Exercise for Developing Counter Canter

What is Counter Canter?

'Counter canter' means cantering on the lead counter to the direction in which you are traveling. For example, if you're cantering clockwise round the arena, but are deliberately on the left canter lead, this is 'counter canter.'

Among other things, it's a test of the horse's balance and obedience under saddle, and is introduced in the Second Level dressage tests. 

Learning Counter Canter

Here’s a useful exercise for developing counter canter.

1.     Start with your horse’s easier canter lead as it will help him perform better.

Let’s say it's the left lead.

2.     Develop a rhythmic, active left lead canter on a 20 meter circle at one end of the arena.

3.     Once your canter is established, ride across the diagonal, maintaining a consistent tempo.

4.     Don’t go deep into the corner. Instead, turn your horse to the right in a shallow arc and begin a 20 meter circle at that end of the arena, maintaining the left lead. 

5.     Continue riding in counter canter on the 20 meter circle (or larger, if necessary).

6.     If your horse has trouble believing you're really serious about this ‘wrong lead’ business, exaggerate your canter aids to convince him. E.g. more inside bend, stronger outside leg behind the girth, stronger driving inside leg. But remain centered in the saddle, otherwise your horse will feel he’s losing his balance.

7.     Stay relaxed throughout, so this exercise doesn’t become a big deal for either of you.

8.     Once you’ve completed a circle, ride back across the diagonal and canter on the ‘correct lead’ for one circle.

Ride as if counter canter is the most normal thing in the world and you’ll stop yourself from stiffening in the saddle, making it harder on the horse.

Once in each direction is probably sufficient for your first attempt, as it’s physically and mentally tiring.

Make This a Daily Routine

Incorporate this exercise into your riding routine until it becomes second nature. Then you can start working on the Second Level three loop serpentines.

Another Use for this Exercise

My instructor originally gave me this exercise for Cruz because he wouldn’t bend to the left in left-lead canter. Not only did I have to ride him in counter canter, but I also had to counter-bend him to the right.

After a circle of this, it was a huge relief for him to bend correctly to the left!

Is Your Horse High on Spring Grass?



Cruz Bay's mom, Kelly at age 25

The eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that Cruz and I were supposed to attend a bomb-proofing clinic last weekend, which was to be the ultimate proof of how well the CoolStance was working.

Thankfully, it snowed and the event is now set for May 7^th.

Spring Has Sprung and So Has Cruz

I say ‘thankfully’ because, after the remarkable way he calmed down since being on CoolStance, the spring grass has shot up and so have Cruz's spookiness levels! He declines to listen to yours truly and every riding session is currently a ‘back to basics’ ordeal.

It took a few bad rides for me to put two and two together and come up with four. But I did finally make the connection between his being on more lush pasture and his new, bolshy attitude. He’s gone from virtually no NSC starch in his diet to way too much from the grass. (Although the CoolStance is keeping him from being borderline dangerous, which is what he was last year before I changed his feed.) 

What to Do?

So last night I researched online to see what I could do to mitigate the effects of the grass, until its high sugar levels die down again and I get my pre-spring horse back. I found some really useful information on an Australian website.

If your horse is being a butthead ‘cos of the new spring grass you may find this helpful:

http://www.naturalhorseworld.com/Articles-Nutrition.htm#magnesium

The article recommends chelated magnesium. I have noticed that Cruz is showing a new interest in his mineral block, which tells me he’s missing something in his diet. So I actually went so far as to order the site's chelated magnesium product, called Alleviate.

Since it’s not going to arrive from the Antipodes any time soon, I researched chelated magnesium products closer to home and found SmartPak’s Quiessence.

Since no expense is ever spared when it comes to the horse, I ordered a month’s supply based on the product’s 37 testimonials. Most of them were very positive re: calming effects - among other good results like loss of excess fat (not a problem with Cruz!).

If you Google ‘chelated magnesium for horses’ you’ll find other products out there, too. I just happen to like SmartPak as I use their SmartFlex joint supplement with great success on our twenty year old Irish Draft cross C.D. as well as Cruz.

So I’m hoping that chelated magnesium will give me back my well-behaved CoolStance horse in time for his first competition on 1^st May and that bomb proofing clinic the following weekend!

I shall keep you updated.

Update: I have been giving Cruz Quiessence in the spring for four years now, and highly recommend it. It really does counteract the effects of the sugar in the spring grass for him and keeps him on an even keel through those dangerous months. Not to mention fending off the dangers of laminitis aka founder.