Counter canter help & BD Novice 38...

Diane_Pepper

Diane_Pepper

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Me & Pepper have our first ever BD outing and also first competition of 2008 on saturday and just wondered if anyone has any tips for N38?
Pepper finds the counter canter quite hard (mainly down to me sitting badly because I'm not used to it either) and attempts his crap flying changes when we're returning back to the track..
I'm trying to keep my aids the same as they would be on the rein he's cantering on i.e. inside bend and outside leg back but obviously going across the diagonal my outside leg becomes my inside leg if you get me
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Is this right?!
I'm probably doing it totally wrong & confusing my poor pony.
His canter has always been his weak gait, particularly on the left rein. When schooling today, by the end I did manage to complete the counter canter movement on the right rein without him trying to change legs, which is good - but the problem still remains on the left rein..
I know there isn't a quick cure, but just wondered if anyone has any advice?
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if you are on the right rein, want countercanter left, go accross the diagonal with left leg behind the girlth and as retirning to track on other rein, emphasise that and keep his head straight, of not slight bend to the new outside (right) and try and sit to the right everso slightly. This is how I found it easier with Sparky - we can not do circles in CC
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Your aids should remain the same as for true canter, so if you start i left canter your left leg should remain on the girth, your right behind the girth, weight on the left and slight bend to the left (which starts of being the inside, but becomes the outside in CC). To get your weight to the left turn your head to the right - my instructor suggested this and I found it helped loads (by turning the head right you open the right shoulder and your weight falls more to the left).

Also when schooling try CC on the long side rather than from the diagonal. So on the right rein come into an inside track, ask for a bit of counter flexion to the outside (which is about to become the new inside), left leg on, right leg behind and remember to release a bit with the left rein otherwise the leg can't come forward.

Hope this helps!
 
Thanks
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Yeah that is what I was trying to explain about my right leg remaining behind the girth (you put it better lol) and trying to get a slight bend to the left to keep the CC, it's so much easier on the R rein that the L, obviously because the left rein is his weakest & I often begrudge practising CC because he used to have issues with canter leads & although it's sorted now, I don't want to confuse him!
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But will just have to keep at I guess - he is learning new things pretty quickly now so hopefully he will eventually grasp the whole 'cantering on the wrong lead whilst remaining balanced' thing!!

Thanks very much for the advice!
 
Counter leads are one of these things horses get confused about. Mine was OK trot to canter, then when I started walk to canter he got all confused about everything. We sorted that out and CC became a problem. We've now sorted that out and he can finally do CC anywhere and pick up any canter lead anywhere, straight line or circle, so it is worth persevering, it does come right!
 
Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh I forgot to ring for my time
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2 minutes late and no-one is answering
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have you had your time yet D&P?
See you there!
 
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