5yo ID struggling to canter

Fifikins

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Hello!

I’ve recently bought an Irish draught mare, 5yo, not done any schooling, but has hunted a season before I bought her.

Firstly, she’s fab! Such a mature head for a 5yo. But in the school she’s really struggling to canter more than 1-2 strides. Out on farm rides she’s fine (provided where following someone) she’s very reluctant to do much without a lead. She is happy trotting in the school and will think about giving me a little bit of bend. However when we ask for the canter she will go for 1-2 strides then break back, at a push we can get 1 long side of the school and maybe 1 corner.

I thought this was a fitness issue at first, but I’ve had her about 3 months now and ride her 5ish times a week, we do lots of long run rides and she’s fed on oats!

Could this just be a young balance issue? Or is there something else I could be trying?

She does lunge, but does struggle with the canter.
 

Pearlsasinger

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It could be her balance that is the trouble, because she is a big baby, with a lot of growing to do or it could be that the surface is too deep in the school and she struggles to balance herself in there specifically.
 

BenvardenRach2

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Personally for me I always spend a while out cantering on open stretches hacking before i start asking for it in the school with the youngsters.
No matter how big your menage is there are always corners to negotiate and if you think of it you are only 'straight' for a short period of time.

I get mine out cantering with others hacking as you are doing, then cantering solo hacking.
I want them to understand the canter aid and work out their balance on a long straight before asking them to keep the canter rhythm, control their baby legs and do corners all at once!

Shes only a baby, she probably is lacking a bit of confidence cantering in the school, the bends can sometimes put them off and so can different surface types especially if they are deep.
I'd say get her forward, confident and off your leg cantering in a field first :) The balance will come!
 

PapaverFollis

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My ID type is 8, has only just finished growing and is only just strong enough to canter successfully in the school. She was 5 when we got her and was cantering in a fashion but it was rushed and unbalanced. 3 years of slow and careful work and it's coming together nicely now. You have to give big horses time to develop the muscle they need to hold their frames together. Cantering in the school is really hard for them. If she's struggling to even bend at the moment then you need to give her a lot more time and work to develop her strength in my opinion.
 

Muddywellies

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To add to what others have already said (age/balance/strength etc) how big is your school and how good is the surface? I occasionally use a small indoor with my cob who is currently training at medium, and she won’t canter in there ! The surface is terrible and it is very ‘oppressive’ in there. She really isn’t happy in that arena so I don’t force her. In a larger arena with a decent surface, she’s fine.
 

Fiona

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When I bought my Connie at 5, he could only do a few strides at a time of canter in the school... It was probably after 9-12 months that he could canter a full 20m circle and do the corners...

Most Irish breeds are late to mature..

Fiona
 

spacefaer

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Most of the Irish Draughts I've met take some convincing that trotting and cantering in circles is a relevant activity - my guys are in way lazy or stupid, but they really really don't see the point!

Joking aside - she's got a lot of maturing to do - I'm assuming she's rising 5 - and will probably keep growing for at least another 2 years. Be patient and it will come. I wouldn't put a young draught in an arena, particularly not a standard 20x40, for at least the first year at that age.
 

Abi90

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My huge ID mare really struggled at 5. She’s now 6 and she can hold a canter together but it’s big and wobbly. They have a lot of body to deal with and not necessarily the muscle to go with it. Rosie has just shot up again and everything has gone back to wobbly stage again, frustrating but she needs to find her feet every time she grows.
 

Goldenstar

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H one of our ID’s took ages to master cantering in the school .
Work that teaches the horse to bend laterally done in walk and trot helps to develop the balance for the canter .
So that’s turn about the forehand leg yielding and shoulder in .
Teaching the canter from walk helps lots of horses it certainly helped H at this stage
Doing the transition from the shoulder in positioning is also good .
I also teach them to canter from a voice aid.
It takes time .
 

sportsmansB

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Focussing on the voice aid can really help
If you have to use a lot of leg to get the canter, chances are you end up doing a fast / unbalanced trot first, while she gets the idea that its supposed to be canter. A fast unbalanced trot isn't going to lead to a balanced canter.
So if you can use the voice aid when cantering out on rides, and when lunging, you will find it comes easier.
Don't expect too much, shes still young and loads of ID and IDx don't really come into themselves until they are about 7.
If you do have a large school with a decent surface you can also canter after someone else in the school too, just until she gets the idea.
 

Fifikins

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To add to what others have already said (age/balance/strength etc) how big is your school and how good is the surface? I occasionally use a small indoor with my cob who is currently training at medium, and she won’t canter in there ! The surface is terrible and it is very ‘oppressive’ in there. She really isn’t happy in that arena so I don’t force her. In a larger arena with a decent surface, she’s fine.

The surface of fab, not deep at all, but only 20x40. I’ll take it back to hacking and build on the strength :)
 

ILuvCowparsely

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Hello!

I’ve recently bought an Irish draught mare, 5yo, not done any schooling, but has hunted a season before I bought her.

Firstly, she’s fab! Such a mature head for a 5yo. But in the school she’s really struggling to canter more than 1-2 strides. Out on farm rides she’s fine (provided where following someone) she’s very reluctant to do much without a lead. She is happy trotting in the school and will think about giving me a little bit of bend. However when we ask for the canter she will go for 1-2 strides then break back, at a push we can get 1 long side of the school and maybe 1 corner.

I thought this was a fitness issue at first, but I’ve had her about 3 months now and ride her 5ish times a week, we do lots of long run rides and she’s fed on oats!

Could this just be a young balance issue? Or is there something else I could be trying?

She does lunge, but does struggle with the canter.
Echo balance and schooling issues.

My ID mare at 5 almost had a 4 time canter like a Pogo stick, you could almost do rising canter it is so uncomfortable. She had been out show jumping against the clock before the age of 5. What is it with people want to do too much to young with these ID. My mare got a splint during age 3-5 not surprised with a big gangling baby like her. Trouble is too may dealers/ breeders do to much with ID horses just because they are big, they are not mature. My mare is two years behind in schooling, your ID has done too much to soon and missed out valuable training ( the basics). I would concentrate on this with the help of a good trainer, to bring the horse update date, but could take a while.

I was told don't do anything serious till at least 6 and competing at 7. I stick to that with my ID horses, why ruin a big babies legs so young.
 
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Fifikins

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I don’t fee like she has done to much to soon, she is 5 now and only gets ridden in the school 1-2 times a week, the rest is hacking. She was only introduced to the school at the beginning of summer and hasn’t been pushed.
 

ILuvCowparsely

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I don’t fee like she has done to much to soon, she is 5 now and only gets ridden in the school 1-2 times a week, the rest is hacking. She was only introduced to the school at the beginning of summer and hasn’t been pushed.
Fair enough. I would not take a 5 year old hunting, not until they have done on the basic schooling. Mine hasn't she went out show jumping not even 5 and when I got her at 5 she had done so much but missed out on allot of schooling hence we have issues with the canter and balance in the school.

I was referring to what the previous people did not what you are doing. It rings a bell as mine had the similar done to her.
 

Fifikins

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H one of our ID’s took ages to master cantering in the school .
Work that teaches the horse to bend laterally done in walk and trot helps to develop the balance for the canter .
So that’s turn about the forehand leg yielding and shoulder in .
Teaching the canter from walk helps lots of horses it certainly helped H at this stage
Doing the transition from the shoulder in positioning is also good .
I also teach them to canter from a voice aid.
It takes time .

I’m glad I’m getting lots of responses like this! I’m seeing a lot of my friends out with youngsters who are a lot further on and was starting to worry that I had a duff one! I’ll carry on with the basics and lots of hacking and revisit the canter later this year
 

Jellymoon

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I wonder if it’s a bit of a mare thing too! My part ID mare who I’ve had since 4 has also really struggled with cantering, she’s now 8 and finally can keep a decent canter going for a fair while. She still doesn’t like schooling much though. Canter is hard work, esp if you have to do it in circles with your head in the desired position, and being a mare she won’t be bullied into it.
Anyways, having tried to bully and cajole her for a couple of years, which only served to really piss her off, I backed-off the schooling and took her bombing around the countryside with her friends, jumping stuff where possible, which she loves, and generally letting her have fun.
Now she’s much more forward, I might try a little schooling again, but then again I might just carry on whizzing about jumping stuff, hurrah!
 
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