Following on from the "how to" thread...

[fatponee]

The answer I need is probably within the 42+ pages of the "how to" thread, but I'm too lazy to read it all!

Pretty please could I have some ideas on how to improve my horse's canter?

I have an 8 year old ex-racer. He works really nicely on the lunge with a Pessoa, in walk, trot and canter. When he is ridden, the walk and trot is going well but our canter...well...shall we say needs improvement! It's very babyish and flat.

I can't ride him in the Pessoa so what could I do to help him? I have tried lots of transitions from canter to trot and up again, but he just ends up rushing and getting in a bit of a muddle.

For those who have read this far, I am offering freshly baked choc chip muffins and a cup of coffee

 

[Nightmare before Christmas]

I always try and do canter to walk and walk to canter, I find this gets them engaged and thinking. Staying on a circle may help stop the flatness

 

[be positive]

If he rushes walk to canter may help, keep the canter periods short so that he does not start to rush and get flat then trot or walk, rebalance and ask again, as he gains in strength and confidence it will improve but often much more slowly than the trot .

An exercise that I find helpful is to trot a 10 metre circle at A canter as you come back towards the track canter to the other end and trot just before C riding straight onto another 10 metre circle and cantering again as you come to the track. The 10 metre circles help keep them balanced and by riding the transitions just as you start onto and off of them the horse is being ridden more positively and forward through them.

 

[AmyMay]

Do you have a good instructor?

 

[fatponee]

Ok thanks guys. The donkey's going to get a shock having to go from walk to canter! Will give these ideas a go

 

[Mince Pie]

20m circle, trot half then canter half then back to trot. Keep repeating!