encouraging more ' hind leg flexion/ engagement ' in canter

[EquiiNat]

Best thing for my horse to help her engage the back end in canter is lots of canter leg yield. I take her in canter up the long side, leg yield in to the three-quarter line then back out to the track. I do this several times on each rein when I first pop her in to canter and it really helps her work properly.

Also find her changes are 10 times better if I leg yield in to the three-quarter line and then ask for a change as her hind end is underneath her.

Also leg yielding in canter on a circle? Spiral in then leg yield out.

Good luck

 

[Joandripple]

Hi charlie76, I too, have a Chestnut Rheinlander (14 years young!). He was recently diagnosed with bilateral bone spavin in his hocks. He has quite a dull and flat canter, tends to lower his head and neck and pulls himself along. He is on Cartrophen and it has definitely made a difference. What breeding is your WB, would be nice to compare? 😊. Jo

 

[_GG_]

Hi charlie76, I too, have a Chestnut Rheinlander (14 years young!). He was recently diagnosed with bilateral bone spavin in his hocks. He has quite a dull and flat canter, tends to lower his head and neck and pulls himself along. He is on Cartrophen and it has definitely made a difference. What breeding is your WB, would be nice to compare? ��. Jo

This is something I mentioned via PM on facebook so interesting that yours has it. So I will say this to you, I have seen it, after a year of solid work, come completely right

 

[Joandripple]

This is something I mentioned via PM on facebook so interesting that yours has it. So I will say this to you, I have seen it, after a year of solid work, come completely right

Thanx _GG_. Fingers crossed. My boy used to square off his hind hooves horribly through dragging his toes! I have been told that once the spavin has fused all is normally well. I must admit this makes some sense as "what did peeps do in days of old" - box rest etc! My vet told me that the Cartrophen helps increase the fluid round the cartilage and the spur therefore reducing the need for box rest. I had to hack out in walk only for the first four weeks of treatment. Now six months on he moves much more freely behind and no squaring off of the hooves.

X

 

[_GG_]

Thanx _GG_. Fingers crossed. My boy used to square off his hind hooves horribly through dragging his toes! I have been told that once the spavin has fused all is normally well. I must admit this makes some sense as "what did peeps do in days of old" - box rest etc! My vet told me that the Cartrophen helps increase the fluid round the cartilage and the spur therefore reducing the need for box rest. I had to hack out in walk only for the first four weeks of treatment. Now six months on he moves much more freely behind and no squaring off of the hooves.

X

Yeah....I have always known horses to need work 7 days a week every week, for a year, all on vet advice and all have been on bute or other anti-inflammatory to help through the initial period and after that, never had an issue again xx

 

[charlie76]

GG- Monday might be ok ,I have a dressage trainer in all day and plan to ride him with her so might not be the best day? Also , I did the rein back to canter again today and about three thousand canter walk canter transitions with him and he improved 100% .
He isn't at all on the forehand ,in fact, he's quite uphill for a short fat thing! The more he improves with exercises the more I think think he is just idle and I've let him be!

 

[_GG_]

GG- Monday might be ok ,I have a dressage trainer in all day and plan to ride him with her so might not be the best day? Also , I did the rein back to canter again today and about three thousand canter walk canter transitions with him and he improved 100% .
He isn't at all on the forehand ,in fact, he's quite uphill for a short fat thing! The more he improves with exercises the more I think think he is just idle and I've let him be!

That's cool, I'm also free Tuesday but now busy the rest of the week, so if Tuesday is good, we can go for that.

 

[old hand]

I would try a thermal image, sounds like one of mine that was developing bone spavins. lameness work up clear and bute trial made no difference. Sound now but has taken a lot of work.