The last part of the ride focuses on trot work. Steffen wants a higher level of collection in the trot so they work on doing a few half-steps. They come back briefly to the walk, but Steffen wants the horse to quickly go back to the trot all while still staying supple in the bridle. They work slightly forward and then back to half-steps with a focus on the hind legs that have to come under the horse body to help balance the transition.
Up Next in Fourth Level
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Fourth Level Warm-up | Laura Graves
In the warm-up, Laura suggests doing long diagonal lines with bending, making sure the horse is off the inside leg. The horse should feel equally soft and supple going straight as on a curved line. It is important to establish that suppleness on both sides at the beginning of the ride.
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Fourth Level Flying Changes | Laura G...
They start with canter leg yield into counter canter. Then when the balance is good, the horse isnt running through the hand and is relaxed in the counter canter, the rider can ask for the change.
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Fourth Level Canter Pirouette | Laura...
They start working in collected canter. The more collected the horse becomes, the more important the contact is. It important to find an easy canter on contact on a small circle. If the horse breaks to trot, the rider needs to make a quick correction. When the rider gets a good moment, then the h...
