Disunited & unbalanced canter

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WishfulThinker

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My boys canter is reasonable in a straight line, but when it comes to circles we are unbalanced and he get become disunited very easily.
Now I have either ridden school horses when the instructors dotn care as long as it canters, or push button perfect rides. So I can honestly say that I don't really have a clue how to improve it.

Trot to canter transitions are OK, but he starts to get excited and will run when moving up or down from canter so we have been working on them. However walk to canter, or even standstill to canter and he is different, definately more united and produces a more comfortable upwards rather than flat and forwards canter.

We have tried poles and he just blitzes them and its clunk clunk clunk all the way through.
I can feel him every so often come together nicely and his back come up, but then if I move it all falls apart.
Do I have to support him more with my outside leg? I am becoming a lot lighter with my hands as he used to pull for britain but now he is in a loose ring snaffle he is more responsive.

I am about to start doing more lunge work with him, but he is very pulley and in canter will crane his head & neck round and swing his body out so it seems to defeat the purpose. I do have a pessoa, but after hearing that it is rather jabby to the mouth I have decided to not even try it and I am planning to try out a Chambon instead as he is very neck up (think he was hunted as a youngster). However in walk he is always keen to hoover the ground (is that normal cos I mean nose as close to the ground as possible, and not looking for food!)

I realise it is hard as none of u can see me ride etc, but I am rather stuck and this canter is affecting jumping as well as he is taking off SO close when I jump in canter(I have recently started jumping from canter again after a bad experience so not really egging him on or judging distances very well).

I'm just so frustrated as I used to be good at all this stuff, just goes to show that being able to ride and being able to school a horse are two completely different things!!
 
This is a balance problem, you will need to go back to some basics with him. Do lots of leg yielding on both reins & shoulder fore also. This will take time but you will notice a marked difference in his balance eventually & once trained to bring his back legs under himself he will be much more balanced & will be able to hold himself in the canter on circles.

Work on your transitions aswell & gradually by doing both the exercises his transitions will become smooth & seemless & he won't need to pull or throw himself forward into his transitions. Good Luck
smile.gif

This isn't going to be a quick fix but done right your hotrse will go so much better.
 
I have had exactly the same problem - my horse could not canter. I have spent hours working on it. I change the pace within canter trying to find gears, spiralling on a circle in and out, getting him lighter off the contact and in front of the leg, big circles, small circles, improving transitions and being generally very strict about it all. It has paid off. My horse could not lunge as he would fall over and finally he can lunge and he can canter but it has been a painful process!
 
Nope! Hes 10/11! His balance used to be ok when I had him at home and he was always cantering round the field on his own, but now he has calmed down in the past 2 years, and he is shod which he wasnt before and his feet have gotten MASSIVE (he was shod then I went barefood for about 18 months). I am sure he feels clumbersome at the moment.

I have been trying lateral work, but I am not the best at it.
 
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