- Text by Sarah Warne-Furtado for Eurodressage -
One of the consistently “lowest scoring movements” at the highest level of dressage competition is the canter to trot transition,” says British 5* judge Isobel Wessels. In the Grand Prix this transition at the letter M at the end of the test before the last trot extension and final piaffe-passage centerline openly exposes training flaws.
A trainer and former international rider Wessels considers this transition “a simple measuring tool. It gives very good insight into the horses balance, suppleness, straightness, and the effectiveness of the rider’s aids.”
So why then is this transition so difficult?
“What I see going wrong is riders have their horses very collected and with a lot of bend, and so they block the horse in the transition, without giving any forward influence. Hands too tight, and legs too busy. The horse enters the transition in almost a “tranter”, losing the fluidity and straightness,” Isobel ewplained.
She supposes that the higher level riders are perhaps more focused on the more difficult movements of the test and perhaps tend to overlook these important markers of training.
“Many combinations need to devote much more attention to these vital transitions. When they are smooth and seamless in the test, the whole thing looks so much better.”
The aid is difficult to get right and clearly often overlooked by riders and trainers. According to Isobel what a rider should aim to do to achieve a good canter to trot transition is the following
“When you are in canter you think of lifting your toes slightly, and dropping the knees down, while your seat indicates a slightly forward pushing aid, and because of this action of your leg, your body grows a bit up and allows you take a bit more on the outside rein. Through this action the energy can come up and through the back of the horse, while the inside hand allows, and the horse can swing forward into the transition,” said Isobel.
“The dropping of the knees allows the seat to open for an instant, and then you have to think and feel trot and the horse will follow you.”
How does this differ from canter to walk?
“With canter to walk you take it a step further, and in the moment he would elevate, you just ask a bit more with the outside rein,” Isobel added
The 5* judge advises that for a movement that is “rarely exceptional” it is a transition that should be worked on and perfected.
“Judges often give 9’s and 10’s for half passes and flying changes, but the mark for the transition from canter to trot normally lies between 6 and 7," she revealed/
A seemingly simple yet informative transition, Isobel thinks this is just “one of those things that you should be able to do. You have to train it often, and train it the way you want it to be”
Photo © Astrid Appels
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