canter aids

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sherwood'

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Hvaign probs getting my 4 yr old into canter...still! what are best aids to get him on the right leg.

open inside rein, inside leg on, outside leg back- do i sit up straight on put weight slighly in insde or outisde leg and also should my outside rein be tight or should i give with it? thanks!
 
Hmm.... keep weight slightly back so horse lifts into canter, sit straight, and make sure you ask strongly with your outside leg, encourages to strike off correctly. Look in direction you're going, preferably ask on a circle and be looking half a circle in front if that makes sense?! My old trainer always said to think like you were a cowboy who sit back to ask to canter.....
 
Ok thanks will try that. He gets all panicy when we cant get it and im not sure if i am asking wrong or what! have dress tommoro so goodnes knows how that will go!

How old is ur coloured and how is he bred? he looks very nice! is he cavalier two for joy??
 
Good luck tomorrow, that advice certainly helped my canter!

Nope don't know how he's bred. He came from County Meath though... he's 4 too....
smile.gif
 
do you sit to his trot before asking for canter? do you talk to him? imagine lunging him and when you say "canter" i find people usually give the instruction in a high voice.
try leaving your hands alone, if he starts rushing give him a little check to say no, do you ride with a schooling whip? have you tried giving a tiny tap up as you ask for canter?
 
yeah i treid the tap today in the dressage and it definitely helped him. I no its schooling purely to sort it out and lots of trans and practie i jsut watned to check i was asking correctly! Thanks very much! Will try talking to him more when i am asking him!
 
I used to ask for canter from rising trot with Flora as her head would come up if I sat. She very rarely went on the wrong leg, and when she did I could see that in that instance she was falling out thru her shoulder. A little click or carrying a schooling whip both helped.
I'm sure it is just a little phase he is going thru, and he will be fine again in a fortnight.
Fiona
 
Ask for a tiny bit of contra bend, not inside bend from a good active working trot.

If you think about it, if you bend a horse to the inside, you're allowing them room to fall/run out through the outside shoulder thus you're quite likely to end up on the wrong leg.

So with contra bend you've got that block as it were. Then have outside leg behind girth, inside leg on girth. And maybe a tap with a schooling whip
 
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