canter strike off help please!!

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I bought a lovely cob back in November who had been out of work for 6mnths and quite rusty in his schooling. I spent the winter putting him slowly back into work, having taken him hunting and doing well in the SJ ring.

He is a smart boy so I would also like to show him, but am having problems with incorrect canter strike off's on the left rein. I have spent hours at walk and trot on circles too get him more balanced and even won a walk and trot dressage test the other day, so his walk and trot have improved dramatically.

He always gets the correct strike off on the lunge so can only assume it is something to do with my position. I do have lessons when I can afford it but my instructor takes the view of not over doing the canter, so if he does a couple of correct strike off's tells me to leave it at that.

Today we spent half and hour in the school and would say 60% of his left strike off's were correct so he is definitely improving, but not yet ready to enter the show ring. He is more likely to get the correct strike off on a circle but the problem comes back when we strike off in a corner.

Any tips or advice?

Thanks
 
Try looking over your outside shoulder while asking for the canter. Sounds mad but works.

Make sure you are asking with defined aids. You should be able to go down the centre line straight no bend and give the aids for a canter lead and get the one you ask for.

I agree with your instructor about leaving it if he has done it correctly a few times.

Does he pick up the wrong canter lead the first couple of times or after you have done a few already, might be getting tired on his weaker rein.

Try doing your canter work earlier in the session while fresh.

Check his back also, my mare showed no signs of having anything wrong other than she finds it hard to strike off on right canter, had her back done as a matter of course and found she was out.

Canter should now improve, not tried yet as she only had it done Tuesday.
 
Try using just the outside leg (right) backed up with the whip behind the leg. One exercise I found useful is to canter on the right rein, go accross the diagonal and momentarily before the other side come back to trot then as you touch the track, change the bend and ask for canter left. No more than a couple of steps in trot between canters.

This worked fantastically for an old (19yr old TB) horse we had at the riding school he had evidently never cantered on the right lead the whole time he had been at the school. Within a few days of using this method he would happily strike off on the correct lead every time.
 
I have the same with the right leg.

Bought him 6 months ago he had had about a year ish off and he had no canter to start with just bronking ( have the video to prove it!) now after 6 months of both work in the school, hacking and a few fun rides left lead is sorted, but the right is still an issue, but NO bucks for about 4 months so HUGE improvement. Right is still hard if we have 2 in the school he's having a pad and finish on a good note, but it's become an issue and he anticipates canter at every corner and circle :(

He is fine however when you put a jump in front of him- he will strike off and land on the right leg when required. He will also when hacking in a group, move from trot into canter often in the right:confused:. So I'm ignoring (as much as possible) the problem and using his love of jumping to improve his canter by jumping small courses and hoping that he will forget and in time his right will match his left.

Will he strike off when there is a distraction?

Sorry realise my reply offer no advise or help, but 'i feel you frustration' support!
 
Evelyn said:
Try using just the outside leg (right) backed up with the whip behind the leg. One exercise I found useful is to canter on the right rein, go accross the diagonal and momentarily before the other side come back to trot then as you touch the track, change the bend and ask for canter left. No more than a couple of steps in trot between canters.

This worked fantastically for an old (19yr old TB) horse we had at the riding school he had evidently never cantered on the right lead the whole time he had been at the school. Within a few days of using this method he would happily strike off on the correct lead every time.
Click to expand...

I'll try this too
 
Bug 2007 - the incorrect strike off's are random, quite often he will strike off incorrectly the first time, then get it right a few times, and just as a I think 'one more before we finish' it goes wrong again, resulting in me having to have a few more attempts to finish on a good note. Will try looking over my shoulder.

Evelyn - Quite often he will get the correct strike off if I start on his good rein then come across the diaganol and ask for a change - this is not yet consistent, but certainly helps. I am not sure about using the whip to support my outside leg though, as he can throw in a hell of a buck if I tap him!

nikCscott - thanks for your empathy!! Funnily enough he is more likely to pick up the correct lead when jumping, and will also land on the correct leg most of the time too....

I don't want to make it an 'issue' but haven't experienced this problem before, so am grateful for all your advice.
 
I had this issue on the right lead. My horse did have a physical issue but had it sorted.Then we didn't school for a while and when we came back to school work it was an issue again. I have found several things that work.Ask for canter on a circle or after leg yielding out of a circle.Lift your inside hand and slide your inside hip forward as you ask and also try to ask for canter as the outside hind comes forward as this will be most likely to put you onto the correct lead. The poster who said about looking behind over your outside shoulder is correct as by doing that it will automatically push your inside hip forward.Another thing to think about is bringing your outside shoulder back as again this will help you put your weight in the correct place.
 
try on a circle puting a pole raised at the inside and when you go over the pole ask for canter, the inside leg has to step higher to get over the pole and should then get the correct strike off, also try raising your inside hand just as you ask for canter again lifts the shoulder a bit
 
Agree with looking over your outside shoulder - v strange sensation for the rider but it works. You can also try raising the inside rein - just make sure you only bring it directly up and not across the neck.

Hope you find something that works for you and your boy
 
odd1 said:
try on a circle puting a pole raised at the inside and when you go over the pole ask for canter, the inside leg has to step higher to get over the pole and should then get the correct strike off, also try raising your inside hand just as you ask for canter again lifts the shoulder a bit
Click to expand...

This is the route I took with my lad and it worked very well. Tried lots of other things first but this is what really helped it click for him.

I was also collapsing to the inside making it hard for him to lift through the inside shoulder so sit up nice and straight whilst you ask!
 
After a year my friesian finally canters on the right lead more often than not! Its taken a lot of work - asking him to move away from inside leg also keeping outside hand down with a strong contact and raising inside hand quite high to stop him falling in but freeing up that shoulder! We circle and bend always asking to move away from leg and moving up and down transitions smoothly. I never ask for canter on good rein in the school - I know it will happen! If he strikes incorrectly we stop then trot a 20m circle till balanced and try again - 2/3 in a row and I stop depending on how things are going.:D
 
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