Canter lead

[sarah23]

How do i start to teach a horse the correct canter lead when he point blank will not do it. He's fine on the left rein but he just will not go off on the correct lead on the right rein. I have tried cantering of on a 15m circule so he is bending that way. I just can not get him to do it. Any advice please as I feel i'm bashing my head on a brick wall on how i can help him.

 

[kit279]

Does he canter on the correct lead when lunged without a rider on the right rein?

 

[Foxyeventing]

If you set up a jump with the pole on the floor one side and at about 3 ft the other and canter it on a circle, will he change, or try trotting to it on a 20m circle, and ask for canter over it and on landing, when i bought my lil chap he was very poor, and just didnt have the muscle to canter on the right leg, by using these diagonal poles we have now perfected our flying changes!! Give it a go, M

 

[sarah23]

I don't lunge him as the bu@@er just drags me around the field (don't have an arena) i do A very good impression of a water surfer

. I will try to get my husband to hang onto him tonight to see what he does.

 

[palomino_pony]

Have you tried walk to canter transitions? Help my horse enormously and also gets her up on her hocks more. Get a very bouncy "hot" walk then ask on a corner by sitting up and still and nudge with outside leg back. Works every time for me.

 

[sarah23]

I must say he is only just starting to do flat work, not well schooled at all. He is an ex racer and has not been ridden for the past few years.

 

[Chloe_GHE]

I had a baby that didn't want to pick up left lead so I did this.

In the school we have kick boards about 1ft high all the way around, I rested one end of a pole on the kick board and the other on the sand, giving a sloping down pole. trot towards it and ask for canter over it, it helps them pick up the correct lead.

Place this sloping pole one on each side of the school so you can progress to asking for the correct canter in different places, but make sure you go back to the spot they first got it right if they start to get confused, and it helps to have a person on the ground to tell you quickly after strike off if its correct or not if you cant feel it instantly from on top

If it's correct praise them as quick as poss and maybe go into 2 point seat if they find canter on that rein tricky.

if it's incorrect lead pull up asap halt then try it again

hope that helps

 

[kit279]

Definitely see whether it's the rider or the horse - most will put themselves on the correct lead on the lunge and this, I find, gives the rider confidence that the horse *can* do it! I would ask for canter, coming out of a corner, making sure you can bent the horse's head a little to the inside. Make your aids very clear (spurs can help make this clearer) and if he gets it wrong, then back to trot immediately, small circle back to corner and then ask for canter again. When he's on the right lead, then he gets to go large.

 

[Booboos]

To make your aids a bit clearer look to the outside, this will place your weight on the inside hip and may make it easier for him to get the right lead. Also try giving the inside rein as you ask for canter. Hope this helps!

 

[casconway191]

My young horse is the same. He would always strike of on the right but not the left lead. I went back to vey basics of sitting trot with inside leg on the girth and outside leg behind until he accepted it then nudge ith inside leg or tap with stick at the inside leg while all the time (and this is the importsnt bit) looking to the outside! If you look to the inside their balance throws them onto the wrong leg even if you dont realise so really look up and outwards.
If he strikes off wrongly dont worry just bring him back calmly but quickly and repeat the exercise. When he picks up correctly establish the canter and give him a big pat while cantering. keep cantering for a wee bit before trotting and repeating. Once he has struck of correctly for 2 or 3 times in a row give him a good break and leave it at that and try again the next day.
Unfortunately patience is the only option as horses are like humans they have a prefered side.
Hope this helps
xkx

 

[flossy_123]

wat i did will my youngster is wen she was in the corner i use to sit and then gently turn her head outwards so that her left shoulder is pointing ferther than the other (this encurages them to take off on the right leg) and then ask for canter. its probly nt the way but i found that a great help because it does encurage them to take the right leg. see if it works and let me no!! iv tryed it with both my 2 youngsters and it worked so i wanna see if it will work with someone else. hope this works!! xx

 

[Lou_Lou123]

My horse used to struggle with right canter when I first got him and I had two different suggestions from two instructors.
1. 1st instructor suggested not making a fuss if he struck off on the wrong leg, just to let him carry on around a couple of corners on the wrong leg until he realises that it's actually quite hard work, then just before the next corner bring him back to trot and ask again, and if he strikes off correctly do a short canter and give him a pat.
2. I was lucky enough to have a couple of lessons with Yogi Breisner (sp?) last Summer and what he suggested was walking on a circle with fairly short reins, making sure you are sitting back, hold your hands up very high (so they are nearly as high as your shoulders!) and just ask with your inside leg from walk so as not to confuse the horse. The idea is the high hands and sitting back encourages the horse to engage its hocks more. (I appreciate that an ex-racer may not like a contact like this).

Both ways worked, but ultimately what has really helped is that over time my horse has built up more muscle on his weaker side and so is now able to comfortably canter on both reins.