What to look for in canter pirouettes

Canter pirouettes are one of the most difficult exercises for a horse to perform and many horses are unable to achieve them. The horse’s forehand moves around their hind quarters as the hind feet mark a small circle, maintaining the same cadence in the canter.

The rider must remain light in their aids, if the hand becomes hard, they block the forehand and hind quarters.

• The horse should have the same cadence throughout the movement, as they come into the pirouette, through the pirouette steps and when they leave the pirouette.
• The horse should maintain a 3-beat canter.
• The horse should be around the rider’s inside leg, bent in the direction of the movement.
• The contact should remain light.

 
Common faults in the pirouette are listed, but knowing the difficulty of this exercise, the horse should not be overly criticised.

• The head and neck bobs up and down.
• Loss of clear three-beat rhythm creating a 4-beat canter.
• The canter changes when the horse leaves the pirouette from the canter that they had in the pirouette.
• The riders asks with aids that are too strong and the horse is blocked and loses cadence.
  
• Hind legs jumping together resulting from a loss of collection.
• Quarters slipping out, as the horse avoids taking the weight behind.
  
• Falling onto the inside shoulder, as the horse avoids taking the weight behind.

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The pictures below show 4 horses in canter pirouettes, what do you think of the movements? It can be easier to see what is happening in a pirouette from a video, have a look at some on the internet to see what you think.

©Training Riders, Transforming Horses