Ex-broodmare can’t canter

[ktj1891]

I’ve been riding mare since around this time last year after she was brought back into work from 3 consecutive foals.

I have mainly hacked her out since then and it got to the point she was cantering fairly well in a straight line out hacking.

However, she still cannot canter in the school. We manage about half the school in canter, although today she managed 1 lap before she disunited.

She is worse on the right rein and disunites after a few strides.

I am by no means disillusioned to the fact that I am not the best rider in the world. However, until I started riding her I thought I was reasonable but I cannot ride her canter at all it’s so bouncy. I always have to stand in my stirrups and even then she throws me all over the shop.

Is there any exercises or strengthening work I can do with her to get her strong enough to canter?

Up to this point I have stuck to doing a lot of hacking but for obvious reasons I’ve not been able to canter her out for a number of months. I’m now starting to think I just need to crack on and ride through it and just canter her more to build her up!

Any suggestions I am all ears

 

[stormox]

Have you had her SI area and pelvis checked? A disunited canter is a common sign of a problem here.
Or is she a trotter/pacer? They often find canter difficult.

 

[ktj1891]

Have you had her SI area and pelvis checked? A disunited canter is a common sign of a problem here.
Or is she a trotter/pacer? They often find canter difficult.

She isn’t mine so unfortunately I have no control of her veterinary care. She is warmblood and used to showjumped apparently.

 

[AmyMay]

Do you have lessons?

 

[ihatework]

How old is the horse?
Personally, 3 consecutive foals may well have taken its toll on a horses physical capability for ridden work IMO.

 

[ktj1891]

Do you have lessons?

I haven’t on her but I have had many lessons over the years with my own horses.

Maybe I should invest in one if her owner allows me to.

 

[ktj1891]

How old is the horse?
Personally, 3 consecutive foals may well have taken its toll on a horses physical capability for ridden work IMO.

I am not sure of exact age but when I asked her owner she said she thinks 13.

 

[Ceriann]

How much do you school her and what work do you do? Hacking is great for fitness but work in the school needs suppleness and strength. If she’s been out of work she’ll need time to build that up. Lots of transitions, pole work, exercises to get her to bend and work from behind. My mare has been off 12 months due to injury, we school once or twice a week now (introduced 6-8 weeks ago) and have only just started canter work and only down the long side. You might want to check all usual physical/pain options before you push on.

 

[ktj1891]

How much do you school her and what work do you do? Hacking is great for fitness but work in the school needs suppleness and strength. If she’s been out of work she’ll need time to build that up. Lots of transitions, pole work, exercises to get her to bend and work from behind. My mare has been off 12 months due to injury, we school once or twice a week now (introduced 6-8 weeks ago) and have only just started canter work and only down the long side. You might want to check all usual physical/pain options before you push on.

I probably only school her once a week or something twice at the moment.

I try and do pole work most times that I go in there.

 

[be positive]

How old is the horse?
Personally, 3 consecutive foals may well have taken its toll on a horses physical capability for ridden work IMO.

Or the problems you are now having were the reason she retired from SJ at a relatively young age to breed, knowing the full history may help but it is highly likely there is something amiss.

 

[ycbm]

Why was she put in foal in the first place? I'm with BP above, very likely a mare who broke down show jumping so someone thought as she had a uterus they should breed from her.

.

 

[Velcrobum]

Was about to make exactly the same comment as bp and ycbm. There is usually a reason why mares become broodmares at an early age when they have been competing.

 

[ktj1891]

I don’t know her history.

I have provided info of what I do know since I’ve been riding her and what I have done with her.

I have asked for strengthening exercises which I do have control over doing with her.

Guessing and making assumptions about her past isn’t productive for me helping her or anything to do with what I asked.

 

[Auslander]

Guessing and making assumptions about her past isn’t productive for me helping her or anything to do with what I asked.

It really is, as it could well explain why there are problems with the canter! If she has a physical issue, either from her previous career, or as a result of several pregnancies, no amount of strengthening work is going to help improve matters.

 

[JFTDWS]

If the horse isn't capable of cantering without going disunited, I would strongly suspect an underlying issue, and that is relevant because it means that no strengthening exercise is likely to help and it's probably a bit unethical to persist in trying to change that...

 

[sport horse]

I don’t know her history.

I have provided info of what I do know since I’ve been riding her and what I have done with her.

I have asked for strengthening exercises which I do have control over doing with her.

Guessing and making assumptions about her past isn’t productive for me helping her or anything to do with what I asked.

It may be that you do not know her past and that noone has given you the exercise that you want. However if your mare does have an injury it may be that the very exercies you are determined to do will hurt her. You have to find out her history before you start any serious work.

 

[ktj1891]

It really is, as it could well explain why there are problems with the canter! If she has a physical issue, either from her previous career, or as a result of several pregnancies, no amount of strengthening work is going to help improve matters.

Unfortunately have no control over that, I don’t own her.

 

[ycbm]

Guessing and making assumptions about her past isn’t productive for me helping her or anything to do with what I asked.

Then get a vet to look at her instead of asking online for advice you don't want to hear.

 

[ycbm]

Unfortunately have no control over that, I don’t own her.

Then stop riding her until someone is prepared to find out if she is in pain.

You have been riding her for a whole year and she can't hold canter. It's unethical to continue to ride her unless someone will investigate why she is having issues after a year in work.

 

[Auslander]

Unfortunately have no control over that, I don’t own her.

I get that, but you can tell the owners that she is struggling with canter, and you think that it may be a physical issue.

 

[ktj1891]

I get that, but you can tell the owners that she is struggling with canter, and you think that it may be a physical issue.

She knows and just puts it down to her being weak behind.

 

[Auslander]

She knows and just puts it down to her being weak behind.

Im afraid that, in that case, if the horse was struggling, and the owner wasn't willing to have some form of investigation done, i would not be riding the horse.
I lost a livery from here, a horse I really loved, because I refused to keep working him when he was struggling with physical issues, which the owner refused to investigate.
If she's been in consistent work for a year, and has previously showjumped, so has been able to canter in a balanced fashion previously, I wouldn't expect her to be unable to canter round the school without going disunited

 

[be positive]

It may be that you do not know her past and that noone has given you the exercise that you want. However if your mare does have an injury it may be that the very exercies you are determined to do will hurt her. You have to find out her history before you start any serious work.

That was my point, without knowing you have no idea if she is even going to be able to work correctly, if she had a career ending injury that was not treated other than to put her in foal, which may have done more harm than good, then she should not be put back into work without having a proper check up.
I have had two here in recent years that struggled to canter without disuniting, the first had a SI injury that if left would have deteriorated, the second is undergoing rehab now for minor KS and very early signs of spavin.

The only former broodmare that came here we backed at 13, having bred probably 7-8 foals, had no problem cantering normally so in my experience it may well be nothing to do with having foals.

 

[ktj1891]

All taken on board and trust me I get it.

If she was mine I would get her all the works.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I'd find another, sound horse to ride or just get used to enjoying walking hacks round the countryside. The horse clearly has issues beyond weakness and thus shouldn't be expected to work when she isn't capable of it.

Not what you want to hear as "it's put of your control " but you seriously need a reality check before you do the poor horse even more harm!

 

[Gloi]

If nobody will investigate her problems and you want to ride her just stick to gentle hacking. There are few better strengthening exercises than walking up and down hills.

 

[stormox]

I don’t know her history.

I have provided info of what I do know since I’ve been riding her and what I have done with her.

I have asked for strengthening exercises which I do have control over doing with her.

Guessing and making assumptions about her past isn’t productive for me helping her or anything to do with what I asked.

Actually, the past may be a clue to what the problem is, which in turn will help you resolve it.

 

[Aoife 2020]

I would probably stop riding that horse for your own safety if the owner isn’t willing to do anything unfortunately the owner is not alone there is plenty of people like that in the horse world.

 

[PapaFrita]

Can she canter ok and a good distance in a straight line?

 

[PigPeppa]

I had a mare that had bred a foal and went disunited. Ended up her having a rotated pelvis.