An Expert’s Guide to Streamlining Pattern Transitions
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596 – October, 2014
By Delores Kuhlwein
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
But conquering a tough pattern with difficult transitions is quite a different matter, especially if a particular maneuver is causing difficulties. Getting ready for the upper echelon of horse show pattern work doesn’t have to be complicated or confusing, but it might require some extra practice or a change of approach, whether your horse is green or broke.
Read on as our expert pattern consultants share their tips for solving the most common transition hang-ups: Trainer Robin Frid of Robin Frid Show Horses in Denton, Texas; Trainer Shannon McCulloch of McCulloch Training Stable in Lake Oswego, Oregon; and Trainer Arturo Maestas of Maestas Show Horses of Pilot Point, Texas.
Remembering the Prep Work
Practice Key Exercises Daily
While executing a pattern at a show is the ultimate test for a horse and rider team, all of our experts agree that the work done ahead of time, as a foundation for both horse and rider, is irreplaceable regardless of what transition is being asked. Trainer Arturo Maestas works on transitions as part of his daily routine. “I always try to work on key elements that I see in patterns, such as stops and turns around, both on the hind end and forehand. We also practice straight lines and upward and downward transitions.”
Robin Frid does the same, but he emphasizes that it’s helpful to change things up to keep riders, and horses, on their toes. “We work transitions constantly over and over, but we don’t necessarily do it in a pattern form,” he says. “We work those transitions until they become very simple for both the rider and horse. Practicing is important because it additionally teaches the horse that just because I’m handling him, that doesn’t mean I’m going to do something. I might just want to collect him up. We can’t forget the importance of being able to touch and handle the horse.”
Teach Them Well
Frid also stresses the importance of using transitions as a teaching tool. “I always tell riders that the horse can’t do anything by themselves, if they can’t do it first with your help. When you’re doing a transition over and over, you have to show the horse how to do it, plenty of times, to get the response that you want. Often, I’ll hold them, help them, and press them to do a better transition, so they understand better how to perform it. Often, we think if a horse is broke, they should already know how, but sometimes we have to show them again. Your horse has to trust your cue instead of being afraid they did it wrong. They do forget, and it’s much easier if you spend a few minutes teaching them how [to do it correctly].”
Learning at home is imperative for Shannon McCulloch, who starts teaching her young horses to accept transitions during the basic foundation stage in their training. “Let’s say a horse can do straight lines. Then, we try straight lines into a circle. I do a lot of my training in the beginning pattern work at the trot. When they get confident, I start at the lope. When the horse tells me it’s ready, then I begin combining the two. Once I have that, I add what I call multi-tasking, but not until my horse has the basics down. I teach my riders that this doesn’t come until they have all the basics at the same pace, at a lope, at a counter-canter, on a circle, and more, before they ever start doing pattern work. I spend a lot of time on the basics, but that’s what works for me.”
Mastering Transitions
Transitions at the Elusive Cone
Getting the perfect transition exactly at that little plastic orange funnel can be a nemesis to many a rider. However, Frid advises riders not to get too hung up on the cone itself. Focus instead on your rhythm with your horse, so the rest can follow. “If you’re too zeroed in on an exact spot, your communication skills with your horse will break down,” he explains. “Everything has to happen in rhythm with the horse. For instance, if you’re doing a lope to a jog, and you ask in the middle of their stride, there’s no way physically for them to do it. You have to ask within the rhythm; I have my riders count every step they take to stay in rhythm, and I coach with rhythm in my voice as well. When you’ve got the transition down, the cone is nothing more than a prop. I want my riders to do the transition when the horse’s nose is at the cone. For some people, that might be a bit early, but I’d rather be early, in case the horse is not in rhythm yet. I think judges tend to look down upon late transitions, but they don’t tend to frown on one that’s a little early.”
McCulloch also utilizes rhythm and timing to master preciseness. “The foundation of being aware of your horse and the horse’s gaits is the secret to hitting a marker, which I like to use, especially at a stop. It’s critical for the transition to be in rhythm and for the rider to have an awareness of horse,” she says. “If I have a horse that’s slow to respond, I might ask three steps before the cone. I have some horses, that if you wiggle a rein, they might change gait, so I’m going to ask that horse when it’s perpendicular to the marker, because they respond immediately. I do a lot of exercises where I have riders count every stride, to be aware of how fast the horse goes, how much ground they will cover at each stride, and how soon they’re going to get somewhere.”
Loping an Out-of-Turn Transition into a Straight Line
Maestas emphasizes the importance of having his riders master a transition that involves loping out of a turn and into a straight line. “I think for this transition to be successful, you have to make sure that your horse is riding between your hands and your legs. I feel like that’s the only way you can do straight lines at all your gaits.”
Frid evaluates each rider’s level and applies his standby suggestion of maintaining rhythm. “Everyone is a little different with this transition. Some think you have to jump right out of the turn, but it depends on the level of rider,” he says. “I want my novice rider to learn to complete that spin and step forward. The main thing to remember is to be in rhythm; I have them count every single step, and it helps them stay in stride. For the cues, let’s say the horse is spinning to the right and needs to lope out on the right lead; the leg is already there in position. For the cue to lope out, I just square my hand, and I don’t push any longer with my foot, because they’ll keep turning. You encourage them out with your seat and voice for a soft transition and to avoid jumping out of the turn.”
Achieving a Smooth
Downward Transition to a Walk Without a Stop
“This transition can be easy or difficult depending on how people ride their horses,” McCulloch says. “If a horse is very spur-controlled, it may almost stop, which is not the desired effect. I would try to pull some of the spur control off of them if the horse really wants to suck down to the ground. It’s not that we wouldn’t use leg for this transition, but we go back to using the seat and the leg together. Don’t forget that the key element to your horse is your seat. Your seat has to be able to say that you’re going into a different or neutral gear, and your seat will affect the horse instead of just your feet. Whether you’re coming to a walk from a trot, gallop, or lope, your seat relaxes and stops driving. That’s combined with your legs, which are doing the same thing. I’ll then use a very light and brief leg hug, along with the verbal cue of ‘walk’ to initiate the downward transition. Then, as soon as the horse starts coming down, release your legs to the point that they’re just by the horse’s sides to lightly let them know that they’re still going forward at the walk. The trot to walk is basically the same. I stop pushing with my seat and stop bumping with my legs. I’ll then lightly use my calf to hug them with my legs along with a verbal cue of ‘walk’ to initiate the transition as they come down. Then, I’ll soften my legs and let them walk.”
For Maestas, the verbal cue is just as important as using the correct amount of cue. “To achieve a smooth downward transition to a walk, without a stop, I teach my horse the word ‘walk.’ I release my feet and keep my calves wrapped around them to keep the forward motion of the walk, not grasping too tight with my feet so it mistakenly becomes a stop.”
Frid uses an analogy with his riders to help illustrate the idea of maintaining consistent rhythm, which comes into play with a downward transition. “My rhythm is constant and everything happens within that horse’s stride. The definition I’ve come up with lately for my riders is having your rhythm be like a brick of chocolate: it’s not hard but it has a lot of structure to it. When you want to break it down, you almost want that chocolate to melt. If you’re trying to do a downward transition and a horse doesn’t do it, it’s our natural instinct to grab ahold of their face. Then, it’s natural to try to kick them forward. It’s a game of back and forth. Just think about melting down, holding the saddle instead, and being quiet. That’s how we work on it.”
Increasing Forward Motion Transitions
and Slowing Back Down Without Breaking Gait
“When I train my horses for transitions that increase motion, I use a tap with both feet, lighten my seat, and I kiss to increase the forward motion,” Maestas says. “Then, as I want to come back to a slower pace, I sit down in my seat, wrap both legs around, and hug them with my legs, which is the cue I use to slow my horses in all their gaits. It does take time and repetition to get horses to be good at that transition.”
“I go back to my seat,” McCulloch explains. “If you’re just using your leg, instead of changing your seat, I can see how they might break gait. If I’m long trotting, I’m going to start pushing with my seat. When I want to slow down, I stop pushing, and I will squeeze my legs for the big trot to little trot. I’ll balance, cluck, and immediately bump my legs to tell them I’m not going all the way down to a walk. To slow down the canter, I’m counting in the three-beat, because I want to know every time his front feet hit the ground. Then, the rider should shush and soften his or her seat, because I want the rider to use his or her seat to slow down. I’m thinking about the horse being down in that bridle and pushing with my drive leg. So, for slowing down, the motion would be all the way to my seat. I’m not releasing my leg to slow, but softening it. I immediately go to my voice cue and I close my feet a little as I come to my seat, but I keep my drive leg applied.”
If You Only Read the End…
None of these instructions, however, cover the overarching theme each of our experts stresses to their individual students. When asked what they feel is most important to mention to riders, here’s what they had to say.
Practice Makes Perfect
Maestas says riders should expect plenty of hours in the saddle in order to master correct transitions. “All these things take time and practice. I believe that’s the key to having the winning transitions in any pattern class, from Horsemanship and Showmanship to Hunt Seat Equitation, Trail, and Western Riding.”
Stay Connected
McCulloch emphasizes that riders must develop a feeling of collection with their horse through their legs, seat, and awareness of the horse itself. “If you become disconnected at any one place in a pattern, or lose where you are in the arena, transitions become very difficult. You need to have awareness and think about a quarter of a circle ahead of yourself at all times. I think the seat is one of the most underutilized things to help with that connection, because the hand and leg have to work together. If one of those elements fails, it’s like driving your car with a piece missing.”
Keep it Simple
“We don’t need to make transitions so hard, especially when it’s with a young horse,” Frid says. “The horse has to be square underneath you, and you have to use your leg, but you have to use your body, your seat, and your voice cues to keep them between your feet and ask them to go. Everything has to do with body position; your legs help create it, but your seat and voice create the cue. Don’t complicate everything. Your legs are important, but they’re not everything.”
