cantering

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bartontara

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Hi all!

Just wanted some advice from any of you...
I have owned an ex-trotter for a year or so who has been treated very badly previously and gets extremely stressed cantering, to the point we are unable to get her to canter without her taking off. We have tried many many suggested methods of pulling her back and reasking, etc etc.

I was recently doing some polework with her and set up a small double (about raised poles height) with two flat poles in between for the canter strides, after a couple of goes she cantered really nicely in between and a couple of strides away. Do you think this would be a good alternative starting point to getting the canter? Please, don't suggest things such as keep asking normally until she does it- I'm afraid we have heard it all before :(

She gets a lot less stressed cantering between two raised poles and I just wanted to know if anyone had used this to encourage the canter (and then slowly take away components until just asking over a pole) or whether it appeared to be an ok option. I'm pretty desperate so positive responses would be really lovely.

Thank you!
 
I have started many "normal" youngsters cantering by using poles and small fences, for some that cantering does not come easily it really helps them sort out their legs, stop the rushing and getting anxious about the transitions, I would use poles until she is really confident going into and remaining in canter, I would much rather do this with any horse than ask and pull back which can become confusing and frequently sets off a negative reaction to the aids.
 
Have you tried getting her to canter when lunging and giving her loads of praise. My boy is an ex gypsy pony who has been trained to pace and like your girl has been badly treated. He would trot faster and faster and would tank off in canter as he struggled with it. Lots of lunging and he had found his balance and can now can get full circles. When ridden I started off just asking for a few strides then back to trot as he would rush into it and didn't know where to put his legs. He would also pace when coming out of canter. 16 months later he still can't canter a circle when ridden but does have a nice calm balanced canter on the straight.
 
Yep mines an ex gypsy pony too! :) we have been lunging her as you said and it has made her a lot more balanced - she can canter full circles with alright balance she just struggles with the transition. However I will give it a go lunging her more often to see f it helps her sort her legs out! X
 
I think the thing is when they have cantered they have been punished for it. My boy absolutely loves it now and is very easy to get into canter. The pacing has almost stopped as he is getting more balanced although it is still his go to pace when he stops thinking what he is doing
 
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vmac66 said:
I think the thing is when they have cantered they have been punished for it.
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Which is why using poles is so helpful, it gives them something new and positive to focus on rather than thinking about it being canter and the negative memories they have, poles can be placed on a circle as well as in a straight line, they can be anywhere around the school so can be used at any point the rider wants.
Lunging has it's place but the transitions still need to be made when ridden and that tends to be when they become tense, avoiding the tense stressed reaction is going to mean they move on more quickly and start to enjoy the cantering rather than worry about it.
 
Be positive - How would you suggest starting to introduce transitions after getting the canter over poles? She doesn't seem to respond well to outside leg back or leg Aids she just trots faster unless over poles? X
 
bartontara said:
Be positive - How would you suggest starting to introduce transitions after getting the canter over poles? She doesn't seem to respond well to outside leg back or leg Aids she just trots faster unless over poles? X
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You should find once she really understands the poles and cantering over them that you can feel what suits her, let her learn to pick up the canter from very little leg, if any other than what is required to keep her forward, it will take a while but she will start to connect the transition to your leg aid, possibly use just the inside leg as it can be clearer and easier for you with less risk of pushing her quarters away, if you have tried outside leg to no avail it often makes sense to start the new regime with a different approach.
I nearly always use the voice as well, either a simple click of the tongue or a sharp caaaanTer, if you are consistent and use the same voice aid when lunging she will learn by repetition, remember to praise consistently when she gets it right, either by voice or if you can give a quick pat on the neck with one hand, whatever works for you will work for her if you are clear and consistent.
 
Okay that makes sense, she responds we'll to voice so I think that's a really good starting point. Honestly thank you so much, for the past 6 months I've been feeling at a dead end and after a successful few intro dressages I really wanted to get her progressing to canter and I feel so much more confident now. Thank you ever so much x
 
Hope it goes well, bringing on horses is so rewarding, they are all very different but once you find the key they tend to improve quickly, it is finding the key that is the most challenging part.
 
Keep doing what works for her.

I've always got my pacers to pick up canter by letting them loose uphill; it's usually flat and disunited to begin with but it didn't take Star long to nail walk to canter transitions like a pro out in the hunting field! Jumping doesn't always work for me as I seem to have horses (as do some of my friends) who can traverse a full showjumping course whilst pacing...and never miss a stride!
 
Have you taken her hacking with a steady safe horse? If you got the horse in front to canter for you and go in a straight line, and at least if she tries to take off you can keep her nose up the rear of the older horse (hence why the need to be safe!)?
 
If it works for you and gets both your confidence going - keep doing it! What about as well just seeing if you can keep her in canter after the jumps and poles to help her get a bit stronger in the canter? She may then find the transition easier to deal with?

Poles are really good for fitness so if you can get her cantering to, over and away to poles and small jumps the strength will start to come then you can work on the transition side of things. Also ditto the lunging too, as they have to think for themselves and should be able to work out getting their legs in the right place - lots of transitions on the lunge until it is second nature for her.

Keep going, you will get there and stay positive :).
 
Keep at it with the poles or small jumps and I found with my ex trotter cob X whatever he previously did horse, being in a field going uphill with another horse worked wonders for canter transitions..it does take a bit of time to really develop (ie months n months) but you will get there..don't over think it either, as you being stressed won't help either of you! I know..been there! Good luck
 
be positive said:
I nearly always use the voice as well, either a simple click of the tongue or a sharp caaaanTer, if you are consistent and use the same voice aid when lunging she will learn by repetition, remember to praise consistently when she gets it right, either by voice or if you can give a quick pat on the neck with one hand, whatever works for you will work for her if you are clear and consistent.
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Agreed.
I train canter to a specific 'cluck' noise then slowly add leg aids alongside the voice. Lots of praise when she canters, even if it's only a few unbalanced strides.
 
My old girl was part friesian - and leaned towards trotting, her canter was awful and she rode like a racey cut and shut when I could get it... this ended with motorbiking in the school! I found the best training for her was long hacks allowing her to stretch herself and relax, incorportating canters on decent straight canter paths ideally slightly uphill or a bloody big flat field giving her a good canter letting her settle and slowly spiralling her inwards... it took a lot of time and patience, but in the end this was the result:

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blood sweat and tears went into producing that! She very much rode like a trotter, it can be done although I found that taking the training outside of the school really helped lift the pressure from her and worked wonders, once she had her confidence in canter and her balance, we could go back into the school x
 
Okay, thank you very very much everyone. As for the hacking side of it that does get her cantering, however we don't have many large uphill fields around me just narrow tracked which she struggles round the corners on! However thank you, and with the transitions thank you smja and be positive - I will try voice Aids to begin with definitely. Thank you so much x
 
I'm having similar problems with my trotty 4yo cob at the moment. He'll canter fine on the lunge but ridden will only go into canter at high speed and drops back to trot as soon as he can. He has a real big action Welsh Cob type trot. He isn't at all tense about it though which is good, he's just very fast. I've been trying him over a jump today to see if he'd land in canter but sadly he landed in trot every single time. I'd like to try him on an uphill bridleway but the place we always used to canter had a problem with a flood and now has big gulleys in it so isn't safe except at walk :(
I'm going to keep practising voice transactions on the lunge and see if it will eventually work when ridden.
 
Totally agree to just do what works best for your horse, they are all different, and if you find a method that works, do it! Something I found really helpful when I was asked to teach a racing trotter to canter, was to forget trot to canter, but do walk to canter instead. As this trotter was trained to pace, and obviously trained not to break into canter, she got very stressed if you asked for trot to canter, but she did learn to canter on the lunge from voice. So we tried using a voice command and a light leg aid to get walk to canter, and this worked almost instantly as it seemed to break the association that canter was wrong. Once she got massses of praise for canter and walk to canter we could gradually introduce trot to canter, it took a while, but we got there, but it was the walk to canter that cracked it for us.
 
nato said:
Have you taken her hacking with a steady safe horse? If you got the horse in front to canter for you and go in a straight line, and at least if she tries to take off you can keep her nose up the rear of the older horse (hence why the need to be safe!)?
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I agree, a lot can be achieved by another horse to"explaining" that it is ok even cool to canter and nobody is getting upset.
 
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