Changing leg in canter - thoughts?

arwenplusone

arwenplusone

Well-Known Member
Joined
25 January 2007
Messages
6,160
Location
York
www.freewebs.com
My new boy has just started doing this on the left rein & I am just trying to go through what might be causing it.

Bit of background - He's 16.3 holsteiner - I have had him about three weeks. The old owner said they were getting him hunting fit (was supposed to be out NYD) but IMO he was a little way off. He had a basic level of fitness though so I have been working him & building up to 40/45 minutes in the school (though I am now doing a fair amount of trot & canter).

Initially, when he was finding the work hard he was just going into canter all the time, but now he is more balanced & his trot work & canter on the right rein are super.

His left rein is much weaker and the canter is less balanced. Yesterday he started changing leg on the corners with me (after about half a circle). I played around with my weight and this helped but he was still doing it. My first thought was that he was misunderstanding me (he sometimes thinks I want a leg change when I ask for shoulder in) as I don't think he's used to as much leg as I use.
blush.gif

Anyway, my second though was that he was tired - so day off & I lunged him this am to see ifhe still did it, sans rider. And he did.
frown.gif


SO, I will get the back lady out, but may not get an appointment for a week or two, so need to have a think. HE is definitely not lame & his work on the other rein is lovely.

I am wondering if he just finds it easier on the right rein & so is reverting to that?

Thoughts? Sorry this turned into an essay!
blush.gif
 
Unbalanced I'd say.

I'd reduce the amount of work you are doing in the school - and avoid cantering a whole circle with him on that leg. Up and down transitions only. Canter 4 strides, trot 4 strides and so on.....
 
Does he change the lead completely or only behind?
I would have the back checked but would not worry to much as it is quite often just the question of better balance on one side and he will improve with work. I found with slightly unbalanced horses that they kind of bounce of the bit and change round corners if you are not careful...
 
Just behind, he goes disunited. Yes, he is doing exactly that, backing off & changing - he sometimes throws in a spook as well to put me off the scent.
tongue.gif


I can sometimes make him change back as we are practicing flying changes but he gets unbalanced so it all falls apart a bit! It is more that he has only just started doing it. But I guess I am working him harder & more correctly than I first was. Thanks
smile.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Unbalanced I'd say.

I'd reduce the amount of work you are doing in the school - and avoid cantering a whole circle with him on that leg. Up and down transitions only. Canter 4 strides, trot 4 strides and so on.....

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks AmyMay, that's kind of what I think. It is almost as if the more balanced he becomes on the right rein, the les he likes the left. Will ahve to think of some exercises for him. He falls out a lot so I have been concentrating on getting hld of the shoulder, rather than the back end. There's just so much of him to hold together!
grin.gif
 
Also, I would imagine he has quite a powerful backside so to speak and they often find it a tad difficult to sort of 'fit' their movement in, therefore disuniting on the weaker rein as it allows them to twist a bit and have more room if that makes any sense...
A lot of the outside leg should help keep it together:)
 
Thanks Martlin, he does have a powerful backend so what you are saying rings true.

josie - he's 10 & isn't green, just not been doing much over the last 6 months. He's a bit clever though & has tried a couple of other evasions with me so I am thinking he's just trying to make it easier for himself.
 
Defo unbalanced. When I got my new boy, he was unblanaced, had all the rythym and cadence you'd ever want but used to do this one the lunge and with me on board. Lots of transitions, circles, leg yielding, fifure of eights, serpentines all helped him as well as getting him a lot fitter than he was! His balance is still the bit I am working on with him even now, but he is so much better!!!! Also holsetiners mature at age 8/9 so there balance takes a little longer and their fitness and muscle structure takes longer than other horses!
 
I've had two that have done this hence why I asked as both had different outcomes.

The first (6 year old) started to do this just before his patella started locking.

The second my D does this at home only and it drives me mad. I have tried loads of exercises. The one that works at the moment is when he changes I keep the canter and turn him onto a circle. This in my theory will make the canter feel uncomfortable. I leave it a circle or two then down to trot, rebalance and re-ask for the canter. Stay on the circle until the canter has continuity and then gradually push the canter back onto the track and away.

Hope that makes a small amount of sense but seems to be working as after that he doesn't do it again that session.

x x
 
The other thing Mayflower is to make sure he is working through his back. The other reason horses do this other than balance, and at 10 he really should be quite balanced but you can never tell, is because they are tense over there back and therefore can easily change leg as the are on the forehand and not underneath themselves going uphill. Does that make sense, I am not very good at explaining myself!!! You mention he evades in other ways. Does he rear? If he does, thats usually a sign he has got his balance pretty well under control and is going disunited because he is finding it hard work.
 
If your horse is normally balanced in canter and established in his schooling and then suddenly starts changing legs behind it is because he is uncomfortable somewhere. With my horse he started doing this, every time we did right canter he would swap over again. He went on a bute trial for a week and stopped doing it whcih is how I knew it was pain related. Then the chiropractor came out and said his pelvis was out, put it back (yeah right!) and he was okay for a while but soon reverted back to swapping legs. Turned out he had bone spavin and was worse in the one leg than the other. I would definetely go down the route of getting him checked by the vet and ask for a flexion test to be carried out.
 
Thanks bay_beasty - you make sense.

As it happens he has reared & is well balanced so i think all commenst are on right track - evasion!

Josie - thanks - I will give that a try.
smile.gif
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top