Canter lead and flying changes

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Pallynme

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Hi, I’ve just recently got my horse and she’s been great, she’s got a great left lead canter and never picks up the incorrect lead, however when I canter her on the other lead she almost always picks up the wrong lead, and when she finally does pickup the correct lead she usually does a flying lead change to the incorrect lead. Have done a few good canters on the right lead but still most of the time it’s wrong or she gets it right and changes it with a flying lead change. I don’t know what to do, when I lunge her she sometimes gets a disunited canter aswell. Otherwise she’s amazing to ride... her canter transition is also a bit strange she almost jumps into the canter, does anyone have any ideas on what the problem could be? And any solutions?
 
Sounds like my old bosses horse. He had a major issue with a stifle. Horse was vetted and issue not found but he would improve with a few days rest which he had had prior to vetting.
 
This sounds so similar to my old mare's symptoms of sacroiliac joint injury. I would get a vet work up. Sorry not to be more positive.
 
Broodle said:
This sounds so similar to my old mare's symptoms of sacroiliac joint injury. I would get a vet work up. Sorry not to be more positive.
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Hi been reading up about this and it sounds exactly like what she’s got, I’ve been reading up on it and can’t really find any cures, is this a lifelong problem?
 
Before you start to panic take a step back and do the usual checks, saddle, teeth and possibly get a physio to look at her, assuming she passed a vetting recently with no obvious issues, take a look at your own riding, her overall straightness, condition and muscle tone, is she stiffer one way than the other when doing stretches on the ground and in walk trot ridden?
Most horses will have a preferred rein, some are clearly better on one than the other in canter and a change of rider, equipment, management, a move to a new home etc can bring this out in the way you describe without it being a serious underlying issue, simply a training one that can be fixed once you have ensured everything is as good as it needs to be.

I have dealt with a few over the years that were similar and from memory none had any serious issues, most were a bit stiff generally, not being ridden as well as they required, had a badly fitting saddle or a mix of all 3, the most recent one was a mix of the 3 and is nearly 100% on her right canter lead with a change of saddle, a different approach from the rider and plenty of regular work, when I first saw her she did not canter right at all and went disunited the few times she did pick it up.
 
My first horse struggled on the left rein to pick up the correct canter lead. She was an older horse that had been hacked before I bought her and she was just stiff. It's a long time ago but I think I improved her by trotting her on a circle and using leg yield to move her in and out. I wouldn't have done this very well as I was a complete beginner really. I also used a pole in the corner of the school which was raised at the outside end a bit and asked for canter over it, that worked quite well. she did improve but could still pick up the wrong lead on the left rein though.
 
oldie48 said:
My first horse struggled on the left rein to pick up the correct canter lead. She was an older horse that had been hacked before I bought her and she was just stiff. It's a long time ago but I think I improved her by trotting her on a circle and using leg yield to move her in and out. I wouldn't have done this very well as I was a complete beginner really. I also used a pole in the corner of the school which was raised at the outside end a bit and asked for canter over it, that worked quite well. she did improve but could still pick up the wrong lead on the left rein though.
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Agree with this, it may be a soundness issue yes, or it may just be that the horse has been allowed to become very one-sided like this through lack of proper schooling. You say you have just got the horse though. I would expect this issue to have been apparent when you tried the horse??
 
Rather than panicking about health issues, have you checked your position and weight? As in where your weight is..be it head/hip/leg? If she’s fab otherwise she might just be responding to you...jumping into canter happened with our old tb, he leapt into it, felt like he was going to tank off, but he didn’t, just a beautiful uphill canter..and no he had no problems at all with joints/ligaments etc.pts at good age of 22 due to a tendon injury.
 
Vet work up for this one. My horse had this issue and turned out he had a bone spur in his hind leg and favored the other leg so muscled unevenly (before i got him) when i got him and had the xray he was still very undermuscled so it was a good place to start and with years of work he will easily do both leads now though the vet said he may never do it, so to just let him do what he wishes. I did, but then he just suddenly started doing it correctly himself.
 
Micky said:
Rather than panicking about health issues, have you checked your position and weight? As in where your weight is..be it head/hip/leg? If she’s fab otherwise she might just be responding to you...jumping into canter happened with our old tb, he leapt into it, felt like he was going to tank off, but he didn’t, just a beautiful uphill canter..and no he had no problems at all with joints/ligaments etc.pts at good age of 22 due to a tendon injury.
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I
oldie48 said:
My first horse struggled on the left rein to pick up the correct canter lead. She was an older horse that had been hacked before I bought her and she was just stiff. It's a long time ago but I think I improved her by trotting her on a circle and using leg yield to move her in and out. I wouldn't have done this very well as I was a complete beginner really. I also used a pole in the corner of the school which was raised at the outside end a bit and asked for canter over it, that worked quite well. she did improve but could still pick up the wrong lead on the left rein though.
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be positive said:
Before you start to panic take a step back and do the usual checks, saddle, teeth and possibly get a physio to look at her, assuming she passed a vetting recently with no obvious issues, take a look at your own riding, her overall straightness, condition and muscle tone, is she stiffer one way than the other when doing stretches on the ground and in walk trot ridden?
Most horses will have a preferred rein, some are clearly better on one than the other in canter and a change of rider, equipment, management, a move to a new home etc can bring this out in the way you describe without it being a serious underlying issue, simply a training one that can be fixed once you have ensured everything is as good as it needs to be.

I have dealt with a few over the years that were similar and from memory none had any serious issues, most were a bit stiff generally, not being ridden as well as they required, had a badly fitting saddle or a mix of all 3, the most recent one was a mix of the 3 and is nearly 100% on her right canter lead with a change of saddle, a different approach from the rider and plenty of regular work, when I first saw her she did not canter right at all and went disunited the few times she did pick it up.
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be positive said:
Before you start to panic take a step back and do the usual checks, saddle, teeth and possibly get a physio to look at her, assuming she passed a vetting recently with no obvious issues, take a look at your own riding, her overall straightness, condition and muscle tone, is she stiffer one way than the other when doing stretches on the ground and in walk trot ridden?
Most horses will have a preferred rein, some are clearly better on one than the other in canter and a change of rider, equipment, management, a move to a new home etc can bring this out in the way you describe without it being a serious underlying issue, simply a training one that can be fixed once you have ensured everything is as good as it needs to be.

I have dealt with a few over the years that were similar and from memory none had any serious issues, most were a bit stiff generally, not being ridden as well as they required, had a badly fitting saddle or a mix of all 3, the most recent one was a mix of the 3 and is nearly 100% on her right canter lead with a change of saddle, a different approach from the rider and plenty of regular work, when I first saw her she did not canter right at all and went disunited the few times she did pick it up.
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I did a basic vet check when I got her and there were no issues, I bought her from a lady who’d kept her in a literally a vertical hill with some straightness at the bottom, she was in light work for the year going up and down the hill constantly, when I rode her I rode her mostly at the straight end and she was fine no problems, I was buying her more as a project, I don’t know if having this lifestyle for a year might of made her a bit lope sided and unbalanced?... she defiantly is a bit stiff... I did have her saddle fitted before I started riding her, it definitely could be me, and actually I’m starting to think that might be the problem as I’m very lope sided on the right rein and she does pickup the correct lead when I really focus and give her the correct aids, have lunged her a few times and noticed she got a disunited canter a few times and then mostly got the right lead! I think only once got the wrong one.... I’m going to try lunging her again and maybe have someone more experienced ride her and see if they have the same problem then think about a more thorough vet check.
 
Also forgot to mention she does tend to chomp on the bit, and pull the reins sometimes, I’m getting her teeth done this week, worming her, and booked in a physio to give her a message. Also wanted to thank you all for your reply’s! I was really stressed out that it was a health issue and have calmed down now!
 
If it could be you i would also recommend a physio session, you can find out wonderful things about yourself. One tip my physio gave me (if the horse is sane) is to hold your reins in one hand and put the inside hand behind you onto the back of the saddle then ask for canter at corner.
 
To add. i struggled with one of bosses big horses. He would always pick up wrong lead on left rein. I had a lesson and instructor immediately noticed i was putting my right/outside hand forward in the transition. So concentrating on outside hand back and keeping the contact and never had a problem after.
 
This sounds like my boy.
He's had checks done and nothing physical has been found apart from some tightness in his neck.
He was only hacked occasionally before I bought him and wasn't schooled at all so me taking in the school and asking him to do more than canter in a straight line in whatever leg he chose was hard for him.
He has improved with more schooling although he does lapse in occasion....usually going down the long side of the arena during our dressage test!....I am getting my trainer to check this at my next lesson as I think the problem is down to me asking him to move to the edge of the school with my inside leg and when he doesn't respond I then 'pull' on my outside rein so I'm actually asking him for the change ?
 
Hi everyone I think I’ve figured out the problem, I had the farrier out today and she has one leg shorter then the others, it’s her front right leg... I’m not sure if this would be the cause but do you think it could be?
 
I'd say she's more likely to have spavin, this was why my horse found it hard to do changes left to right and trying to do a counter canter from a diagonal change of rein was almost impossible on the one rein as she kept changing.

She'd always been really active behind but suddenly would throw in the odd funny bump like buck in the short side corners of the arena where her back end would come up to the saddle and it so aggravated my dodgy disc I would be gasping in pain. She would also keep changing behind and become disunited whereas previous to that she always found small circles and figures of eight a doddle.

OP If your horse has 'one leg shorter than the other' I'd say that was due to some muscle tension or the muscle on the one side of her body has atrophied and the way she holds herself makes her leg look shorter. My next step would be to get the physio in so have a look at her and the way she moves. She will be able to release any tension and suggest some exercises relevant to whatever issues she finds. If you are in the Midlands I can recommend some one.
 
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