Beanie Sturgis On Developing Control In Canter

The British event rider explains how to establish a controlled canter through shortening and lengthening the stride, before introducing poles

AIM

THIS exercise involves cantering down the long side and asking for more or fewer canter strides each time. I use it on all my horses, from young to advanced, and I find it is a great way of developing control in the canter for jumping.

You want to be able to shorten and lengthen the horse’s stride in front of and between fences, and this is an excellent way of teaching the horse before introducing poles.

It’s important to have the canter soft, balanced and straight before the horse starts jumping, as an unbalanced horse will be more likely to start tapping the poles and quickly learn to disrespect them.