February 21, 2022 
#MasterclassMonday is a collaboration between Horse Network and NOELLEFLOYD.com to empower equestrians. Every Monday we’ll bring you a new lesson from a leading trainer to help you troubleshoot your training, master your mindset and up your game. This month’s featured rider: Karl Cook teaches strategic riding.
For the past couple of weeks, we’ve talked about the importance of training the canter, what makes a “good” canter, and (very briefly) touched on how to begin training it.
Know that I go into much, much greater detail in my Equestrian Masterclass on Strategic Riding, but I am happy to share a bit of my insight here as well.
I think one of the best ways to understand a concept is to see it. Yes, you want to feel it and learn to execute it yourself as well, but if you can first see what it’s supposed to look like and what it’s not supposed to look like, you’re usually able to gain more clarity on the concept than if you’d never seen it demonstrated to you. With that said, let’s take a look at an engaged canter versus a disengaged canter.
In these clips, pay attention to the shape of the spine behind the saddle. Remember the infinity sign we discussed in my first article? The hind end needs to go under the horse, in order to lift the withers, and then the front legs come down and the hind legs go under again.
Recommended: Watch Karl’s Masterclass on Strategic Riding
A connected, athletic, “jumping-ready” canter will make the horse look lighter on the forehand because those hind legs are stepping so far under the horse that it’s easy for the withers to elevate. But in order for that to happen, the spine flexes in response to the hind legs stepping under, so that’s what we’re looking at here.
I hope you can appreciate the subtle, but definite differences between these canters. To see how this differs between horses, check out my full Masterclass where I demonstrate on multiple horses, both on the flat and over fences, while breaking down my strategy for creating the canter.
Find the complete Karl Cook lesson library and more at Equestrian Masterclass.
