Since one of the secrets to a great canter is through “balance” it should come as no surprise that the best way to improve your canter is through the counter canter.
One can’t just start riding 20m counter canter circles though, and expect their horse to stay balanced, rhythmic etc. The counter canter needs to be systematically developed through a series of gymnastic exercises.
There are many counter canter exercises out there and every trainer will have a preference as to which ones they use, and which horses to use each one on.
I prefer to use counter pattern exercises whenever possible. I find that riding school patterns in a counter fashion allows me to utilize the natural barrier boundaries of the school better thereby enabling the rider to use less hand and more seat and leg for steering.
So how do you ride a counter counter canter pattern? That is a mouthful on its own! And isn’t counter counter redundant? Semantics aside, here is a great exercise that you can use in a counter fashion that systematically develops counter canter from a simple loop to a 20m circle.
Start with the simple Counter Canter Loop.
Read More Pages in this Dressage Training Article.
- The Simple Counter Canter Loop
- Counter Canter Loop in a Counter Pattern
- Developing the 20 meter Counter Canter Demi Circle
- Developing the 20 meter Counter Canter 3/4 Circle
- The 20 meter Counter Canter Circle