Dressage Made Easy With Amelia Newcomb
Ever had a riding theory question you couldn’t find the answer to? Or don’t have a go-to coach to ask? In this new segment originally published in the Heels Down Spark, Amelia Newcomb is here to answer anything about your riding and dressage needs.
My horse goes stiff and above the bit in the transition to canter. I can get her soft and supple in the trot but everything falls apart in the canter. How to I fix that?
“First off, you are not alone! Keeping your horse soft, supple, and round through transitions and especially in the canter is really hard. The fact that you can get him round in the trot is a great starting spot. Remember that the loss of roundness in the transition comes from a loss of balance and thoroughness of the topline. It’s our job as a rider to help our horse find that balance again and teach them how to carry their body so they can build the correct muscles to carry us easier and more effectively.
First thing you want to do is to check your position and balance. Be sure you have both your heel, hip, shoulder, ear line and the elbow, hands, bit line. The most common mistake I see riders make is leaning forward in the canter transition. This will make it hard/if not impossible for your horse to keep their balance and stay round during the canter transition.
Next to practice your preparation for the trot-canter transitions by riding some trot-walk-trot transitions and make sure that you can keep your horse round and supple through those transitions. This will really establish your aids and remind your horse which muscles in their back they should be using. Then when you start to school your trot-canter transitions, really focus on getting your horse a little extra round and a little bigger in the trot before the canter transition. This bigger trot allows the horse to find the balance and roundness in a higher speed and thus makes the gait transition easier for them.
If you want to see this put in action, I have a free video on YouTube that goes over hollowing in the trot-canter transition with me riding and talking you through it. You can check it out here.“
–Amelia Newcomb
Amelia Newcomb is a USDF Gold medalist. Based in Somis, California, she incorporates complete dressage training from starting the young horse through the FEI levels in both her in person and online programs. Amelia works to develop a trusting and confident relationship between horse and rider. Her approach incorporates all aspects of horsemanship from basic groundwork to advanced dressage movements. Amelia’s mantra has always been “Dressage for All”, which is evident in both her in person and online coaching. With a successful YouTube video library of hundreds of free educational videos, over 70,000 subscribers (and counting!), and thousands of students enrolled in her online USDF accredited courses.
Interested in learning more from Amelia? Tune in to her segment on Thursdays in the Heels Down Spark. And sign up for her “30 Days To Round” Challenge – applications are open now!