Working Equitation ~ Transitions

The sport of Working Equitation is gaining is popularity all around the globe. The obstacles are fun and challenging. In Ease of Handling riders maneuver through the obstacles with precision, and calmness. In the speed phase, adjustability, obedience, speed and smart course lines are the tasks.

Today, I will discuss transitions. There can be over 30 transitions on a working equitation course and each transition is examined by the Judge. Not only are the transitions scored with the obstacles, they are also scored in the collective marks. often overlooked by riders, transitions are opportunities to increase scores, or, lower scores.

Good transitions are indicators of engagement and balance. These are necessary skills for a working horse to be sharp and adjustable in the field. Engagement and balance helps the horse to stay sure-footed on uneven terrain, and to quickly stop or move off when necessary to respond to cattle. A poor transition on the other hand indicates imbalance, lack of engagement which makes a horse less maneuverable, and more prone to stumbling which is a safety hazard for a working horse. This is why transitions figure prominently in Working Equitation.

Bingo collected in canter pirouette - Photo: Alfonso Bordallo Rodrigues Photographia The collected canter is necessary for solid transitions in the Ease of Handling at the advanced levels.

Entering and leaving obstacles

Transitions are required when entering and leaving several obstacles. Placement of the transition is very important. Some obstacles (the bridge for example) have markers to determine when the transition occurs.Transitions may be required to and from halt, or walk. There are even transitions within the gait, where riders can show adjustability. The Bull obstacle and Remove/Replace pole obstacles, for example, can demonstrate adjustability within the gait by collecting to remove and replace the pole, while showing more open gait for spearing the ring. When executed well, these transitions within the gait can improve scores.

Intermediate steps

A very important feature about transitions to understand is the intermediate steps. Those are the steps your horse might take in another gait (intermediate gait) - before the transition is achieved. For example, a transition to walk from canter might include a stride or two (or more) of trot. Trot is the intermediate gait. The same goes for upward transitions from walk or halt to the required gait. When moving from walk to canter a horse might take a stride or two of trot.  When there are no intermediate steps in a transition, this demonstrates higher level of balance and engagement, which will be awarded higher scores. So, it's important to take note. Good transitions can make a huge impact on your overall score.

Balance and engagement with no resistance

Another important indicator Judges look for is resistance. Transitions need to be balanced. This means engaged from behind, through the back, and light in the contact. When horses demonstrate resistance in a transition it is an indication of poor balance and engagement. The horse falls into or out of the gait and is weighted on the forehand. The resulting heavy force meets the bit. Horses will often react by resisting the force, showing tension in the jaw or mouth, losing straightness, falling out.

Transitions improve quality of gait

A horse with balanced transitions, showing little to no intermediate steps is going to show better gaits. Why is that? Because, the balance and engagement allows the horse to self-carry and show more suspension. Gait quality is another way to score higher points in Working Equitation. The gaits are judged and scored in the obstacles, as well as in the collectives. Another double-whammy.

I will now discuss a few obstacles and the transitions.

The Bridge: The Bridge is always executed at the walk in EOH. There will be transitions markers before and after the bridge. The walk must be achieved as close to the entry markers without going past. Transition to walk too far away from the entry markers or not achieving walk before the markers, on entry, is a serious fault.

Inside the markers, over the bridge the horse must maintain a rhythmic walk.

The exit markers on the bridge obstacle signify the upward transition to required gait. The horse must clear the exit markers with all feet before picking up the canter (or trot). Difficulties in balance and engagement over the bridge will show with breaking rhythm of the walk or event breaking gait. When I judge, I observe closely the horse coming off the bridge to see that the walk does not speed up or break into a trot early. This demonstrates imbalance. That is why it is so important to walk while inside the markers. Paying attention to how you come off the bridge to show the balance and engagement. Maintain rhythm and tempo over the bridge and make a clean and precise upward transition. This is opportunity to score higher marks on the bridge obstacle.

Training the bridge obstacle with Juan José Verdugo Camacho, Jerez Spain

The Switch Cup is another obstacle that relies heavily on the quality of transition. The goal of the Switch Cup is to transition to halt precisely between the two posts, and in good position to move the cup. There are many factors about this obstacle that a Judge observes. Position, straightness and immobility of halt, are very important. However, for the higher marks the transition is gold. If a rider can nail a transition to halt by collecting the gait enough to have little to no intermediate steps, and land the halt in good position, and stay immobile - and then, from the halt, depart into the required gait with little to no intermediate steps - this will result in higher scores. It's very hard to do, and why it scores big.

The Jug obstacle, covered in a previous blog post, like the Switch Cup, also has a transition to/ from halt. For higher scores the transitions should have little to no intermediate steps, and no resistance. The horse should demonstrate proper engagement by executing the transition straight, without falling to the side, or falling forward. Along with the execution requirements of this obstacle, the transitions are an important judging criteria.

At the Switch Cup with Juan José Verduga Camacho, Jerez Spain. This halt was achieve from canter, with NO intermediate steps.

As you can see, transitions are extremely important in Working Equitation. They should be a strong focus in training for the sport. I often hear from Working Equitation riders that they wish to improve their scores, but are unsure how. I hope this breakdown of transitions gives riders a new focus for improvement!

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Feel free to ask questions in the comments!