Any ideas??Really heavy in canter.......................

[TequilaMist]

Mare(warmblood) is fine walk and trot now as have been working on it.When we canter tho its awful,mare has a really powerful canter but really leans into it and you feel perched on top and like she has no head.If you ask head to come up just gets faster/stronger.
Any ideas/exercises anyone can recommend?
Thanks

 

[spike123]

sounds like a lack of balance hence the rushing off getting faster and stronger in canter. I would start with getting a nice active trot which is coming from behind before you ask for canter ,ask for a canter on the long side only and ask horse to come back to trot before the corner.If you keep asking for short spells of canter the horse should become more balanced and then you can gradually start to increase the canter to a long side and a short side and then eventually a whole circuit.Do not ask for canter circles though if it is a lack of balance issue as you risk your horse falling over. Keep working your horse in trot and work on getting the horse going from behind,lots of trot halt transitions are good for this.Another beneficial suppling exercise is leg yielding in and out of a circle in trot.

 

[Cliqmo]

My previous horse had this exact problem, mostly because his confirmation made him very front heavy and inclined to be on the forehand. Improving the walk and trot came relatively easily but we had a nightmare getting canter sorted

If you're experiencing anything similar I imagine that the canter goes badly because she pulls you forward out of the saddle? Which means your weight is too far forward to be able to help her balance and you lose control so it all speeds up and gets a bit crazy? (this is what used to happen with my boy anyway

)
The way we sorted it in the end is doing stacks of trot/canter/trot transitions (I honestly don't think I had more than 2 strides of consecutive canter for weeks!) both on the lunge (no gadgets because he leaned on them!!) and in the saddle. Once he was stronger and pushing 'up' into canter (rather than falling forward into it) I began asking for canter circles on the lunge and only asked for it under saddle once he was able to canter a balanced circle bareback on the lunge.
It was a long and slow process but rest assured we got there eventually

 

[TequilaMist]

Thanks will try that for canter.
Yep we do the trot to halt exercise really works.
We are working on leg yeilding ok one way not so good other BUT my fault as very much stronger on my right side

 

[TequilaMist]

Thanks for reply.Yep my girl is very much into leaning tho we have got walk and trot going ok I think.
Will try the little and often approach