Changing legs

[Sparklie]

My pony has the most frustrating habit of changing legs in canter!

So a few questions...

He's unbalanced on one rein and about 70% of the time strikes off on the wrong leg. How can I help him get more balanced and encourage him to strike off correctly?

Our arena is smaller at one end than the other (incredibly annoying) so when we ride past the part where it gets smaller and he turns slightly inwards his bend changes for a split second...so he changes legs! Then he's on the wrong leg for the corner coming up...any ideas how to stop this?

Sometimes he just seems to change for fun, occasionally with only his back legs. Originally I thought this may be because of discomfort as he had a badly fitting saddle. He's not doing it as often now but he still does occassionally...are there other reasons for this? Is it his balance? How can I help him?

Any ideas greatly appreciated

[otl1987]

Did you notice if he changes only on one side? Maybe he is more comfortable catering only right, or only left. I don't know if you understand what I'm saying...
Anyway, what you should do is move your weight in your inside leg, without changing your body position. Just step on the inside leg stronger than on the outside. And keep pressing with your outside leg behind the girth, just like you normally do to get into canter. When you feel that he is bout to change, work with your inside rein a bit stronger, maybe make his neck bend. That's what I do, becaue when my horse is not ridden for a long time, he tends to change his legs and canter only left.
And when you've done that, try to teach him to change only when YOU want to. Enter the diagonal and keep working but stronger so he doesn't change and when you decide to change leg, just tart working the other way...
I hope that's helpfull...:)

[teabiscuit]

my friends horse did this all of a suddden after never doing it-and it was because he was very slightly lame because of incorrect shoeing.sure its not the case with yours but just thought i'd add this to the odd things to consider list.

[Sparklie]

Teabiscuit...he's not shod so i'm guessing this isn't the problem. He was shod when I got him and is now barefoot though so I guess that could be an issue (although an unlikely one).

Thanks otl, I'll try that. He only does it on one rein. I think he's just unbalanced on that rein but I'm not sure how to improve his balance to help. It's just so uncomfortable cantering around with him changing legs when he feels like it...especially if he only changes one set of legs, the front or the back!

[cvb]

My pony has the most frustrating habit of changing legs in canter!

So a few questions...

He's unbalanced on one rein and about 70% of the time strikes off on the wrong leg. How can I help him get more balanced and encourage him to strike off correctly?

Our arena is smaller at one end than the other (incredibly annoying) so when we ride past the part where it gets smaller and he turns slightly inwards his bend changes for a split second...so he changes legs! Then he's on the wrong leg for the corner coming up...any ideas how to stop this?

Sometimes he just seems to change for fun, occasionally with only his back legs. Originally I thought this may be because of discomfort as he had a badly fitting saddle. He's not doing it as often now but he still does occassionally...are there other reasons for this? Is it his balance? How can I help him?

Any ideas greatly appreciated

when you say you ride past the part it gets smaller, do you mean there is actually a "step" in the fence so he turns inwards, but then has to turn outward again ? If so, I would look at riding this "step" as a shallow curve to try and help him. In fact working on shallow curves will help him generally as well.

If he is generally unbalanced, then work on the trot being more balanced, and check that he is staying soft as you ask, and not bracing etc

[teabiscuit]

asking him to canter as you stride over a single pole on the ground helped me when my youngster was favouring the left lead all the time.

[Shadowlark]

I actually found Splash was much weaker on one side then teh other - hence the favouring. When we hacked out I was always indefferent to the lead he picked up - so he was always getting the same one. When we came in side for the winter he was so much stronger on that side that he had trouble with the other lead. So we did muscle excercieses lots of small circles at walk and trot on his weak side, and some lunge work at trot and eventually back up to canter. It seems to have resolved itself now and he will pick up either lead from a walk or whoa with no problem.

[Sparklie]

when you say you ride past the part it gets smaller, do you mean there is actually a "step" in the fence so he turns inwards, but then has to turn outward again ? If so, I would look at riding this "step" as a shallow curve to try and help him. In fact working on shallow curves will help him generally as well.

If he is generally unbalanced, then work on the trot being more balanced, and check that he is staying soft as you ask, and not bracing etc

yes the fence boardering the arena comes inwards slightly. Most horses ignore it but not Twig...he takes this as a cue to change legs.

I shall work on keeping him soft and supple (not easy for Twig, he does tend to shove his head up and pull me about sometimes).

And I'll start doing some circles on his bad rein...thanks for that Shadowlark