constraints or aims (except that of going up to the next gait), striking off to canter will progressively become a “genuinely” light and balanced transition.
From breaking balance ….
To begin with the horse ‘s balance is very horizontal, and he strikes off to canter by loss of balance. He is said to fall into a canter. In this type of strike off, the leading leg is left to chance, and the horse will probably strike off on the wrong foot on more than one occasion.
…. to gaining balance
During his dressage, the horse will learn to become more vertical through lowering his haunches and engaging the hind leg to strike off to canter by regaining his balance. (Think of a speed boat as it picks up speed, and it’s nose goes up).
The more balanced the trot, with a horse having learned to gain in verticality, the easier it is to strike off on the correct leading leg. The sole aim is to obtain this verticality which leads to collection and easier transitions.
A few key points :
→ To start with, corners and circles will help as they favor a strike off in a balanced attitude. Try and run as fast as you can and turn sharplywith your shoulders forward and you’ll get the message!
→ Set up your environment to make your task easier or to acquire more accuracy: ask for canter from a ground pole, or a cone in a corner, as you ride through a corridor of ground poles, or over a cavletti…
→ If you’ve established codes during work from the ground (the voiuce when lunging / loose work…) these can also be used whenn riding. They will help the horse, especially a youngster, understand the exercise.
→ Later on, when the work becomes more advanced, striking off on a straight line will become a real test to assess the straightness of canter (the horse should not swing his haunches out of line).
How the aids evolve
As the horse’s dressage level and or the rider’s technical level increases, the rider’s aids will change.
From strong lateral aids to begin with….
At the beginning, the aids are dissociated so as to decompose the movement:
Action of the inside leg at the girth for impulsion
Outside isolated leg (strongly moved back to start with) which invites the first canter beat (outside hind leg striking the ground)
Firm contact on the outside rein, so as to free the movement of the inside shoulder (like opening the door on the inside, and closing it on the outside)
Softer contact on the inside rein
Seat in the center, over one’s feet and ischium, without leaning forwards or backwards, or from left to right
→ Your horse needs to, get organized under the saddle, it’s not up to the rider to induce balance or imbalance through a posture to obtain canter.
→ Don’t bring the horse’s head to the inside to get him to curve. Keep a contact on the outside rein, and leave the door open on the inside. The horse’s bend is a consequence or the use of the aids, not an aim as such.
…. moving towards discretion in the aids
The more advanced the horse and rider’s dressage level, the more discrete the aids will become. In time the horse will respond to the slightest movement of the inside leg at the girth, without necessarily moving the outside leg back. The horse will progressively learn to strike off around the rider’s inside leg, in a much straighter attitude.
As your dressage improves, the outside leg behind the girth can be interpreted as requesting lateral movement of the haunches (moving the haunches to the left, in reponse to the right leg moved back for example). This goes against the idea of uplifting the canter, therefore it is important to get your horse to strike off just from the contact from the inside leg at the girth.
How to evolve and improve
Use more complex figures
Start with rectitude on easy schooling figures (working on a straight line, firstly on the track, then when turning to go across the track, or down the center line). When striking off becomes marked and balanced, and the horse remains straight, make the movement more complex:
Ask for a left lead strike off, when you’re track to the right (deliberate strike off on the wrong lead, which will help with subsequent counter-canter work)
Work in counter-canter (on the long side of the arena, on a broken line, all the way round the arena, on a serpentine, a circle..) this will reinforce the canter.
Accuracy in executing the movement
It’s all very well to get the horse to strike off on the correct canter lead, but even better is when it is done with all the conditions to obtain a strike off through gaining balance! Progressively increase your demands: regularity of rhythm, keeping impulsion before and after the transition, good soft contact, correct attitude, lightness and balance in strike off on the correct lead…don’t leave anything to chance!
Transitions close together, and complex transitions
Little by little work on more frequent transitions canter- trot- canter, while seeking to keep the horse’s movement flowing without wasting strides. In other words, try to get a first canter stride on the correct lead to be of the same quality as the horse’s best canter stride, and maintain this quality throughout the exercise. When this exercise can be done easily, try more complex transitions: canter from a walk, from a halt, after a rein back…This will also develop the horse’s reactivity.
Success criteria to be observed by the coach or trainer
Correct pace before canter strike off → importance of the idea of balance (at a walk or trot) before the request to canter, fairly slow rhythm, but with a lot of activity
Frank strike off → reactivity to the rider’s aids
Balanced strike off → weight on the haunches and engagement of the hind leg
Quality of contact → Frank firm contact, with a horse on the bit, transfer of thrust through to a relaxed mouth, with a good quality contact.
Correct attitude → Poll is the highest point, Nose either vertical or a little in front of the vertical
Problems encountered and solutions
Strike off on the wrong lead
Identify the cause: Is it due to a dissymmetrical horse? To a lack of impulsion? To a problem with response to the rider’s leg? To a misunderstanding of the request?…
Make it easier: Strike off on a smaller circle, or in a corner. Instinctively the horse will strike off on the correct lead.
Reinforce the action of the outside rein: When learning to strike off on the correct lead, especially on a young horse being broken in, your movement can be exaggerated as far as bringing the horse’s head round to the outside of the circle. By freeing the inside shoulder, the action will encourage the horse to strike off on the correct lead.
The horse always strikes off through loss of balance
If your horse always strikes off through loss of balance, you need to work on the quality of response to the rider’s leg, by working on transitions to get him going forward, more responsive, and more vertical in his movement. Don’t be too demanding regarding the speed, but more on the speed with which the horse responds to your aids.
Losing contact, horse “not accepting the bit” and or horse “heating up”
If your horse overbends or goes above the bit (against the rider’s hand), and /or gets heated when striking off to canter, it is because he’s not relaxed. Trot or canter on an easy track, with a lot of forward movement, without trying to get him onto the bit, even if you have to let him move more horizontally. When he quietens down and takes up a good quality contact, go back to transition work to get him to move with a more vertical stance. Only request a canter strike off when he is completely compliant, light and stable on the bit.
Know more about our authors
Benoît PIERRE Ecuyer du manège - IFCE
Translated from french by : Karen DUFFY Translator
Nelly GENOUX Development engineer IFCE
Nicolas SANSON Formateur et entraîneur indépendant - ancien écuyer du Cadre noir de Saumur et directeur adjoint du Pôle de la Formation Professionnelle et Sportive (PFPS) de l'IFCE
