Why the sudden change in her movement?

[Keket]

Six weeks ago, Coquette injured her mouth, resulting in me having to ride in a halter with reins.

Before this, her canter was all right, but kind of rushed, and she was just starting to relax in her transitions. I didn't like to ask her canter from a trot, because she'd rush into the transition. Her trot was choppy and we were working on collecting it.

We've spent the last six weeks just doing walk and trot. I tried to canter her, but she wasn't comfortable cantering in the halter and told me so with a few bucks. We didn't try again.

The last few weeks, she's been starting to round her back and step underneath herself, really tracking up beautifully. Yesterday and today, we put the bit back in her mouth and she was like a new horse. Still rounding in the trot (making it very difficult for me to sit to as she's got so much spring), and as she wanted to canter, we cantered. Her canter was brilliant! She was light and forward and relaxed in her transitions and collected! Normally, we'd do a few long canters because it was harder to get her into the canter then it was to hold her there. Today, we spent a good half hour on trot-canter transitions going back and forth more times then I could count because she was that good about them!

Why the sudden change? I wasn't riding any differently then I usually do. You'd think it would be easier to canter her before her accident as she was in top condition then, and she's lost some muscle now.

[stormchaser]

Hmm no expert here, but as you mentioned she lost some muscle... it probably takes less effort for a horse to carry itself 'correctly', to round its back and to carry more weight on the hind legs. Or maybe she is just 'getting it' after all your work without a bit. Maybe without a bit now, she realises she can't rely on that to balance herself and had to work out how to, the only way--which is to work in a true outline.

[Tangle]

We've spent the last six weeks just doing walk and trot.
Why the sudden change?

It doesn't sound like a sudden change to me :p

Working correctly (from the haunches, lifting the back) uses different muscles to those he'd use in the wild, and these invariably have to be developed on a riding horse. If they're working incorrectly, horse's will build up the wrong muscles - it's possible (and this is in no way meant to suggest it does apply to you, so please don't be offended :o) that the muscle she's lost was actually hindering her from working through and she's now got the change to put on the correct muscles.

Either way, it sounds like the 6 weeks you spent without cantering paid off big time :D. The question now is what made the difference? Was it the time invested in walk and trot, did the halter encourage her to work differently or were there other changes in her workload (more groundwork, for example)? Has her trot also improved?

[KateWooten]

also, this may be entirely irrelevant - when you put the bit back, I'd say you were very careful with your hands on her newly healed mouth. I know the one thing that will kill canter for my boy is when I'm tense and have shortened him up too much, In fact we eventually got him over his bucking by lots of canter on no rein so he could find his won balance first.

[Keket]

also, this may be entirely irrelevant - when you put the bit back, I'd say you were very careful with your hands on her newly healed mouth. I know the one thing that will kill canter for my boy is when I'm tense and have shortened him up too much, In fact we eventually got him over his bucking by lots of canter on no rein so he could find his won balance first.

Good point, but yeah, it's irrelevant. She's mostly a Western horse and is always ridden on a loose rein. :)