4 beat canter. how much of a problem is it?

My old Standardbred had a four-beat canter. Front end = fine. Back end was pretty much just an ugly trot.

It can be improved to a certain extent with the right exercises, but there's never going to be a show-stopping, powerful canter, really.

I personally didn't like the feel of it - she was a very flat horse anyway but the canter never felt powerful enough.
 
To me she doesn't look truly disunited, she looks like she is definately attempting to canter and 'not quite' getting it. For me personally that wouldn't be an issue - not given her age and type.

My mare at 5yo couldn't give a balanced trot around an arena and she could only canter in straight lines - she was very disunited and used to fall out through the back and the front. She was turned 6 before she managed to keep the front end and the back end cantering together but trot was always a more natural pace for her.

That mare is only 5 and still has a lot to learn. She looks like she's trailing her back end and not getting under herself properly but that should come with time, maturity and work - she is still building up the muscles she will need to work correctly.
 
There was a lot to like about this mare. Is she 5 going on 6 or did she turn 5 this year?

The canter does look a bit odd and would be a problem if you wanted to do dressage. In some moments it did look as though her white hind was not coming under her as much as the other hind. She is still not in good balance and is not really using her back but these are things that could be worked on.
 
In the context of the whole video the canter does not strike me as being a real issue, it is laboured rather than being truly 4 beat and with correct work should quickly improve, she is generally pulling rather than pushing, very on her forehand so the canter will be weak, whether she is what you want, she is no comparison to your sec d mare, is for you to decide but at a guess she will feel heavy and will take time to really develop good paces and even then will probably be a bit downhill.
She seems to have a nice nature, good to see the canter up the field where she is mannerly, so plenty to like but you may want to find something with a bit more quality.
 
be positive said:
In the context of the whole video the canter does not strike me as being a real issue, it is laboured rather than being truly 4 beat and with correct work should quickly improve, she is generally pulling rather than pushing, very on her forehand so the canter will be weak, whether she is what you want, she is no comparison to your sec d mare, is for you to decide but at a guess she will feel heavy and will take time to really develop good paces and even then will probably be a bit downhill.
She seems to have a nice nature, good to see the canter up the field where she is mannerly, so plenty to like but you may want to find something with a bit more quality.
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Problem is £3k is all I have. (Helped son with deposit for house)
 
In an established horse a 4 beat canter would be pretty bad news. But she is not an established horse :) I think she looked like a nice easy sort, just green, unbalanced, pulling herself along and she looks a bit long in the back so will be naturally weaker.

Not dissimilar to how my horse started out, and before she broke a few months ago she was ready to go out and do Advanced Medium - her canter is now her best pace. I personally wouldn't be too worried, pending vet inspection, if she was what I wanted in other respects. IMO that kind of problem looks like she just needs work, hacking, strengthening, and schooling. I would expect it to look very different in 12 months if she can develop some self-carriage and oomph :lol:

Not ideal if you want to get straight out competing though. Depends what you are looking for in a horse really :)
 
I would go and try her, she will improve and if you like her are happy riding her that is the most important thing, I don't see the canter as an issue just that she is a bit downhill but that can be worked on as long as you want to put the work in, if you do not like her when you try you have lost nothing as long as she fits the criteria in most ways, there are plenty out there that are far worse whatever you have to spend.
 
Looking at a that with ym dressage judges hat on, it doens't look like a true '4 beat' it looks like it is not engaged and using itself properly. Which you can expect in a youngster.
 
It looks a bit like my pony's canter, he only does it really on one rein and it hasn't been a huge problem at prelim (there have been bigger ones!), now we've improved the trot and moved to do some novice tests the judges are picking up on it specifically a lot more. With him it's because he's not stepping under and engaged enough, he just kind of scuttles across the floor if that makes sense. we worked out that i was sitting wonky and pushing him out through the shoulder and not giving him enough space on the inside to jump through, in essence he wasn't straight. His transitions to canter are also very flat and he hollows slightly - we need to get more jump into the canter and then continue it within the pace - basically i need to get his inside hind underneath him and pushing! We're working on correcting all of this and in my lessons when everything is going well we can get a 3 beat canter and when he has been to my instructors for training they can get it within a week so it's just me that really needs to improve! I think she jsut looks a bit strung out and babyish and not engaged so i think it's workable with!
 
I was watching intently & I'm pretty sure it is still a 3 beat canter, although not easy to tell from the video. She is very on the forehand, babyish & weak but her canter wouldn't worry me at all anymore than her other paces & they don't worry me.

To me she is just very green, weak & on the forehand. I think once she does some good hill work she will work out what her back end is for & start to strengthen. A year on I reckon she would be a very different picture :)
 
I like her! All paces, especially her canter, need some work but should be much better given correct work and maturity. Her long back is her main weakness and so correct work to develop her muscles is essential. I love her attitude and willingness and if the video is showing her as is truly is she should make a lovely RC type horse. If you're happy to put the work in with her I would go and see her and see how you feel then.
 
Thanks everyone. Turns out she is not long 5 only been backed 4 months
A really sweet baby. Tacked her up myself, was good girl.

Yes she dishes and is a little close behind. But with a price tag to reflect that.

I wtc her. Which i dont do if i dont feel safe. Trot is wobbly and a bit rushef if you leave her to it, but she responds well to half halt. What a sweetie, canter transition is a lot better than most babies I've ridden. She has a lovely feel in the hand and takes the contact very well. in the gateway in the school she fell out towards the gate but didn't object when I corrected her
Walked past heavy noisey machinery, bouncing dogs, pushchair

Walked trotted up the quite lane, didn't mind when asked to walk right past the gate to the yard then past the gate to her field
 
She looks a real sweetie, as others have said, she's weak and will be so much stronger in a couple of years. Took ages to get a 3 beat canter on my old boy and with work we ended up getting the best marks at dressage at that pace. She looks a lovely sort, if she's great with traffic and machinery then she's worth every penny.
 
She doesn't look sound in the back end to me. She seems to hop in the trot on the back and in the walk and the trot she throws strides of uneven length. Is it just me?
 
ycbm said:
She doesn't look sound in the back end to me. She seems to hop in the trot on the back and in the walk and the trot she throws strides of uneven length. Is it just me?
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No idea. I a, so paranoid now that every horse I see is lame :( I uses to be rally good at spotting lameness too :(
 
ycbm said:
She doesn't look sound in the back end to me. She seems to hop in the trot on the back and in the walk and the trot she throws strides of uneven length. Is it just me?
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I am another who didn't actually think she looks sound in those videos I am afraid, and was quite surprised no one else above had mentioned it!

She also visibly dips when the rider gets on at the beginning, which would worry me in a chunky horse with a little light rider like that....sorry :/

ETA I've just seen you say she's only been broken in a few months, I was thinking at 5 she'd been ridden more than that. She's probably just VERY unbalanced and needs to do lots of straight lines :) She does look very sweet :)
 
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Will you get her vetted?

I think she looks green and weak not lame.

My new 6 yr old Welsh D (D for done nothing ha ha) is absolutely all over the place and I've often thought is this horse lame, she is so unbalanced. However her trot is stronger every time out and I've started cantering her hacking. The first few goes ugh it was horrendous but only a couple of days on she's a lot better. Cantering is usually hard for cobs. She doesn't look that bad to me at all given the stage she's at and her age.
 
be positive said:
In the context of the whole video the canter does not strike me as being a real issue, it is laboured rather than being truly 4 beat and with correct work should quickly improve, she is generally pulling rather than pushing, very on her forehand so the canter will be weak, whether she is what you want, she is no comparison to your sec d mare, is for you to decide but at a guess she will feel heavy and will take time to really develop good paces and even then will probably be a bit downhill.
She seems to have a nice nature, good to see the canter up the field where she is mannerly, so plenty to like but you may want to find something with a bit more quality.
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Totally agree, lovely comprehensive video, mare is struggling to go forward well as rider is so heavy on her, riding very much on her hands.

Left rein canter is fine and I noticed she picked up left lead out on the field ride. Right rein canter is obviously harder for her. I'd ask vet to double check the horses back if nothing wrong then time and quality work will improve her canter 100%.
 
ycbm said:
She doesn't look sound in the back end to me. She seems to hop in the trot on the back and in the walk and the trot she throws strides of uneven length. Is it just me?
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No, I thought the white hind often took an uneven length stride
 
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