VOLUME 22 • © HORSES For LIFE™ Magazine

The Importance of Transitions in Training

By Manolo Mendez

Copyright © 2002 Manolo Mendez

Head Rider from the Royal Spanish School in Jerez (home of the 2002 World Equestrian Games) continues his series of articles on training the horse … from the very first kindergarten days all the way to Grand Prix. This article discusses transitions, their importance in the training, and how to develop them in the young horse.

The philosophy of Classical Training teaches us that the beautiful High School movements – piaffe, passage, half-pass, tempi changes - and even the Airs Above Ground - levade, capriole, etc. - are not tricks that are trained and performed in isolation, independent of other movements. In a sense, they are not even separate movements. Teaching these movements independent of the proper basic training is to teach tricks, and therefore to train a horse without respect. The High School movements should always be the culmination of all the training to that point. In Classical Training everything is taught step by step; one thing leads on to the next.

Transitions are a big part of the horse’s learning curve, one of the most important steps on the road to the Grand Prix movements. We must develop soft transitions so that changing from one gait to another, one speed to the next, becomes one fluid movement. But remember, the horse is still in kindergarten – keep everything simple and soft.{related articles}

A good transition is about balance

Good transitions are when the young horse performs them with a long (as opposed to shortened neck) without rushing and without being reliant on a strong hand contact. This will create a beautiful, balanced transition.