Canter transition!

[Drummers mum]

Sorry, its me again but I had such a bad schooling session last night I need some advice/reassurance/help!! :rolleyes:

Was all going well until canter!!! Got canter on right lead but it took anout 20 atempts to get anything near a whole circle!!

Changed rein and complete disaster, his trot went all choppy (had been fine ealier) and when I asked for canter he stuck his nose in the air and hollowed his back!! I got one stride then nose to the ground and back to trot!

After another 20 attempts I got 3 strides straight and gave up!! I was shattered! and very frustrated! :mad:

[No_Angel]

When I first started schooling Murphy he was useless at everything, mostly canter, and we still can't get a full circle but our transitions are beautiful :D

Did you ask for a transition one after the other?

I started be getting his trot nice and asking for canter in a corner, if he didn't do it I would circle (15m) until his trot was nice and he was bending to the inside then ask again in the corner, using differnet corners everytime stops him anticipating.
When we could just about get this I did lots of transitions in walk, trot and halt, variying them all the time, (like walk to halt, halt to trot) until we got up to walk to canter (when it was only me schooling him he could do halt and reinback to canter- proud mum moment comming on :D lol!)
I then started back with proper canter transitions (most of the work above is done on a 20m circle) with a pole in the corner and asking for canter just before the pole.

It took me a good year to get Murphy this responsive, I also used to waer spurs as he was so dead to the leg, now I can ride him without spurs or a whip.

Hope this helps, and don't be too hard on yourself or Drummer, he's strating to look really good in the pictures you show! :D

[cvb]

Drummers Mum

My mum's fell is a bit like this. He has a great trot but balance in canter is horrible.

I had been trying to work on it through improving the trot and the transition when my middle sister came to visit some time ago. She's an "occassional rider" i.e. used to ride and hops on about once every 3 years :rolleyes: and of course does wonderfully :rolleyes:

Anyway, she got on Duds, booted him on - and off they went in canter round the school :eek:

So - some of it at least was evasion. My mum has a bad back so Duds had learnt that if he went unbalanced and trotted, she would need to stop him before she had another go. And I was obviosuly just being too nice cos I got on and booted him, and he was fine for me as well :rolleyes:

Now - a couple of things

- because he had been getting away with short canters, he was not very fit
- his balance was still rubbish - he tends to gradually fall onto forward, or through inside shoulder (motorbikes round the corner).

So I have still been working on the basics, but I'll take less excuses from him ;)

Had a visiting instructor here at the weekend, and she had me doing canter to walk transitions to get him to listen more while IN the canter - rather than just ploughing on. It did help.

So - basically I have been working on his softness and straightness in the other paces, and especially transitions. All this helps balance him correctly.

Then I have been being tougher - if I say canter we're going to canter. If he breaks to trot I am NOT going to stop and rebalance, he's just going to have to go again (and yes this does give a horrible canter but he's got to learn to balance himself as well). And he stops when I ask him to.

Straightness is still an issue for Duds so this will affect the canter work.

Are you schooling in the field you took piccies in ? if so, I'd be tempted to use the space and (a) take him for a canter in a straight line and (b) make the circle bigger, and onyl decrease it slowly.

[Drummers mum]

I am so glad I am not alone!

Why was he ok in our lesson on the lunge though? Do you think lunging could help?

I school in the field in a marked out area. He canters beautifully in a straight line down the field but only on the right lead! When I circle to come back up, he tries to cut the corner kind of thing and thats when he goes back to trot! In the school he naps towards the gate!!

Ahhhhrghhhh!! Its just so frustrating! :eek:

Hes not very responsive when I ask for canter. I can get him going lovely in trot and you ask for canter and he goes "who me!" I really have to gee him up!

[cvb]

Yes lunging will help - for a whole load of reasons.

One is that you can create the "oomp" from the floor without exhausting yourself ;)

also the horse can sort out their balance without a rider, you can keep them going longer so they get better muscles etc to do the canter, and so on and so on.

He was probably better on lunge as you had TWO people focusing on it !

[Drummers mum]

Right I'm off to lunge now, I will let you know how I get on!!

I did actually get circles the day after my lesson but 5 days later he has forgotten!! I only school once or sometimes twice a week (probably about 5 day intervals actually) for half an hour do you think more would be better?

[Drummers mum]

NEVER EVER EVER EVER AGAIN!!!! :eek: :( :rolleyes:

I now ache from head to toe!! I now remember why I don't lunge Drummer!!

He was a maniac!! There is no walk in Drummers lunging world!! He leans on the lunge so hard that he drags me across the field! I got some nice trot canter transitions but the minute you flinch your whip hand its flat out round and round!!

After 20 minutes I gave up! Riding is easier!!

We were great entertainment for everybody though, especialy when he dragged me across the field and took a flying leap over a couple of old pallets!! You should have seen him jump!!!!!!!!! Perhaps we need to concentrate on new talents??! :cool:

Edit: I think I'm a bit hysterical, I,ve just re read that and had a fit of the giggles! :p

[Pickles]

Do you canter out on bridle ways when you hack him? If he finds canter difficult it may help to build up his hindquarters and is easier than cantering on turns. He may also be more forward going out on rides and then you could go back to the school when he is fitter/stronger.

When you do go start cantering in the school I would just aim for a few strides and then ask for trot before he gets tired to keep him obedient.

It may also we worth trying walk to canter transitions as some horses find this easier and it would stop him 'running on' in the trot to evade.

[Drummers mum]

We are fine on hacks now but we weren,t until my instructor rode him at Easter! :confused: Now we can canter anywhere straight! He used to just drop out of it suddenly and no amount of kicking could stop him stopping!

[cvb]

DM - hmmm, this could be what he "expects" from lunging from previous experience. My old chap used to set off in trot - and trot for 5 mins, then stop and propose a rein change, do the same on the other side, then stop :rolleyes:

Or it could be that he doesn't really know what to expect so is getting confused and just rushing about ?

I know we started with a "canter" problem rather than a "lunge" problem, but can we work on both ?

Did you do any "friendly" stuff with the line and whip ? This is strictly non-BHS but really does seem to help. Then I would start my lunging my actually walking with him but at a distance, and asking for lots of transtitions. That will help to keep him focused on YOU and not on dashing about. If he settles, go on to trot but still keep it short and lots of transitions. If he doesn't settle, keep at the walk-halt for, say 5-10 mins (will feel like an age !), and then stop and rest both of you and go do something you both like :D

Keep being calm and consistent like this til he gets the idea. He needs to work out that lunging requires the same approach as schooling...

By the way - you wouldn't let him lean on your rein when you are riding, you'd half-halt. So its the same with lunging - use "half-halts" with the rein to stop the rein contact getting too heavy. Once it gets heavy, he's stronger than you and in control :(

Lunging WILL help work on his suppleness etc. besides you did say "I got some nice trot canter transitions " so there's something going right there somewhere ! ;)

[Drummers mum]

Thanks cvb, might try again in a few days (when I stop hurting all over! :rolleyes: ) :D