Horse won't canter

my pony has this problem too its mainley because he can sense i'm not confidantin canter andjust dose extended trot and maybe 2 or 3 paces of canter lol!
ways to overcome it are use a crop or if you already do get a dressarge whip if you alredy use one of them have you consierd a lunge whip? (only kiding lol!) shout GO ON very loud (this always helps for stress relife lol!) and lts of wellieing:D
 
OK, I am a strong believer in using crops and whips where necessary, but I don't believe this is a necessary case.

The horse may be unfit, and unbalanced in canter, therefore making it very hard for him to keep his canter. Hitting him and yelling at him to go probably wont help the situation any as he will still be unbalanced, and unable to keep the canter properly, and will maybe even begin to resent you asking for the canter.

Also the over use of whips can make horses less responsive and nappy, also may cause bucking. What I would do is do plenty of bending exercises, in the form of serpentines and 10 meter circles and such, to build up muscle and flexibility.

Also, he sounds like he runs in and out of canter. Does he do this or is it just me presuming things again :rolleyes: If he does, he will become unbalanced going into the canter as it will be more or a flat run-into-it transition rather than a nice bouncy smooth transition. If he runs, i would suggest collecting him up using your reins and seat going into canter, and keeping a steady medium trot before and after. This can be got by half halting (taking gentle tugs on your outside rein) when he starts to rush.

Of course, if he doesnt run into it, this is useless lol. Oh and keep riding him through the canter, pushing with your seat and legs to keep the momentum going. I hope all this wasnt a load of poo :eek: XxXxX
 
Ive always been told that with a lack of experience as a rider, not keeping the canter was not Pinnochios fault as much as mine, cause as soon as he feels me tilt forward, he thinks I am unbalanced and slows his pace. It is him being protective of me.

He can keep it out hacking in a straight line though.

Libbyo :)
 
If you feel him about to break, take him back to trot before he breaks thn instantly ask for canter again. Repeat as necessary. :D
 
Thanks for all the advice. What he does is: I ask for canter, he does one stride of canter than falling into a fast trot. My friend rode him, and she could get a whole circuit of him cantering. He only canters with me when he follows another horse, so he's not unbalanced. He can do it, he just doesn't want to. What shall I do?
 
oooooooooooh right. It sounds like you ask for canter correctly, and when he does it you might just be going "wooooooo, canter!!!!!!!" and forgeting to keep pushing for him to carry on. so instead of thinking "Im cantering, wooooohoooo", try thinking about keeping driving him on, so he doesnt stop. Hope this helps. Also, have you tried carrying a crop? just as a threat, not to batter him with :p I might be on the wrong lines again though :confused:
 
is that still Kevin?

He can canter like the devil when he wants to :D

Just keep, er, urging him on, I'm sure he'll be back into the swing of things in no time :D

Julia
x
 
I had this problem with certain horses myself. If you know he only will do one stride, then keep reminding him. Canter cue, stride, canter cue, etc etc. Most of my school horses would do one circle, then break. So when I'd get nearly to the end of the circle, I'd cue him again so he knew I wanted to keep going. The trick is to cue them before they break.
 
laura kevin said:
Thanks for all the advice. What he does is: I ask for canter, he does one stride of canter than falling into a fast trot. My friend rode him, and she could get a whole circuit of him cantering. He only canters with me when he follows another horse, so he's not unbalanced. He can do it, he just doesn't want to. What shall I do?
Click to expand...
Oh, "He can do it, he just doesn't want to." that explains it all.:rolleyes:

It is highly unlikely that this is the horse's fault. It is more likely to be yours - in that your body is unconsciously giving him conflicting messages. If you tense up as he goes into canter you may, without realising it, jab the reins or alter your seat position or give a wrong weight aid causing him to think "Oops, she didn't mean that I'd better go back into trot".

The best thing you can do is invest in a course of lessons with a good teacher. I use the word "teacher" not "instructor" advisedly - not all instructors are good teachers!

Riding and horsewomanship is not a conflict where you have to get the better of your horse. It is a partnership where you both bring out the best in each other
 
If you are asking him correctly and he just breaks gait after a stride, I would try keeping your leg on him through the first 2-3 canter strides and them use leg every time you feel him start to break gait. Carrying a whip can do wonders, most of the time my horses just see it and they behave better.

It also sounds like you might be catching him in the mouth with your reins when he finally steps off (if your holding him so he doesn't rush into a canter)...make sure you keep your hands and arms more fluid so your hands go with his mouth when he steps off0 (you'll probably have to conciously move your hands forward at first).
 
It is highly unlikely that this is the horse's fault. It is more likely to be yours - in that your body is unconsciously giving him conflicting messages. If you tense up as he goes into canter you may, without realising it, jab the reins or alter your seat position or give a wrong weight aid causing him to think "Oops, she didn't mean that I'd better go back into trot".

Yup thats what hapens to me. I know it is me at fault not Pinnochio. I kick and pull on the reins! then when I get a canter tilt forewards. So I am working hard at correcting my seat position and giving clear aids in trot. Canter is improving a bit to. It is just time and practice.

Libbyo :)

Get people to nag about your body position if they see you sitting wrong.
 
make sure he knows that you want him to stick in canter. if you usually let him come out of canter then he'll make a habit out of going out of trot. if he comes out of canter, dont put up with it, and make him go back into canter.
from what Ive read it doesnt sound like its too difficult for him, i think hes just learned that he can get away with it

make sure the trot before is very forward going and keep your legs firm around his sides if he begins to slow down too early
 
I agree that you may be giving him conflicting signals with your body, but it may also be that he is just taking advantage! I would have some lessons or get someone experienced to watch you from the ground to see if your position is causing him to break the canter, you may be pulling back after the transition for example. It is easy to do these things without even realising sometimes! If everything seems to be ok then you will just need to get after him, make the transition from a nice active trot and get your leg on! I'd give him a tap with a crop too and just be really determined to not let him stop.
 
cobsrgood said:
my pony has this problem too its mainley because he can sense i'm not confidantin canter andjust dose extended trot and maybe 2 or 3 paces of canter lol!
ways to overcome it are use a crop or if you already do get a dressarge whip if you alredy use one of them have you consierd a lunge whip? (only kiding lol!) shout GO ON very loud (this always helps for stress relife lol!) and lts of wellieing:D
Click to expand...

I am so glad I'm not your pony. So, because you're not confident in canter and are therefore giving confusing aids to your horse, you whack him and (almost quote) "welly" him. Nice. You should ask with the leg, not kick, just squeeze, if that doesn't work, ask again, only then should you ask with the whip to re-enforce the leg aid.

Of course, all this needs to be from a state where the horse is listening to you and is not moping around with his head on the ground.
 
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