Exercises to improve canter without cantering!

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zoon

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Is that even possible? I have an ex national hunt mare who last raced in 2010. Happy hacked with old owner last year and I have started schooling her with a view to event her one day.

She is going nicely in trot, but is very weak and in canter she will strike off correctly and then change behind after a few strides. Doesn't matter what rein she is on, although slightly better on left rein. Trainer and physio think it is a balance issue - she can happily canter on a straight line without going disunited.

But she is a bit iffy to hack at the moment. I am working on it, but can only hack at weekends due to light and only if I have a sensible horse to go with. Haven't cantered her on a hack yet as think she may just take off! Working on hacking sensibly in walk and trot everywhere before adding canter into the works.

Our school is large - 65x35m. So, my question is - what can I do to help with her strength and balance in canter without cantering? Or should I just persevere and canter anyway? Or should I just be patient, work getting her working correctly in walk and trot and the canter will come naturally? Or should I get the vet out for a lameness workup as this is totally not normal? That was my original thought, but trust my trainer and physio :S
 
My horse had a terrible canter but it is getting better by improving our walk.

Trainer tells me the same muscles are used in walk as they are in canter. So we work on really getting him to track up in walk, consistent flexion and some lateral movements.

I have no school at home so practise these whilst hacking, I only get to canter in lessons or competitions, but it really seems to be working I'm now getting 6's & 7's in our canter work where it was 4's and 5's :o. And we are getting 7's & 8's for our walk ;).

Hope you find something that works for you
 
Probably not much advice, except to say that recovering after an injury my mare struggled with canter initially. There absolutely wasn't anything wrong with her, she was just weak. I did lots of hill work out hacking, and introduced short bursts of canter while out hacking but in straight lines.

Then in conjunction with this, I popped her on the lunge some days and did lots of canter transitions - let her canter a couple of strides and then brought her back to trot - waited for her to relax and regain her rythym and then did another upwards transition.

Not sure which helped the most as used both in conjunction but it definitely helped over a couple of weeks! I think she had a general muscle weakness which manifested itself as an imbalance in canter circles.

Could you try the transition work and see if that makes a difference on its own? Understand you not wanting to be tanked off with on your hacks! LOL!
 
Lots of general balance and strengthening work will help too, in trot as well as walk. My young horse's canter is his least easy pace to ride in the school as its big and our school is small!! So was initially rather unbalanced etc. we have focused on walk and trot a lot with just a small amount of canter, apart from a bit of canter when jumping. His canter has improved loads without me really focusing on it - so am hoping that as soon as we have a decent dressage saddle that fits (fingers crossed in 2 weeks time!) and can really concentrate on it, it will improve again!
 
I have sort of tried this briefly, but she is very forward so I struggle with downwards transitions on the lunge. Might try again and keep at it as she is a quick learner.
 
You need to get your pony trotting in all four corners, slow, balanced with lots of changes in direction making sure you change the flexion, tear drops are a good exercise starting using the whole school then make them smaller as the balance improves.
 
Agree, get the other paces strong and the canter will come as she tones and works the correct muscles. My boy's canter was crap, he'd dis-unite and when we were jumping he'd rush alot as he was finding it hard to keep balances. 6 months later on after a winter of lots of schooling in walk and trot and pole work, the cater is coming on really well and now he can balance himself we can concentrate on improving the quality of the canter. Jumping is 10000000 times better as well.
 
Sounds like he needs to develop suppleness and stregth over his back

Trot improves canter, canter improves the trot.

Stay in trot and work on suppleness and straightness exercises ie - leg yields, serpentines etc.
 
To add to the other excellent suggestions - one of my mares would go disunited, until I completely addressed her straightness and complete control of the shoulders.

Also any type of correct lateral work will improve the canter (well, all the paces) - if you are a member of Horsehero go and watch the Thurman-Baker ground-work video - the shoulder-in on a circle is amazing.
 
I would do lots of lunging work with side reins to encourage and outline to help her work through her topline and back and help her gain a stronger back end.

Also ridden work in an outline would help massively, certainly did and does with my own horses!
 
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