Cantering.....help please!!

[littlebriars @yahoo.co.uk]

Hi everyone

I've got a 15.2 cob x tb made who is rising 5, I backed her in Sept and have been working slowly with her over the winter doing lots of hacking and a little schooling.

Have been doing some canter whilst out hacking and have decided to try cantering in the school, but we are struggling.

She will canter on the right rein and we can just about manage a full circuit of the school but on the left rein she will start off but as soon as we get to first corner she throws her head like and won't go round the corner and stops.

I've tried lots of outside leg and opening my inside rein, tried getting out the saddle to get my weight off her back. But am still struggling. Its like she is frightened off cantering on that rein.

All OK with saddle, teeth and back as all have been checked within the last month

Im not sure wether to just keep working on walk and trot and forget the canter for now, currently looking for a new instructor so if anyone has any suggestions to help us I'd be most grateful

 

[Mary Poppins]

Perhaps she is finding it difficult to canter on a circle because she is unbalanced. What is she like on the lunge? Will she canter a circle nicely then?

 

[littlebriars @yahoo.co.uk]

I can't get her to canter on the lunge on either rein for more than a few strides.

Haven't asked her to canter on a circle only around the edge of the school

☺

 

[Jessey]

At that stage of training shes probably very unbalanced, just work on cantering a few strides on a very large lunge circle (be prepared to move yourself a lot to make it big) and dont ask so much that she falls out of the canter, stop her before then. Canter in the school down the long side, again dont let her get unbalanced and fall out of it, stop before. This will help build the cantering muscles which will help her gain balance, then gradually introduce sweeping curves before going on to deep corners.

 

[Kelseylane]

All horses have a side they prefer, it's like people being right or left handed.

I agree 110% with Jessey not to do deep corners, as it's hard for an unbalanced horse to maintain! And again, like Jessey said: do a lot of transitions, ask your pony back down to the trot before she breaks-- make it YOUR idea to come down. The transition itself will help her build muscle.

My suggestion is a kind of an advanced exercise, that may not be suitable for you, but this is what I do for unbalanced horses: do BIG circles at one end of the arena. The idea is to use the wall, or rail to help her balance. Start by trotting the circle then asking her to walk before you cross the center, immediately pick up the trot again and then do the same walk and back up to trot transition when you get to the other side. Once she starts anticipating the slow-- it will be easier to push off the hind end. This is when at the second transition spot you ask for the canter. I wouldn't do this exercise, unless you know what a half halt is.

@Jessey (tell me what you think of this as I'm trying to get better with working with beginners, and you seem to know what your stuff

 

[carthorse]

Not sure if my suggestion will be popular, but I think your best bet would be to find someone who produces youngsters & pay them to do some schooling with her. If you have facilities it may be possible to get them to come to you a few times a week rather than send her away. Basic schooling is the basis of everything else, but it's also some of the hardest to do. Even with a good instructor you're likely to struggle as responses need to be instant, almost pre-emptive, & that isn't possible if the instructor has to tell you what to do. I'm not knocking you, just saying it's a specialised area.

 

[Jessey]

@Kelseylane, I'm no instructor or expert just been around horses many years. I use the exercise you mention (repetitive transitions at one spot) to get cleaner transitions, the horse more off the leg and encourage hind end engagement for all ages/levels of horses but it can be difficult for a young horse if they are currently unable to canter on a circle, but it can be adapted onto a straight line (cantering off a circle/corner) for the canter portion and doing the bends in walk/trot.

 

[KP nut]

I agree with the comments that this is likely to be a balance issue. And she may be anxious about cantering the corner if she feels unbalanced. Cantering round a corner is quite hard. And cantering on a lunge is too as it is usually a smallish circle. So lots of transitions, lots of hacking on varied terrain, lots of big circles and only ask for a few strides at a time. Echo the above I guess! (Sorry pointless post really, as Jessey said it anyway, but good luck!)