developing the perfect canter in youngsters

Tifferss

Tifferss

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Any tips?

My mare disunites and sometimes trots in the hind, she has been checked by all and i think its just balance as she is rising 5, i do three of 4 transitions per night either ridden or on the lunge

in lunge she is worse to disunite.

Any tips for schooling in canter
 
MrVelvet said:
hill work :)

eta - Gosh, sorry, that was blunt of me! But seriously lol, hill work! it might just be weakness thats causing her to disunite :)
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aaahhh i agree cause when we hack out the canters we do are on a slight incline and she is ok with that, how do you transfer that to the school though!! lol
 
I wouldnt lunge in canter if she is still growing and building her strength, lunge over raised poles in walk and trot to vary the work.
When cantering in the school sit in a slightly forward seat so that she can lift her back more easily, dont expect her to stay in a perfect outline and stop cantering before she gets unbalanced, do a downward transition establish a good trot and then canter again, keep each canter short aiming for quality rather than quantity .
She should gradually become stronger and more balanced and will then be able to maintain the canter for longer periods of time.
 
Tifferss said:
aaahhh i agree cause when we hack out the canters we do are on a slight incline and she is ok with that, how do you transfer that to the school though!! lol
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Same as you are doing! lots of transitions and getting her really on her hind quarters and infront of the leg! Hill work will help strengthen this and make it easier in the school, I agree lunging probably won't be as effective as hill work. Perhaps long reining if you want to do ground work at all?

Get her going really forwards and off the leg before you even think about getting her head down and pretty - get the forwardness and the strength before you think about prettiness :) x
 
Have you tried working her 'in hand' so she can learn to balance herself before you sit on top?
 
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MrVelvet said:
Same as you are doing! lots of transitions and getting her really on her hind quarters and infront of the leg! Hill work will help strengthen this and make it easier in the school, I agree lunging probably won't be as effective as hill work. Perhaps long reining if you want to do ground work at all?

Get her going really forwards and off the leg before you even think about getting her head down and pretty - get the forwardness and the strength before you think about prettiness :) x
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the canter work i am doing is toally not with me asking for outline....i get canter on the correct leg them push forward around the school - will defo try hill work though
 
Tifferss said:
No! please instruct away!!
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Would love to but it would take hours and I am not really good enough to instruct you:) But to summarise you work the horse in the same way as you would if you were riding her but you are walking beside her. You can start in walk with shoulder in, working to travers, renvers, half pass, moving onto piaffe and passage later on. The great advantage to this is the horse is not having to balance her own weight with that of the rider. It is possible to start young horses this way, so when you finally sit on there back they already know a lot of the movements and they have worked out how to balance themselves and where to put their feet. Later on you can teach piaffe and passage on the ground first.
'In Hand' work is really great for suppling and strengthening horses, it is a skill you can learn but it needs to be taught by a excellent instructor.
 
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