Depends on where the horse is at in its training... but in an established horse it is: rattle + bump the inside leg at the girth (no outside leg).
Basic attempt
This is for any horse, but particularly for a horse who is being started under saddle or is simply 'learning' how to calmly canter from an aid with a rider on their back (a horse like Ronnie who wasn't being 'started' but due to previous training has a very complicated relationship with the canter transition).
The pressure based aid for 'canter': using whip taps behind the leg, start tapping and accelerate the tap and continue until the horse canters.
The timing: in trot, making sure the tempo is above 75 bpm (might need to be much higher for some horses).
What this does: accelerate the horses trot to a tempo where canter will occur spontaneously.
Theoretical underpinning: horses chose the gait pattern that best suits their speed requirements. Hence horses will happily transition into a canter gait pattern when the speed requirements are increased to a point where canter is the best option: if you accelerate the trot to a point where the horse can't go 'fast' enough in a trot pattern he will naturally canter.
Pre-requisite responses:
*developed to rhythm/straightness level and horse and rider BOTH relaxed.
Trot - halt
Halt - trot from whip taps
Increase tempo in trot using whip taps
Trot at above 75+ bpm & whilst trotting at that tempo:
self maintain line
self maintain tempo
self maintain stride length
direct turns
When do I move on:
once you can trigger a canter response from two whip taps alone at that high trot tempo (rhythm/straightness).
the horse and rider is relaxed.
Shaping step no 1
Transitioning from whip taps to a leg response using classical conditioning
The pressure based aid for canter: BOTH LEGS, at the girth. Rattle my ankles and bump my lower legs (the stronger bump signals the difference between just doing a tempo change (lighter rattle alone) and doing an up gait transition)
The timing: as above except this time you do the leg aid and immediately follow it with the whip taps (or voice) until the horse canters.
What this does:Â as above.
Theoretical underpinning:Â as above plus the rules of classical conditioning
Pre-requisite responses:
as above plus:
Halt to trot from leg quicker/go signal
Increase tempo in trot using leg quicker/go signal
When do I move on:
once you can trigger a canter response from the leg alone at that high trot tempo (rhythm/straightness).
the horse and rider is relaxed.
This is Pride 06.1.2017, clients horse I broke in. An example of a horse between shaping step 1 and 2. She would have been about 6 months since her first ride here, approximately 2-3 months of 'work' under her belt. Trot tempo is averaging 80 bpm. Note me holding the monkey with the outside hand, stops me from interfering with the transition and allows me to 'hold' on, and be safe, which is very helpful when she trips near the end...
Shaping step no 2
Developing a true 'canter' response and getting correct leads.
The aid for canter: as above.
The timing: across the two beats of the fore legs, FINISHING with the 'bump' at the beginning of the swing phase of the leg that you want to transition to canter and therefore be the new 'leading' leg. Same for both trot and walk. Follow up with whip taps if the horse does not transition.
What this does:Â specifies to the horse which forelimb you want to become the first limb to canter.
Theoretical underpinning:Â forelimbs are the first limbs to change gait pattern. If you target your acceleration response to reach threshold when the left fore limb enters swing phase, the left forelimb will make the change from walk/trot to canter and the horse will be cantering in left canter.
Pre-requisite responses:
Shaping step no 1 must be at rhythm/straightness level and the horse and rider relaxed.
When do I move on:
When you can reliably trigger your chosen canter lead from both walk and trot using your legs alone.
Horse and rider are both relaxed.
Shaping step no 3
Developing my 'real' canter aid.
The aid for canter: one leg does the ankle rattle + bump at the girth.
The timing: across the two beats of the fore legs. Starting at the end of a swing phase of the limb that you don't want to canter and finishing at the start of the swing phase of the leg you DO want to canter. Follow up with whip taps if the horse does not transition.
What this does:Â specifies to the horse which forelimb you want to become the first limb to canter and builds an association required for changes that the riders left leg triggers left limb acceleration rider right leg triggers right limb acceleration.
Theoretical underpinning:Â as above. Keeping in mind that a flying change is triggered by an acceleration of a HIND limb not a fore limb.
Pre-requisite responses:
Shaping step no 2 must be at rhythm/straightness level and the horse and rider relaxed.
When do I move on to changes:
You can reliably trigger your chosen canter lead from both walk and trot using the single leg and whip taps.
Canter - halt
Canter - walk
Counter canter
Canter leg yeild
Horse and rider are both relaxed.
This is Greta, 2018, an older thoroughbred who had been off the track awhile. Clients horse. Example of a horse who is in the last phase. Everything is moving from obedience to rhythm and straightness. There are some great moments and some messy and tense moments. She was not built well for canter, finds the collected work harder than some do and the environment used to out compete the rider at shows. This was a training day, and we were really working on that environmental factor mainly.
Please note:
I don't consciously use 'outside leg back' (I say consciously because I was trained initially to use it, and its a hard habit to break, and there is a good chance that I still sometimes do it). I use a single leg back cue to trigger hindlimb adduction. i.e. when my right leg goes back and rattles that signals the horses right hindlimb to step sideways under the body, swinging the horses hindquarters left (travers left position for instance). I want this aid to be available to me while my horses is cantering. i.e. I want to be able to move the horses hindquarters left or right on/off the line WITHOUT that meaning change canter leads.
I have ridden plenty of upper level horses who have been trained to associate an outside leg back with a change. What this tends to result in is a horse who's inside hind limb in the canter can not be moved into an adduction response. i.e. the horse is in left canter, if I move my right leg back to trigger travers (right hind limb adduction) I am fine, if I move my LEFT leg back to position the horses hindquarter a little to the outside of the line or straighten a horse that is too much in a travers type shape (left hind limb adduction) I get a change...
You don't STEER and ask for canter at the same time. There is no direction required for an up gait transition. You DO NOT send TWO signals at once. This is why SELF MAINTANANCE OF LINE IS A MUST BEFORE CANTER WORK START. It is very disconcerting to have a horse canter and wobble around at the same time, I agree, but I don't fix LINE PROBLEMS IN CANTER. I fix my line problems WAY before I am cantering, by the time my horse is ready to canter line maintenance should be well established. Some horses may still wobble a little but again, you can't do two things at once, so you ignore the wobbles, train the gait change FIRST and then once the gait change is established you re-establish line control.
You don't train the canter response and get the 'correct' lead AT THE SAME TIME. IF YOUR HORSE DOESN"T RELIABLY CANTER WHY DO YOU THINK HE CAN LEARN THE CANTER RESPONSE AND ALSO SELECT THE CORRECT LEAD SIMULTANIOUSLY? Train a reliable canter response first, THEN think about correct leads.
Use a monkey. HOLD ON TO THE MONKEY while you make the transition. You can see I hold the monkey in one hand in the Pride video. It stops you doing ALL the things that riders normally do while asking for canter, namely: pulling in any way on the reins.
You need to accept that the canter is a gait of SPEED, if you don't want to go fast, you shouldn't be asking your horse to canter. Don't beat your horse up for not cantering, or humping or 'resisting' when you are the one strangling him and expecting him to canter at walk or trot pace. If you are not comfortable and in control honing around in trot like a feral little kid at pony club you aren't ready to canter yet.
Aids are not universal. I have described the aids I use that I TRAIN THE HORSE TO RESPOND TO. I could train different aids/cues. You might use different aids/cues. That's fine. What you do is less important than your consistent and considered application of your signal.
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