Exercises to improve canter

[smiggy]

Help please
been plugging away with shedloads of lessons and practice and can get a decent bd prelim score with 7s and 8s for our trot and walk work , but our canter still lets us down
we always get needs more jump, needs to develop more uphill frame , sometimes against contact in transition .
any tips for good training plans?
she is a fell so not naturally uphill.

 

[JulesRules]

Following as my Highland and I need to improve our canter too.

 

[shortstuff99]

Does she walk to canter? You could try a halt to rein back, to walk to canter. The rein back will help to move the weight onto the hind legs for a more uphill canter strike off. Also make sure to ask as the inside hind leg comes forward.

I would also do canter circles spiraling in and out.

I would also do a bit of walk pirouettes or a small walk circle then leg yield out and ask for canter.

 

[tristar]

i would just do a lot more cantering, not in the school but outside, on rides, canter trot, then canter and i would not sit heavily, allow the horse to come through under you, to just get the mechanics of the canter functioning well, and i would use a soft contact as possible, anything to get the canter going forwards and into gallop then canter.

if you fire it up in the open you could have more to play with in the arena, and if it goes dull in the arena come out and ride round the field a few minutes, then back in the arena


the above suggestions for training sound good too

 

[smiggy]

Great ideas thanks
yes walk to canter almost better than trot to canter !
might book the gallops then, ground been so hard this year !