Can't get canter left - advice welcome!

[Knb]

Hello!
Just looking for some friendly honest advice!

Background: I'm riding a horse who really struggles picking up canter left. And I mean to the point that she sometimes gets canter right while lungeing on a circle left. The horse is a recent purchase for a young girl - so passed 5* vetting recently. Had physio who didn't notice anything other than some tightness from likely a poor-fitting saddle which has now been fitted properly. She is very forward-going and takes a while to relax while ridden, but works nicely over her back when she stops rushing.

Realise this probably requires another visit from the vet/physio, but is there anything I can do to help while I am riding her? She's so balanced and strong in canter right now that it is impossible (apart from once in a blue moon!) to get canter left. Even on a 5m circle with her shoulders in. She gets really wound up and sharp if you try bring her back to trot immediately after getting the wrong leg so you have to let her canter half a lap or so in canter left which makes the problem worse as she strengthens that side.

Second question - does anyone recommend lungeing training aids? She flies around on the lunge so wondering if some side reins or something more 'fancy' would help steady her and get her using the correct muscles. Just not sure what's best.

I do worry it's something more serious like kissing spine, but just want to try and help her at least while I'm exercising her.

Thank you!

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

A leg yield before the corner can help also if you open your inside rein as you ask, but without seeing what the problem its hard to advise, so this will work if the horse is falling in on that rein but it might be worth getting an instructor to have a look at what's going on.

 

[ycbm]

Did the vet pass a horse who would not canter left, or is this new?
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[Knb]

A leg yield before the corner can help also if you open your inside rein as you ask, but without seeing what the problem its hard to advise, so this will work if the horse is falling in on that rein but it might be worth getting an instructor to have a look at what's going on.

Thank you What are your thoughts on 'gadgets' when lungeing? I'm thinking if we can build the canter left while lungeing it will get easier under saddle. I've always preferred letting them stretch completely but she's just so wizzy and out of balance on the lunge!

 

[Arzada]

She's so balanced and strong in canter right now that it is impossible (apart from once in a blue moon!) to get canter left. Even on a 5m circle with her shoulders in.

5m is very small so while you might/can get it cantering right where she is balanced and strong it will be harder for her cantering left on a such a small circle.

Can you explain 'her shoulders in' on the left rein?

 

[Knb]

Did the vet pass a horse who would not canter left, or is this new?
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I assume/hope they saw her canter left! She was off work for over a year (!) and only just back into work when she was purchased... apparently because they didn't have time to ride her but sounds like an excuse to me.

 

[Knb]

5m is very small so while you might/can get it cantering right where she is balanced and strong it will be harder for her cantering left on a such a small circle.

Can you explain 'her shoulders in' on the left rein?

Yes so she struggles to bend through her whole body (although has drastically improved), particularly on her difficult rein, so to stop her falling out through the shoulder (esp the canter transition) we've tried shoulder-in down the long side before asking for canter, as well as trotting a 5m circle with inside bend and her shoulders following the bend and cantering after that (not asking her to canter a 5m circle, just tried asking for canter after using it to bend her). The times we have managed to get canter left have usually been straight after a 5m circle left.

Hope that makes sense!

 

[ycbm]

I assume/hope they saw her canter left! She was off work for over a year (!) and only just back into work when she was purchased... apparently because they didn't have time to ride her but sounds like an excuse to me.

I'm afraid that I think this horse needs a thorough veterinary performance workup, sorry.
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[dixie]

Have you tried asking over a pole in the corner of a school?
Or try asking from Walk. Sometimes youngsters find it easier that way.

Does she ever pick up the left lead out hacking?

 

[humblepie]

Does she ever pick up the left lead out hacking?[/QUOTE]

I was going to ask that - my ex racehorse struggled initially with right canter strike off so used to work on it on a hack as not asking him to balance on a circle or having to do a corner shortly afterwards.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Thank you What are your thoughts on 'gadgets' when lungeing? I'm thinking if we can build the canter left while lungeing it will get easier under saddle. I've always preferred letting them stretch completely but she's just so wizzy and out of balance on the lunge!

It doesn't always work like that sometimes just because a horse can canter on the right lead on the lunge doesn't necessarily mean it will be better with a rider, it's normally the extra weight and the balance that makes it difficult.

Side reins and gadgets have there uses on the lunge but if a horse is struggling anyway gadgets can just make it much more difficult, so it's something you have to do very gradually and for short periods to start with.

I personally would get an instructor to have look at you ride and try and help you work out what's going on.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

Are you definitely sure the saddle fits now?

 

[Knb]

I'm afraid that I think this horse needs a thorough veterinary performance workup, sorry.
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Don't be sorry - I completely agree. Just appreciate everyone's thoughts/experiences!

 

[DabDab]

Assuming that she doesn't have a physical issue ...

Bending into the canter lead generally doesn't help a horse who is struggling with leads - initially you might need to counter bend her ever so slightly just to take the weight off the inside fore and give her a hint what you're after.

A 20-30m circle is quite useful to help a young horse balance in canter transitions, but a 5m circle will make them panic, so best to keep it big. And if she picks up the wrong lead then you have to bring her back immediately to try and work through this habit. At the moment she thinks right lead is what she always gives and then after a while we trot again and then rinse and repeat - she doesn't know that she's doing something wrong, she thinks that is the exercise. It might be ugly and disorganised for a few strides when you bring her back but just re-establish the trot and then go again. Now she has formed the habit you are going to have to be really really patient and persistent with her and really reward the slightest try, even half a stride of left canter be telling her how wonderful she is.

 

[humblepie]

Dib Dab - now you have mentioned it I remember being advised re the bit of counter bend to help the transition.

 

[ycbm]

Don't be sorry - I completely agree. Just appreciate everyone's thoughts/experiences!

The history and the current behaviour scream of possible misselling and a deep rooted problem somewhere. What breed is she?
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[Knb]

Asking from walk is a good idea! Interestingly, she does choose to land in canter left after a jump sometimes. Unfortunately there is no hacking on-site, although could try in one of the fields when the ground is better

 

[Knb]

The history and the current behaviour scream of possible misselling and a deep rooted problem somewhere. What breed is she?
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Yep thank you - kind of wanted to know if I was being dramatic/wasting the owners money if I was to push them to get a full vet investigation, so thank you. Over-grown connie - 9 years old, so seems very strange they'd have her out of work during her 'prime' years, especially as she was eventing up to 1m before that. The owner is sure that the previous owner is very 'straight talking' but I personally don't think you can trust anyone you don't know and are buying a horse from...

 

[DabDab]

Oh, your OP made it sound as if she was young. With her history I wouldn't persist at all with trying to school, she's almost certainly got something going on physically

 

[Cob Life]

I rode a horse like this.
I stopped lunging her, if it was a day i would have lunged we did in hand work, lots of it backing up and forwards, up hills, over poles, sideways over poles.
after 6 months of this I lunged her (she’d been doing work under saddle in w & t), she was confident both canter leads, it was so easy I didn’t even notice to start that she had picked up the correct lead both reins. But this horse had seen physio, vets, saddlers, and dentist.

with yours I’d get a vet work up and want to know why she’s been out of work, and if she’s been used as a brood mare why they made that decision.

 

[Knb]

Are you definitely sure the saddle fits now?

It been fitted by one saddler and double checked by another so hopefully - although I know that doesn't guarantee

 

[Sossigpoker]

This sounds definitely like a hind limb lameness and/or back issue. Horses are naturally one sided so one rein tends to be worse than the other but when the horse makes such an effort to avoid one canter , it's likely to be more than a training or physio issue.
Mine turned our to have SI pain caused by one arthritic hock. After Arthramid he can canter both ways now.

 

[Knb]

I rode a horse like this.
I stopped lunging her, if it was a day i would have lunged we did in hand work, lots of it backing up and forwards, up hills, over poles, sideways over poles.
after 6 months of this I lunged her (she’d been doing work under saddle in w & t), she was confident both canter leads, it was so easy I didn’t even notice to start that she had picked up the correct lead both reins. But this horse had seen physio, vets, saddlers, and dentist.

with yours I’d get a vet work up and want to know why she’s been out of work, and if she’s been used as a brood mare why they made that decision.

Thank you!! It's so hard as she's improved so much the last two months, but there's obviously something not working somewhere. Not sure how she passed a 5* vetting so recently.

 

[McGrools]

Oh, your OP made it sound as if she was young. With her history I wouldn't persist at all with trying to school, she's almost certainly got something going on physically

This 100%

 

[Gloi]

One i rode that only cantered on one lead turned out to have hock arthritis.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I must admit Louis kept going on the wrong lead on the left and we found mild hock arthritis once treated it was better he only does it very occasionally now.

 

[Widgeon]

I must admit Louis kept going on the wrong lead on the left and we found mild hock arthritis once treated it was better he only does it very occasionally now.

Same here but I didn't want to be a doom monger, I'm always muttering about hock arthritis now. Mine does it in the school a) badly when he's needing another steroid jab, and b) a bit all the time because we are both one sided in the same direction (a perfect storm, and as SP says

Horses are naturally one sided so one rein tends to be worse than the other .

 

[Michen]

When I had this it was a physical issue that was so tiny (soft tissue injury to susspensory branch) and a nightmare to diagnose. And it was a young horse so doubly hard. He’s never had an issue since cantering left now rehabbed and sound.

 

[Knb]

Thanks all for your input. Looks like this is a definite case for the vet...

 

[ycbm]

Thank you!! It's so hard as she's improved so much the last two months, but there's obviously something not working somewhere. Not sure how she passed a 5* vetting so recently.

If the vet took blood and it's still available then it might be worth asking for it to be held longer pending the outcome of the investigations, though it's expensive to test and could be a real stress to fight the seller for redress. Also i would think it quite likely that if it was masked it was with joint steroids which won't, I think, show on the blood test.
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