Disunited canter

[Carole]

At our lesson yesterday my husband was having trouble cantering on the right leg (the horse that is), probably becauce he was getting canter at a straight part of the school, rather than in a corner. Our teacher called the resulting canter "disunited". What does this mean? Is it the same as being on the wrong leg/counter-canter? It did look very up and down but I couldn't work out what the horses legs were doing.

Thank you for an explanation.

[Chantal]

My understanding of it is that the back legs are moving as if they are if one lead, and the front legs the other. But I could be wrong!

[lamprellsarah]

yeah i think your right chantel, i haven't been able to find a clear definition of it either,
but it certainly feels like that.
very uncomfortable, and very unbalanced!!!

[Wally]

Disunited canter is when the canter is correctly 3 time, the hind leg strickes off, but instead of a diagonal pair of legs moving together, you may find you get a lateral pair moving together, that is a pair of legs on the same side!

Disunited canter can be really comfy on some horses. It can be a real pain in some of the pacier Icelandics who naturally want to go laterally instead of diagonally. It takes a long time and lots of balancing work to stop them becoming disunited. On ordinary gaited horses it is not too common.