First Young Horse - Canter

[FinleyBlue]

Hi All,

I am new to the forum ☺ Just looking for a little advice really. I have had horses hor many years, but they have always been 'ready made'! They may have needed fine tuning but the basics were already there!

My newest horse I bought last year was an unbroken 4 year old ISH x. (We all have to start somewhere, right?!) He is lovely!

He can walk and trot fine, but struggles to canter in a school or if you ask on a corner. His legs get all confused. If you ask him to canter on a straight line or on a hack he is foot perfect! We use the pessoa and school in the field and school amd hack for variety.

Is this just a case of more bending and flexibility and hind muscle required?

Thanks in advance.

 

[be positive]

Some youngsters take longer to get themselves strong and balanced enough to canter properly in a school, I would do more cantering out hacking to build his confidence and strength, if the ground is safe then cantering in a field where you have plenty of room and don't need to worry about which leg he sets off on, start somewhere that allows you to go either way to take the pressure off, will help with the transitions, you can make it all tighter once he has done a bit and is becoming more established.

In the school be careful you are not riding so deep into the corner that he is being pushed out at the same time you ask for canter, thus confusing him in what you really want, I use many different approaches to getting the canter, even with a more established horse it is useful to mix things up, a few things to try that may help, popping a small fence from trot, if he will canter away it takes less effort and aids from the rider, the momentum carries them forward, leg yielding from the 3/4 line and asking for canter just before the corner, be sure you don't then go too deep and lose it, this helps get the inside leg under them and helps stop the rider tensing up anticipating canter, staying in rising trot so their backs remain softer and just giving a rather crude aid that allows him to pick up canter almost on his own, going into forward seat from this can often help them pick it up.

I find riding in 2 point often helps them get less muddled and lets the canter become crisper underneath you, I would nearly always use it out hacking as well, using canter poles is useful and repeating trot canter, trot canter on a 20m circle with no corners to ride or straight lines to negotiate may also help, walk to canter through just a couple of trot strides is usually picked up fairly quickly, if cantering on the pessoa be very careful it is not restricting him or catching him through the transition as that will not be helping his confidence and may be the cause of his problem.

 

[FinleyBlue]

Thank you very much be_positive! I haven't ever cantered on the lunge by choice, I mainly use it to encourage downwards stretch in the walk. He has done a few strides accidentally though when he's been excitable!!
I will continue with the canter out hacking, we have some nice verges and a kind farmer near by lets me use the tracks around him field. What distance should be used between canter poles?

 

[be positive]

10-12ft depending on his stride length, often you need to start shortish then move them out once he understands what to do with his feet.