problems on canter lead. HELP

[dappled dreams]

hello everyone this is my first thread

i have a horse called sam. i have had him nearly a year now but over the last month he will not canter on the correct lead on the right rein. he will lunge and canter round the field on the correct legs and i recently had his saddle checked so what should i do.

ps he will canter on the correct lead after a jump.

[lauraandharvey]

whats his background info?
my friends mare is the exact same
she was raced
any excuse for pics :D
X

[dappled dreams]

Well sam was not raced he is a warmblood.
he is 7
and this problem is totaly out of the blue.

im worried he is in pain although i detect no lamness in him.

sorry i have no pics on this pc will try another time

[lauraandharvey]

have you had him vetted?
back checked
teeth checked
saddle checked?
does his bridle fit?

what bit is he rode in ect :)
xx

[xloopylozzax]

welcome :D

how do you ask for canter? outside leg behind girth i presume.
is the trot 'good' when asking for canter? nice and springy and lots of impulsion. do you have a bend?

if yes to all of these then maybe they are stiff and you just need to practise lots to get them bendy again

in the mean time (and you desperately need canter for a competition say) then make an outside bend to free up the inside shoulder and ask when coming out of the corner you should get it then but its only short term solution ;)

can you lunge him in canter on that rein? and when hacking focus on getting that leg instead of just what happens :)

[lauraandharvey]

always ask for canter on a corner untill he does it perfect everytime
this encourgaes them to go on the right leg
xx

[NoviceNic]

In my experience a horse that would canter using the correct lead is the riders error. Can you get someone in to help and teach you for a while? A fresh pair of eyes on the ground helps usually. :)

[Bobbin]

Can you get someone else to ride him and see if the problem still occurs.

I have this issue with my mare but it's just me who can't get the lead, others can. I am now seeing and Osteopath for a swivelled pelvis and am already seeing an improvement.

If the problem is still there then perhaps an MOT from the vet is required to look for any shoulder or hock problems.

[MagicSix]

If you can get him to canter but always on the wrong leg then try doing it round a sharpish corner - that way he is forced to strike off on the correct lead as his balance is going that way plus I have the heard the way you ride him round the corner also forces you into the correct position to ask.

I have had many years of stubborn ponies and this trick has never failed me (as long as they are balanced:D)

[dappled dreams]

hi everyone thanks for your help.

i have tried alot of the methods and i always makesure i use stong clear comands but its not working. i have asked for canter on a sharp bend but still no help.

he will lunge on the correct lead tho.

would it be worth getting a back person out?

[eventerbabe]

get him checked out physically first. Get his saddle re-checked and get him assessed by whichever therapist you use (physio/chiro/rolfer etc.). If all that comes back clear then i've a few little tricks to get the correct canter lead. Try a 15m circle before asking for canter, that will often help establish the bend and make the transition easier. The second tip is to leg yield into the transition. Again, that way your bend is established and i've found it to be pretty effective (i have a cob who won't canter on the correct lead on the right rein but this has got him onto the correct strike off). good luck :)

[carthorse]

Yes, I'd say it was definately worth getting a back person out. At the very worst the only thing it will harm is your purse!

The only thing I'd say in addition to the above ideas is make sure you aren't overriding the transition. I tend to be guilty of that if I'm not sure we're going to get it right - it infuriates Jim & almost guarantees he'll get it wrong :o. So try keeping it all very low key, sit, think canter & see if it happens.

[dappled dreams]

how much does it cost to have the back person out?

[carthorse]

I have a McTimoney lady & she charges £40 for a visit, £30 for any follow up (only needed if lots wrong &/or it's been wrong for a long time so the wrong muscles have built up & tend to pull things back out of line).

[Bobbin]

I am sure I just spoke to myself then....:rolleyes:

If the horse is going ok on the lunge, then have a look at what is different? Either he isn't strong enough to balance himself with a rider on at the moment so you need to do more building up work.

OR

It's something physically wrong with you that is unbalancing him.

[oldbat]

Our younger horse had the same problem; he would only canter right, even on the lunge. What worked with him was to ask for canter left and when he started on wrong leg circle him left 20m then gradually decrease size of circle until he naturally broke into trot, then immediately ask for canter left. We only had to do this twice and he has never made a mistake since. I understand it can take several sessions with other horses though. I think its a good way for the horse to learn for himself that its easier to canter on the correct lead.
Oldbat

[eventerbabe]

Our younger horse had the same problem; he would only canter right, even on the lunge. What worked with him was to ask for canter left and when he started on wrong leg circle him left 20m then gradually decrease size of circle until he naturally broke into trot, then immediately ask for canter left. We only had to do this twice and he has never made a mistake since. I understand it can take several sessions with other horses though. I think its a good way for the horse to learn for himself that its easier to canter on the correct lead.
Oldbat

interesting you tried that, my dressage trainer adopted a similar tack with us last lesson. We were still getting the odd incorrect strikeoff and she made me keep pushing on on a 20m circle. After about half a circle horse threw in a flying change.

Re back person, really depends on who you get. I know a sports massage lady who charges almost £100 a session! lady i use charges £40-45.

[katefarmer]

This is a very common problem indeed - and it's almost always due to rider balance. Very occasionally there are back and/or saddle problems with the horse - but as he canters normally on the lunge and after a jump, that seems unlikely in this case.

My hunch is that you are tipping to the inside (to the right) and collapsing your right hip when you ask for canter. This pushes the horse onto the left lead. This often happens when you put your outside leg back by lifting your lower leg from the knee, rather than moving the whole leg back from the hip.

A good instructor should be able to help - but you can try to correct it yourself by lifting your inside shoulder and thinking about sliding your left hip back as you ask for canter. Also open your inside (right) hand a little by taking it to the SIDE, away from the neck - as though you're pointing around the circle. This will make room for the inside shoulder to advance. Another common problem is the rider pulling on the inside rein to create inside bend, but this actually blocks the inside shoulder.

Good luck!

[dappled dreams]

Can you get someone else to ride him and see if the problem still occurs.

I have this issue with my mare but it's just me who can't get the lead, others can. I am now seeing and Osteopath for a swivelled pelvis and am already seeing an improvement.

If the problem is still there then perhaps an MOT from the vet is required to look for any shoulder or hock problems.

That is a good point. I know I am very one sided (right sided) so I could get a friend or my sister to ride for me.

[Bobbin]

Let us know how you get on, I am amazed at the change since I have been seeing my Osteopath.