cantering on the road

[pixiebee]

ok-so went hunting recently for the first time, been cubbing before but this was the proper hunt-i have never cantered on the road before and wasnt expecting to either-however , when the hunt set off all the huge 18hh's horse shot off in canter and everyone followed-as i didnt know where i was and couldnt stop my pony, i had no choice but to follow, i was panicking that he might slip or get splints/become lame etc etc!! my pony was so hyped up that we cantered/galloped over any ground imaginable, with no choice as i physically couldnt stop him, trying to hold him back made him worse. do you all canter on the road during hunts and does this worry you, or has your horse gone lame becasue of it????

 

[Jemayni]

I dont! Best way to not get carried off in a wave of massive strong hunt horses is to go nearer the back for roadwork if you can, particularly if your horses are inexperienced hunters.

 

[pixiebee]

i tried going at the back but my pony wouldnt have any of it.lol!

 

[gokartbandit]

The same happened to me on Saturday. First hunt. Found myself at the front when we set off and couldn't stop my pony cantering on the road.

We only did it for a few minutes and to be honest she's a lot lighter on her feet in canter.

Now don't shoot me down here, I would never canter on tarmac intentionally, but it did make me wonder if it is actually any worse than fast trotting on the road.??

 

[Clodagh]

We canter on the road out hunting, like gkb says, is it any worse than a pounding trot?
Try to get on a verge if you can, but as long as they are settled in canter I'd let them rather than getting into a fruitless tugging comp to try to make tham trot.

 

[AmyMay]

When you hunt you do have to expect that there will be times when you do end up cantering on the road. Tbh it's no worse than trotting at a million miles an hour - and I would always tell Amy to canter, rather than do that.

Another good tip is to try and get to know some of the hunt regulars. So often you see people racing around the country knackering their horses out for no good reason - most of the time the field are just moving on and not actually hunting, so walking or quietly trotting to catch them up will save your horse.

Sounds like you may need to up the brakes a bit to try and get a bit more control. Lots of horses find their first couple of outings very, very exciting and do settle down - but I always had to hunt Amy in a Kimbelwick rather than her snaffle because she got so strong. You should be able to hunt from the back as well as the front and you'll need to try and get that in to your horses head - again a stronger bit may help you with this.

 

[iwtownsley]

when i go hunting i try not to canter on the roads but if he does then i just let him unless its very slippery. friends horse did o lame though from cantering on the roads that why i dont really let him do it.

 

[polyphonic]

but was that from cantering on the road? or because of a days hunting? ive been out with the atherstone who went off fast and i let flint get on with it, if i hold him back he plunge bucks and gets his own way in the end, try a stronger bit tho if u feel u have no stopping power. id be more worried about that

 

[vivhewe]

If I went hunting I'd worry about cantering on the road too, but (and this is just my guess) it can't be any worse than them tearing around at their own free will in summer on hard ground when you turn them out

Seeing the speeds my boy does in the field all year round I think a canter on the road would be quite subdued for him

 

[kick_On]

good bit advise here........
Hunting is very good for teaching pony/horses to have a foot firmly in each corner.
At meet have a good look around and workout who looks like they know what ther doing and follow them, learn and have a chat. Most folk will want to impart with there knowledge about the country your crossing. If you have to canter on the road and you get worried grab handful of mane or breathplate and sit calmly and bring back into control slowly and if you want to talk quietly to pony and comfort him.
Also either keep in, go on verge(if you can) or go into middle of road as normally that's where best grip is....................., just remember to balence pony before turning into gateway cos if your going to slip thats normally where folk do it .
Most folk think that hunting is just galloping flat out across countryside, passing the time of day, without a care in the world, mmmmmm.......
I spend allday working out where all the dangers are, knowing which land we are crossing, where the next jump is, what state it was when we last cross. What farmyard we entering next, looking out for holes/wire etc...
and of course looking for next hedge to jump :grin: :grin:. Also you never stop learning hunting, so if you can pal up with regular, they'll bring you on and then you'll be totally addicted to it :grin: :grin:

 

[Vicki1986]

i agree with comments about no worse than trotting and hard ground in summer turn out etc.

my pony can trot almost as fast as she canters so cantering wouldnt be much worse and perhaps a little less jarring?? hmm not sure.

Would echo the comments about control though. this to me would be more of a worry than cantering on the road. i was pretty out of control my first time mock hunting so i changed from my tom thumb to a waterford continental and now pony behaves much better in company (plus shes more used to "hunting" now) and is far more polite! perhaps you should consider a change of bit as at the end of the day you are out to have fun not be have a tug of war or be out of control & get frightened.

 

[BroadfordQueen]

i try not to canter on the roads, unless i know them well. Two of my close friends where cantering down a very slippy road (which i knew well and was on the verge, but they where ahead of me so couldnt tell them to be carefull) and both their horses slipped, one landed on my friend and she has fractured her knee cap and broken her ankle. other was concussed and had bruised ribs.

 

[vicijp]

In every stride of trot the feet hit the floor 4 times to canters 3. Working on that, I try never to trot on surfaces I wouldnt view as safe to canter on. If you are worried about concussion injuries, a steady canter is a lot better than a fast trot.

 

[severnmiles]

Cantering is also a rounder movement therefore less jarring on the horses hooves.

 

[flying_change]

Though surely in the canter stride there are times when only one foot is coming down and taking the impact and weight (not 2 as in trot), hence more loading ?

 

[vicijp]

I wouldnt say so, but someone like Puddicat or Lucyspring may know exactly
As Severnmiles says(im guessing you hate trotting as much as I do S?), the action is a lot rounder. More loll, loll, loll rather than up, down, up down - if that makes sense?

 

[flying_change]

Well after the moment of suspension, one hind foot comes down, then a diagonal apir, then the other forefoot.

 

[severnmiles]

Well after the moment of suspension, one hind foot comes down, then a diagonal apir, then the other forefoot.

F_C this bit isn't about killing the fox yet you still debate it...I think you just like arguing with us hunting ladies :smirk: :smirk: :grin:

Only joking, you do have a point but I find cantering alot easier on the horse to bang bang bang on the tarmac. If I were to gallop flat out that would be a different matter.

 

[flying_change]

Now how to I blow an electronic raspberry...... ?

I guess I'll have to bow to your knowledge of your horses injuries..... I dont canter on roads myself... though the surface in the riding school I go to does need harrowing, it's been comacted pretty hard.....

 

[vicijp]

I dont canter on roads either, I tend to walk along at the back. When they go hammering around like that its usually because hounds arent where they thought they are, 9 times out of 10 theyll come back. I also have fast horses, no problems with catching up when I hit the grass!
If I had a bit fat hunter with 456 inches of bone I would.

 

[sloulou]

I was always told by my instructor that it is better to canter slowly than to do a fast trot on the road out hunting. It does seem less jarring to me...

 

[icemaiden113]

i never canter on the road out hunting! There is just no need for it! I even tell the Huntsman not to do it! There is far ,ore chance of teh horse slipping in canter and no way of stopping it! Besides all that pressure on teh legs is not good ,even for our hardend pro's! Never had a lame horse because of trotting, just cantering!

 

[AmyMay]

Ahh, that's ok for the bigger horse - but when you are out on 14.2 ponies they can't always keep up the pace with a steady trot. So far better to do the odd canter strides to prevent jarring.

 

[icemaiden113]

hmmm i see your point, but surely you can keep up at trot?! Does your hunt not take a pull and stand for a few mins? I spent one day out and never got out of a walk! lol There is less damage done in trot than canter.

 

[AmyMay]

hmmm i see your point, but surely you can keep up at trot?! Does your hunt not take a pull and stand for a few mins? I spent one day out and never got out of a walk! lol There is less damage done in trot than canter.

Oh yes of course - and yes, most of us on smaller horses can keep up in trot - that;s not the issue. It's the jarring that trotting fast causes the legs.

Personal preference obviously, but would always canter over trotting if safe.,

 

[icemaiden113]

I am sure it is personal pref and depends on the horse, but working in hunt service have seen teh damage first hand that cantering on the roads does! Had a horse a few years ago shatter it's hind leg because of it! (whips horse)

 

[vicijp]

I dont think you can blame an injury like that on what the horse was doing at the time. It may be anything from the training regime pre hunting, to maybe whacking a fence a couple of hours before.
Ive known horses shatter hind legs turned out in field, cantering on good to soft ground and landing over a jump - yet all 3 are still considered 'safe'.
Im convinced some horses have genetic weaknesses in some areas - which can be worsened by specific regimes.

 

[icemaiden113]

Unfortunately her injury was due to cantering on the road. Had no jumps, so def wasn't that and pre hunting regime was very strict with plenty of work for hardening tendons etc. I agree it could happen with all of the 'safe' options, had another damge splint bones landing over a fence (again hard ground). And one of those things for horses in hunt service. Just saw this with own eye's and would be so wary about cantering on roads now!

 

[vicijp]

How can you be so sure as to eliminate all other factors? Im not having a go, just genuinely interested.
What do you mean by 'hardening tendons etc'? Im pretty sure all that roadwork crap has been proven as bullsh#t.
The only work that has been proven to increase bone density is steady canters, with short faster bursts, from a young age.

 

[icemaiden113]

Oh thats okay! Don't mind explaining! I can be sure as i worked with the horse at the time! The horse used to spend hours on walking road work at teh start of the season and although many say all that is crap(i touch wood) have never had a tendon prob. She also spent a lot of time down the beach for canter work etc, like you say the best way to strenghten is to use ie short bursts of canter (was only a young ish horse anyway) with so much of her time spent cantering on roads something has to give!