Help Needed Bad Schooling

[ZAULTAG]

I really need help with the schooling of my horse!
I have had plenty of experince with schooling but not when a horse has been this inexperinced.

She is fully broken and brilliant on going on the outside track however she is terrible at going on the right leg and when askingher to go forward into canter she races in trott which makes it hard for me to keep my seat. How can i teach her to go on the right leg and how can i tell if she is on the right leg when i am riding?

[claude]

Hello

I've had similar problems with horses in the past - and my new horse has a tendency to run off in trot on the right rein.

I make sure i do not let her run on in trot, if she starts to then I bring her back to a nice balanced trot and ask again, this time with a touch from my schooling whip behind my outside leg.

If she has a problem going into canter on a certain lead I always ask on a circle with a bend to the inside and then check the lead by glancing down at the shoulders - the inside shoulder and leg should move forward more than the outside. Or ask a friend to check for you.

Lunging will also help, as you can see for yourself if she is going on the correct lead.

[baxter]

Another good tip with canter as pointed out by tim stockdale in one of the mags this month, is when your horse is trotting, DO NOT rise otherwise she won't know she is doing anything wrong, make your aids for canter transition concise and clear, as she is young some allowances of course must be made, but better to make clear accurate aids than confuse her.

[eventerbabe]

LESSONS LESSONS LESSONS. if you can't do it yourself get someone in to help. the racing is probably because she is unbalanced. don't muddle along yourself, get someone in to help before bad habits have become established.

[cvb]

do plenty of suppling exercises to even her up. Serpentines, circles and the like....

how can i tell if she is on the right leg when i am riding?

The simple answer is that "wrong" canter should feel different. But if a horse is very unbalanced, neither feels great.

So lets break it down a bit more... canter on the "correct" lead is

outside hind
inside hind and outside fore
inside fore
moment of suspension

in other words it is not a symmetrical gait like trot or walk.

your hips will move in sympathy with their gait, so you should find that you are "cantering" as well ;) (your hips mirror the horse). So this should also give you a hint which lead you are on.

[ZAULTAG]

Thank you all for your help tommorrow is yet another schooling day which i hate so much. I just don't enjoy it but know she certainly needs fixing at some point very soon.

Ill try them techinques and let you know how it goes!
But on another point ill get an experinced friend to help me and if all else fails ill get someone to come and give me lessons on her as suggested by Eventer babe!

[shandy84]

Zultang if you read my thread issues you will know I am going through similar problems, I did find when she moterbikes (races into the canter) that i tend to perch and my leg goes up and back, you may find you do the same thing.

Schooling green unbalanced animals is great for correcting yourself too as any problem with you adn the horse shows it in what thay do

[eventerbabe]

i think lessons are a must, especially when dealing with a young horse. make sure you are asking for canter in a corner, or on a circle, she might find it easier to get the correct lead. rushing off is because she is unbalanced. you need to work on her trot to get a nice even pace. if she rushes off, slow her down and ask for canter again. but definately get some lessons booked. good luck :)