canter work help please

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I have a 7yr old mare, unknown breeding, very short coupled and I'm struggling with canter work.

She can only shoot off at 100mph and if you try to slow her down to get a working or collected canter she just breaks back to a very jarring trot :(

We are currently focusing on transitions and cantering over poles but in all honesty its not helping as unless she can charge into canter in the transitions she won't canter and when we use the poles she gives me a nice collection over them but as soon as they are finished she reverts, or she just breaks back to trot :(

RI has said to try spurs, I have tried out hacking and in large fields the canter work but no avail really and feeling a bit disheartened. She's a lovely horse with lovely paces but the canter just feels rushed and looks like hell. Its not hard to sit and doesn't feel jarring etc but any attempt to collect just resorts in trotting.

I have a pessoa type aid and a bungee and tried lunging her in that but trying to get her to canter was hard as she knows the range of the whip and if you step in to her she just drags you round in her stupidly fast trot :(

Really would love some suggestions please as want to get some dressage outings planned :)
 
Two good exercises........turn on the forehand then ask for canter as soon as facing the other way, keep going until you feel in going unbalanced again, then back to walk and do it the other way.
On 20 m circle, canter half, trot half and just keep repeating. Both exercises will get them to sit back on their hocks and will steady and balance the canter. They may start to anticipate the strike off but at least they listen to your aids.
 
Is she lacking in balance? My boy didn't have 'gears' in his canter untill his balance improved which came from strengthening work. To get a strong working canter I ride a shoulder fore, to engage the hind leg, straighten for one stride then ask. Once in canter we play with leg yielding in and put of a circle to get the hind leg under a bit more. My fella still struggles now and again as using muscles correctly is hard and I know if he's just done something nice as he'll feel 'taller' for a few strides then fall back to trot. So I've been aiming to get that tall sensation for one or two strides more each time - bit by bit, eventually we might manage a whole lap of a 30x42 arena!
 
sounds as if she is just lacking balance - my Sec D was exactly the same and after 6 months work we finally have a good enough canter to be able to jump from.

Here's what we did; lots and lots of work in walk, a really productive walk where they are tracking up and working properly. Lots of this up and down hills and over poles. Lunging in the same way, in walk, over poles, on hills. Also do some canter on the lunge to let her find her own balance. I was advised to just keep to short bursts of canter but then one RI gave me a lightbulb moment - to get a better canter you want them to bring their backend under them and to be able to do that, you need to be able to get your leg on. Im guessing with your mare rushing off that you feel you cant get your leg on? So, what we did was keep her cantering in the school until the initial 'rush' dies down and she thinks about breaking back to trot, which means you can then use your leg. I hope that helps.
 
As others have said sounds like most unbalanced young horses
I found a good shortened walk, halt, rein back then 'go'. At first you will get more trot strides before canter. As soon as the canter starts to feel long or rushed, come back and repeat. Use voice aids to help too
 
Echo the others, it is a balance thing. Just go with the canter being forwards and off your leg. As horse develops the balance will come. Lunging will help.

Don't get disheartened it will improve (I say this as someone with a Cob with a huge canter that has taken ages to balance and improve!) :)
 
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