Canter problems!!

M

Mbronze

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I have a new mare and although she has a lovely canter on the left rein, she canters really crooked on the right rein with her neck overbent to the inside and her quarters coming in.

Flexing her to the outside makes her break in her canter, and when I push hard with my inside leg she bucks....!

Any bright ideas, shes so lovely it seems like i'm at a dead end with this one..

Any suggestions would be much appreciated...
 
I sometimes ride a horse like that. She was always ridden at the back of hacks and so used the horse in front as a brake. She turns in very sharply as a result on the left rein and though it requires quite a leg work you can get there however, we've noted by placing the inside hand over the withers holds her up a lot better. It is by no means perfect but it is a vast improvement - hope this helps???, good luck
 
Have you got a really good instructor? I know it sounds like a silly thing to say, but i have a fab one and she helps me correct everything. Come with something new each time, but she helps me to see what is going on between horse and rider.

Have you tried using a schooling whip and keep flicking her bottom with it, so she isnt thinking about what her front end is doing, so you can try and straighten it. Give and take with yiur inside rein but keep the outside rein in a strong contact. You say she bucks with too much inside leg cotact...just find the right amount, where she wont buck (obviously know that, just saying it anyway!) Also, really think about your own position being DEAD straight, try not to focus on the horse too much and try too hard (i know its difficult, i do it all the time).

Hope this makes sense...im no expert, i had a bit of this with my old horse so can kind of understand slightly!

Keep perserveering, im sure it will be fine!

Frankie x
 
I find working on squares rather than circles helps to sraighten a horse like this.
It helps you the rider because it focuses you on encouraging the horse forward in terms of the hind leg stepping into the foot print of the hindleg. At the moment, from what you describe this would not be happening.onthe straight make sure there is a clear 'corridor'of the rein, that the head and neck inthe middle of his chest.Keep him straight by keeping the outside rein and tapping at the girth with the inside leg, try not to sit overly heavily on the inside seat bone keep your shoulders and his shoulders parrallel to each other and keep your hands ,height wise level, so try not to push down on the inside rein try and encourage the right rein foward by activating the inside hind leg and connecting with the outside rein, thats where the tapping leg and rein bit comes in.
Do this first in trot, get the feeling of waiting for the corners on your square as a lot of horses that do this 'fall in' so really imagine riding the center og his head to the point on the wall infront of you on your square. The action of this connection gets the inside hindleg stepping straight forward and carrying weight more evenly. He curls in because he prefers to load the left hind and hes trying to get that to take the weight. curling the neck in loads the inside shoulder and so stops him from stepping through with the right hindleg and this will then mean when you push him for the canter he bucks as the hind quaters are stuck up behind you .
So this square also helps you keep that inside shoulder up through the engagement of the hind leg! hooray i got there in the end!!!! all sounds complicated but i promise you the square is simple and helps keep things clear to you and the horse! honest!
 
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