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"The Bit - Straight from the horse's mouth"

The Training Bit

How to improve the quality and balance of a canter, with Italian international event rider Daniele Bizzarro.

Based in Oxfordshire, Daniele moved to England in 2011, whenhe went to work as a rider for William Fox-Pitt, a venture that gave him a vast amount of experience and knowledge. Dan now runs his own livery, training, coaching and competition yard where he successfully works with ex-racehorses, eventers, dressage horses and showjumpers.
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The balance, quality and consistency of the horses canter should never be underestimated. Without a good strong canter, your results won’t be as competitive and consistent as you’d like and you’ll soon see problems arise across the disciplines. You’ll be disappointed with your marks in the dressage test, start to have a few poles in the showjumping and as you step up through the levels, your cross country will suffer as well.
 
The result is that you need more consistency, more engagement in the back end and more suppleness through the back. But what is causing all of this?
 
People are not brave enough in the flatwork to ask horses to shorten their stride and sit back on their hocks - it’s a problem with many horses and can actually be solved quickly and easily with lots of transitions.
 
Start by asking for a very steady walk, really slow the pace down so you’re in control. When you have a steady walk that you’re happy with, ask for a very steady trot. The transition should be seamless - the walk shouldn’t get quicker before you trot. Practice those transitions on each rein until you’re happy with them. Then try the same going from a really steady trot into a slow canter. Don’t allow the trot to get quicker before you canter - the horse will automatically want to increase his speed to go up a gait, but just be sure to keep the control.
 
At the same time, learn to improve your horses self-carriage. People struggle with this as they feel they have to hold the horse together with their hands and legs and that if they let go of the contact the horse will get long and unbalanced. The horse will then get lazy and become too reliant on you. They’ll also be unable to support themselves. It’s essential that you make sure you don’t hold the horse together but remind him to stay balanced with the aid of a very good half halt. Keep the impulsion from behind with the use of the leg so that the horse understands that you’re not there to support him all the time but to remind him what needs to be done and how he can do it himself. If you feel he can relax and take control, your riding will improve as you won’t need to be using your legs every stride to keep him going and hold it all together.
 
Working on these exercises will help improve the self-carriage and canter quality and you’ll soon see the difference in marks in your dressage tests. The transitions exercises will help your transitions in the test which will easily gain you more marks - imagine if each transition gained your extra mark! That could be the difference between winning and losing!
 
For more information about Daniele and his riding and coaching yard please do visit his website or his Facebook page


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**Please note that photographs taken at events by The Bit UK's photography team are not generally available for sale, unless specifically specified. Images must not be illegally copied or downloaded from the site**

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  • Home
  • About
    • The Bit Team
  • The News Bit
    • Eventing News
    • Dressage News
    • Show Jumping News
  • The What's On Bit
  • The Feature Bit
    • A lot of love for Albion
    • From Mucking Out to Going Out
    • Coping With Winter
    • Winter Riding
    • Feeding For Winter
    • Behind The Lens
    • A day in the life of
    • 5 Minutes With - Sophie Wells >
      • 5 Minutes With - Imogen Murray
    • 10 Things Only..Non-Eventers know >
      • 10 Things Only...Level Playing Field
      • 10 Things Only...A Winter Owner Knows
      • 10 Things Only...Eventers
  • The Foodie Bit
  • The Training Bit
  • The Bit Bank
    • Dressage Style
    • How to poultice
    • Managing Bacteria In Hay
    • It's in the bag
    • Late Summer Style
    • New Season Essentials
    • Perfecting The Warm Up
    • What to look for in a livery yard
    • Hot To Trot (Up): Burghley Edit
    • Therapeutic Jewellery
    • The Eventing Bit >
      • Hot To Trot (Up): Burghley Review
      • Burghley - Post Dressage Thoughts
      • The Eventing Report >
        • St. James's Place Barbury International
        • Belton International
        • Rockingham International
        • The Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials
        • Land Rover Kentucky
        • Tattersalls' International
      • Train With Harriet
      • Saddles For Eventing
    • Coping With Nerves
    • The health threat of ammonia
    • Fashion Inspiration From Badminton
    • A British Brand Making Waves
    • Thank You Valegro
    • It's All About The Cape
    • Photography - Are You Breaking The Law?
    • Burghley Styling: Evemy & Evemy
    • The Bit Meets Ludwig Svennerstal
    • How To Walk In High Heels
    • BEVsOnTour
    • Eventing It Boys
    • A Touch Of Glamour
    • At Home With Caroline Smail
    • Sophie Leonard Country Clothing
    • Horse Scout - Equestrian Networking
    • At Home With Alice Hurley
    • Controlling Your Mindset For Peak Performance
    • Time For A Spring Clean
    • Trotting Out In Style
    • Mixing Competing With Student Life
    • The Badminton Bit
    • Thermoregulation & Rugging
    • The Spectator Style Guide: Badminton Edit
    • Hot To Trot: Summer Style
    • Chester's Bits
    • The Funny Bits
    • Bandaging Tricky Areas
    • Hot To Trot (Up): Burghley And Blenheim Edit
    • Equine Nutrition
    • Stabling away from home
    • The persistent cough - what does it mean?
    • Summer Style
    • Coping With Fireworks
    • The Christmas Bit
  • Contact