Cantering Arhg!!!

[kateknights]

Some of you may or may not remember, that I have been having some problems with my horse and geting her to canter on the left leg.
I started having lessons about 6 weeks ago, we have tried the pole on the ground and she just wont do it.
So I decided to get my back lady out just to rule out nothing is wrong with Daisies back, as I would feel dreadful if we were doing all this work to get her to do and and she was in pain!
So to cut a long story short, she was a bit tight on her left side, but after an hours massage she loosened up a lot.
Now then, I need some more ideas for trying to get her to canter on the left lead, Woul a raised pole help?
Any more ideas greatly welcome,
thanks in advance
Kate x

 

[kerilli]

a very small fence should work, as most horses land in canter from a fence. if you position it 1/2 to 2/3 way down the school, towards a LH bend, it should help.
i'd put a prolite under her saddle and see if that made a difference too.

 

[Partoow]

This is not an unusual problem so its not just you or your horse. This is usually because the horse and the rider find this side difficult to co-ordinate, your right hip, beings as most people are right handed, are tight in this hip this therefore does not readily let you turn your hips to turn. parrallel to the horses hips and shoulders. The effect this has on you and your horse is that the rider tends to lean in with the shoulders putting too much weight down this side the inside hind is then not able to step under to take the canter or another symptom, the fall out throught he shoulder. They also have too much neck bend.
So working on the connection from the hind leg through the corridor of connection. The horse needs to understand to react to the inside leg of the rider to 'talk' to the inside hind leg of the horse. This then needs to lead to a contact in the outside rein, stopping the 'bulging' out through the outside shoulder and therfore containing the energy of the hind legs , it is this reaction between leg and hand that gives you the reaction for the transitions.Try also at the point of turning to open your inside body inwards , not downwards, i.e turn your hips and shoulders, keeping your nose looking through the ears of the horse.
I find on this left rein riding squares rather than circles , with the turn at the corners being by taking both hands at the same height in to the left [ imagine the shoulders are like a rudder and you are turning the outside shoulder in keeping them the same height , ie you generate reaction with your inside leg to stop the inside shoulder dropping] The inside leg taps at the girth when the inside hind leg is on the ground and the outside leg holds the outside body onto the turn[ frequently its the stepping away with this hind leg at the moment of the ask that lets the horse out of the transition] so on the square you have straight , turn straight. once you have this in the trot, i also use transitions at the corners to promote a 'stop ' reaction, which becomes a half halt at the corner to hold the outside on as the hindleg activates. You can also vary the size of the squares to make the reactions by you and the horse quicker and more precise. Remember your are developing neurological pathways in both you and him and that is why repetition and repetition is the way through this. Hope fully this will develope good reaction habits and get rid of the old ones!!!

 

[muddy_grey]

When I first got my girl she didn't like the right rein. I found leg yielding in trot from the 3/4 line and then asking for canter at the track worked well. Or spiraling out from a 10m circle. Poles were a no go for me as far too exiting!! Good luck