Mrs C
Well-Known Member
Hi all. Any tips or exercises to help a green and sometimes lazy horse maintain the canter? Thanks
Exercises for maintaining canter
- Thread starter Mrs C
- Start date
ihatework
Well-Known Member
It’s generally just time, fittening and strengthening to be honest.
If you have got one struggling in the school then do it out of the school.
The last one I had that had real issues was a whopping great boat and I boxed him to the gallops every week for the best part of 6 months. He just had to learn to get into and out of canter, maintain the canter and eventually adjust the canter in a straight line, before he could maintain it in smaller circles.
Take a lightish seat and encourage the hind leg and try not to let them plough down in front which will generally be a green horses default
If you have got one struggling in the school then do it out of the school.
The last one I had that had real issues was a whopping great boat and I boxed him to the gallops every week for the best part of 6 months. He just had to learn to get into and out of canter, maintain the canter and eventually adjust the canter in a straight line, before he could maintain it in smaller circles.
Take a lightish seat and encourage the hind leg and try not to let them plough down in front which will generally be a green horses default
ycbm
Einstein would be proud of my Insanity...
Stand. Weak horses find it too hard to carry us sat down in canter. Stand in the stirrups and absorb the movement with your knees, then sit for a few strides and stand again, gradually lengthening the time sat down over a few weeks.
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lizziebell
Well-Known Member
Gallops and cantering on hacks with other horses is great, but I wouldn‘t just aimlessly be cantering circles in the school. In the school I’d be doing lots of transitions and making sure they are quick and on the aid, then build time between transitions, but adding in some forward and back in the canter so you're always asking him to listen and wait. Do not let a break in canter go more than 2 strides in trot - immediately ask for the canter (this is where doing good transitions will pay dividends).
SEL
Well-Known Member
I'm cantering my young cob in a 2 acre field at the moment so there's no pressure on needing to collect him for corners, we can just work on forward. I've been taking the weight off like ycbm talks about above in straight lines and then just sitting back to balance him when we need to turn.
I have a 20x40 marked out on grass with plenty of space either side so once he's warmed up we'll often do a bit in there with no worries about bouncing off walls if he gets unbalanced.
You'll probably find the 'laziness' goes once the balance is better and to get better balance they just need to do more of it but in an environment where neither of you are worrying about tight turns. Even a 2 acre field can feel pretty small if they are bowling along on the forehand but you need to get the forward movement cracked first IMO.
I have a 20x40 marked out on grass with plenty of space either side so once he's warmed up we'll often do a bit in there with no worries about bouncing off walls if he gets unbalanced.
You'll probably find the 'laziness' goes once the balance is better and to get better balance they just need to do more of it but in an environment where neither of you are worrying about tight turns. Even a 2 acre field can feel pretty small if they are bowling along on the forehand but you need to get the forward movement cracked first IMO.
Mrs C
Well-Known Member
Thank you all