Easy Transition exercise! Move seamlessly through all your gaits!

Anytime you ask your horse to transition you are asking them to change something… if you don’t warn them or set them up you will shock or scare or force them into the transition. If you do this it won’t be pretty. So here is an easy exercise to learn how to set them up, prepare them, put their body in a position to take the transition with softness and correctness.
1. Make sure you can talk to the nose (get a give).
2. Make sure you know and understand the fundamental clockwork or how to move your horses shoulder out on a diagonal.
3. Make sure you can guide your horse and keep them between two reins so you’re not having to worry about getting them to “go where” you want them to go.
4. Start on a circle ⭕️. Let’s start with going to the left. As your traveling left take your horses nose to the left with only the left rein. Make sure they can give to it without bending their neck. You just want enough nose to see their eye. Then take the right rein and guide your horses shoulder out to the right… at 1:00 or making the circle just slightly bigger. Don’t turn them out. Make sure it’s an actual diagonal from the shoulder. Wait till they can do both softly. Not fighting. Make sure you’re not using any LEFT leg… you don’t want to have your leg on at this time. You don’t need it! I promise.
5. As they get soft and you have a few or many repetitions then as you get the shoulder and nose to be soft hold them in that position and then think transition. If you’re transitioning up think about that speed… so if it’s lope add your outside leg and then kiss. Once they take the speed you want wait till the nose and shoulder are soft and they’re in the gait you want THEN RELEASE! Not until it feels good. Then completely release and go that speed for at least half the circle without any contact. Then time to transition down. Get the nose, get the shoulder, wait till soft, then ask for the gait you want. If it’s slow down to trot then just relax your seat. If they don’t listen to the slow down then make the angle closer to 3:00.
6. After a while you will notice it takes less and less pressure. You don’t have to hold as long. They get smoother and prettier alllllll the time!
Easy Peasy!! Have fun! And remember you’re teaching them how you want them to change gait so don’t worry about the speed or the actual gait. Work on the transition. Then come back to this page and see how you can have a more collected with cruise control speed on a circle!! ⭕️.
If you want more help and want a lesson formatted online program go to and sign up for the purpose driven program where I give you between 20-30 specific lessons for each level to help you from the foundation all the way to performance!
If you subscribe, like, comment, and share or save this video I will PM you a 15% off coupon!! But do all 4 to get the reward!