Transitions

Ride your transitions as if you’re passing through a gate no wider than your horse’s shoulders

Making good transitions requires much more than kicking your horse forward and hoping for the best- you have to really RIDE the steps between one gait and another. But first, the setup:

The horse needs to be in a steady rhythm
The horse needs to be aligned
You need to be creating these and following them with your seat.

If you ask for the transition out of a crummy walk, a crummy trot you shall get - and so first you have to organize a good walk in the correct tempo for the next gait.

Then, when you’re organized and ready for the transition, imagine you’re riding your horse into the trot through a very narrow gait - horses will often pop a shoulder out in a transition, and most riders correct far too late.

Ride preventively, ride with awareness so you can remain soft. Carve out your line of travel with your eye and organize your seat, then ask the transition, then RIDE the transition, don’t just sit there bumping around like a pilot closing his eyes and hoping for the best during takeoff

Then, in your trot, begin organizing your new gait right away