canter

 

Observation

The Canter is a three beats gait with a suspension phase as defined in the book "Le jugement en concours d’élevage":

• "Compression" phase: galloping left this is the time where the fore left is on the ground and when the horse begins to bend its front legs. Fore left on the ground, the weight on the shoulders, the relieved hindquarter can compress.
• "Engagement" phase: the horse is in suspension: this is when the horse is going to engage the hind legs under himself, where it will bend the hips. There are hip, back top line and neck flexion (end of the Bending phase).
• "Boost" phase: one hind leg on the ground, it is when the horse really carries out its propulsion and when then it lands the diagonal legs. The right hind is pushing and stretching begins (beginning of development of the stride).
• "Development phase of the stride": right diagonal is moving, haunches back and neck stretching, (end of the development of the stride).

The canter suppleness is assessed at the time of the engagement of the hind legs under the weight of the horse. The canter balance is assessed during the boost phase, watching the general movement of the silhouette, and when the next stride begins at the time of the body weight transfer on the fore-hand.
The canter development phase allows to evaluate the amplitude of the stride by the distance on the ground in between two successive imprints of the same foot.
All these observations are done at “medium canter", i.e. natural canter of a loose relaxed horse.

 

Characterization

The amplitude can be measured as for the walk and trot by counting the average number of strides to browse several times a straight line of at least 30 m. Amplitude will be weak if it does not exceed 3 m 30 and even greater by increments of 30 cm to reach the maximum score from 3 m 90.
Suppleness and balance are visually assessed. A horse will be even more "supple" that its hocks go forward under the body during the suspension phase which precedes the boost phase.
It will be even more balanced that he will give the feeling of lightness in the compression phase and the boost phase will propel it upward rather than horizontal.

 

Meaning

It can be endless because the canter is the gait used to jump and it involves all of the parts of the body that will be mobilized by the jump phase.
The suppler and the more balanced the canter is, the easier it is to vary the stride’s amplitude during the course and the easier it is to get the engagement of the hindquarter for vertical propulsion at the time of the jump.
Wider the canter stride will be, broader the trajectory and more it will facilitate the rider’s option to remove a stride between two fences.

 

Discussion

The canter has to be practiced to enable the horse to implement the levers of the shoulder and rump with maximum efficiency.
La qualité du galop se mesure également par la capacité du cheval à le faire évoluer à la demande du cavalier.
More it will be naturally balanced, more the practice will be facilitated.
More it will be supple, more the horse may respond to the instruction of the rider.
The wider it will be, the more delicate it will be to handle for the rider, but more it will allow to evolve towards the high level.