Canter help!

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LouiseG

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Hi there

Just looking for some advice and opinions on helping my just turned 5 year old with his canter. I have owned him for 2 months now, and unfortunately 1 week after I bought him he was kicked in his hock so I didn’t get a chance to know him properly before his injury. This was followed by 3 weeks of antibiotics and walking in hand. For the past month he has been brought back into work and we have begun our canter work. When I first bought him he was slightly unbalanced in canter, but now through lack of schooling due to his injury he is really very unbalanced in canter!!! On the left rein he takes a MASSIVE leap and goes hell for leather around the school for a few strides to the point where he feels like he is going to explode until calming back down into a nice-ish rhythm. On the right rein he takes an even bigger leap and tanks across the school (not uncontrollably as we have very good breaks!), but he is very strong, and stiff, and un-co-ordinated and speed just now is obviously his friend as it is easier for him to do that than collect himself!

Although on the ground we are great chums now, I didn’t have the benefit of getting to know him to ride before his injury so I am still unsure what buttons to push (we had a rather scary bronking incident a few weeks ago where I ended up pinging off into a wall followed by a trip to A&E… he was very fresh and had a spook and then decided to have a bronk…), so my confidence is quite fragile at the minute.

He’s a lovely genuine horse who doesn’t have a bad bone in his body, he is willing to please and do whatever is asked of him. Can anyone recommend anything that I can be doing to help his canter transition and his canter in general? Some are saying just sit quietly and let him find his own balance to begin with, others are saying hold him together and help him, some say work on the trot, some say canter canter canter, repetition is key, but I would really like some expert advice from you all to get us back on the right track. If anyone had any similar experiences they could share that would be great!

Thanks very much! :)
 
Wow I just read through that and definately going to try that, I have the same problem with my green mare, unbalanced in her canter and tends to rush and throw herself into it, sometimes I can get a steady canter but very rarely, this is very interesting and definately going to try it with her :)
 
it worked realy well with the horses i tried it with, much more balanced, and no leaping off or realy fast trotting ! i still do it with them from time to time, just circles and things, keeps it fresh and keeps them going realy well , good luck !
 
Those exercises sound great! Thanks so much! I chickened out of canter work tonight and opted for a sedate hack... Will get cracking with those tomorrow though! :)
 
Cant help with exercises i always need lessons. Could you try contacting old owner asking if they could have a a look or sit to see if they could offer anything or at least lt you know if he has changed since kick. Make it clear your not accusing tho otherwise it may not go down too well.
 
He was completely fine before the injury so it's not really anything the old owner could help me with. He's only just 5 and his canter work was really coming on before I bought him and the combination of the injury and the lack of work has made it difficult for him again. Thanks for the replies, much appreciated!
 
It's really just a case of time & practice to let him find his balance. Working in other paces, plenty of transitions in all paces & half halts to balance all help, but really its a case of time & practice. If he's previously cantered nicely on the lunge, I'd do that too. And I prefer to canter a young horse on a hack till its learnt to balance itself in the transistion, or at least a large field. Much easier in a straight line with plenty of space.
 
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