canter advice for youngters please!

[georgiegirl2]

hey all!

Twig is going really well on her flat now, getting her to relax and shes now walking and trotting round the school in a lovely outline and very soft. We have cracked canter transitions getting the correct leg each time and thats where it goes wrong really.....I cant seem to get her to lower her carriage and relax we end up zooming round like a giraffe! She is getting more and more balanced as time goes on but i just thought i'd see if anyone has any tips on getting her to relax a little in canter without me having to really mess with the front end as I dont want her shortening up.

 

[viola]

Transitions, transitions, transitions - and a lot of patience and sympathetic riding. Don't stay in canter too long either. Aim to have a nice 'switched on' contact on both reins but that's all and just concentrate on really staying balanced with her and keep asking her to go towards this nice contact.
Look at your transitions too (can you video yourself riding?) and make sure you don't lean back or forwards in the moment of transition.
Could also try to lunge her in a chambon - a lovely thing for horses that think they are giraffes

Chambon encourages long and low frame and works the muscles of the topline but you must make sure the horse have enough impulsion (otherwise it is very easy for it to become heavy on the forehand). Chambon is only used for lungeing but if you can sort a nice canter then you should see an improvement in ridden work as well.
Good luck

 

[LusoLover]

I'm having the same problem with my youngster and his canter. Whilst he's working lovely in trot he remains a little unbalanced in canter and so gets worried and the head comes up. I agree with all SG put. I've found by making a really big fuss of him and praising him whilst he's in canter, he's gradually getting more confident in the pace and the head carriage is lowering. Also now that the fields aren't bogs (if anything they're too hard now) cantering out on hacks is improving his confidence and balance. Practice, practice, practice is what everyone keeps telling me, although not overdoing it of course.