I've been practicing my sideways canter

[laura jeanne]

After almost 2 months of no lesson due to one thing or another, my RI and I were back to training Hunni. Recap- he's 14 years old but has never had any training, he was just used occasionally as a trail horse at walk and lope and never trotted with someone on him.

So we are working on just walk and keeping to the rail. Sheesh, how can this be so hard?? Anyway, I was told to do a reverse at one end of the arena and all of a sudden he cantered/leapt sideways across the arena and into the very middle. I couldn't stop him. He did this twice.

I don't know why this happened- maybe he just wanted to go into the middle and stop. I was riding him in a side pull instead of the regular hackamore that I think is too long for his face and too tight around his ears. He was going pretty well in it and I was not pulling on it. I wonder if it could be the uncomfortable, ill-fitting saddle I have to use that hurts him? I was turning from right to left and he doesn't like to go to the left.

Or maybe he was just being silly but he is usually so calm and sweet.

The first time she yelled at me for letting him do it and the second time she said it wasn't my fault! ?? I'll ask her about it tomorrow, I think we got distracted by someone right at that point.

Does anyone have a guess as to what this is all about?

[cvb]

just to check my translation... was your "reverse" into the school ? so you were turning right handed but onto the left rein ?

Or where you turning left handed (which is his bad side ?) ?

It could be a spook
It could be an evasion
It could be a reaction to pain in the turn (saddle, bridle, joints etc)

[Skyhuntress]

Sounds something of a spook to me. Maybe he saw something and reacted.

The other possibility is that you were giving conflicted aids. I ride one horse, who as soon as I have too much rein and not enough leg, will try to bolt to the side each and every time.

[laura jeanne]

I was on the right rein and had to circle around and go left. I don't think he spooked at anything.

[Bling]

Have you checked his eyes? I heard of a horse that had one eye with a problem-- it saw things that weren't there (lights?).

[laura jeanne]

Okay, in today's lesson he did it again. My RI said he was doing it because he could get away with it which I think was true. So when he was bending to the right and jumping over to the left, I was pulling on the right rein and not kicking (really). So she said I should be pulling on the left rein- I guess an indirect rein and giving a good kick to get him over. Then came the lecture on my kicking wouldn't hurt him and if I didn't do it then he would do whatever he wanted.

Then the tractors came out to mow the grass around the arena! You would think that they could do it any other time than the time when all the lessons were going on on a busy Sat. morning. He got scared and jumped and bucked but then calmed right down. We had to go to the jumping field to finish the lesson.

I stayed in the field a bit after the lesson and actually got a nice gentle trot out of him!! So I ended on a good note.

[Kate F.]

just to check my translation... was your "reverse" into the school ? so you were turning right handed but onto the left rein ?


:D :D It can be confusing with the USA/UK differences in terminology, can't it? I fully understand people not wanting to give away anything that would identify them - but a country/continent would be really helpful in understanding some posts and making useful replies! (I mean, of course, message "posts" not "post" as in American for rising trot!! :D :D )

I'll never forget the first western pleasure class I saw - which happened to be here in Austria. The announcer said "Reverse your horses" and I assumed he had the wrong word for "rein back". I couldn't understand why everyone ignored him and changed the rein instead! :o :o :D

[laura jeanne]

I rode again on Sunday and actually got some really good trot going. Even a jog for a bit. I took him to the jumping field again which he likes much better than the arena. I think he is getting the idea that he should be trotting and not cantering. I've been really trying to keep myself in balance, look up, keep some weight in my stirrups, etc. so I don't interfere with him trotting.

I'm rather upset tonight that I had to work late and so could not make it to the barn tonight. I wasn't even going to ride, just groom and give him some treats. oh well, Wednesday will have to do!