Getting youngster to canter?

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welshied

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Well he is nearly 5 now but had quite a few issues with him bolting off and bucking etc but all is going well at the moment (touch wood) but now am at the stage of trying to get him to canter but every time i ask him for it he either won't go into it at all or he just explodes and bolts just started doing some little jumps with him and he does a couple of little strides after but as soon as i try to keep it he goes off on one.
He canters calmly on the lunge and when out hacking in company just when asked in the arena.
Having saddle checked friday to see if thats an issue but shouldn't be only had it 6 months
any suggestions?
 
I would get his back checked as well as the saddle, he has probably changed shape in 6 months, possibly a fair amount.
Once he is ok, you need to really tackle the canter, there are a few suggestions assuming it is now established behaviour not reaction to pain.

First lunge him before you ride to get rid of any exuberance, try the small jump then keep cantering,tell yourself he is not bolting just going faster than you really want so go with him let him settle and relax, it sounds to me as if you are holding back expecting the "bolting" and it creates a vicious circle.

Try cantering faster out on a hack uphill following a very sensible friend, again let him really go on and relax, he will slow down and should want to stay with the other horse.The more you can do out and about the better.

A good instructor to help you, maybe ride him in lessons, would also be useful.

The longer you leave it the worse it will be in your mind and the fitter and stronger he becomes the more likely he will really develop bad habits.
 
Thanks for the suggestions i think you are proberbly right about getting his back checked one of them things i keep meaning to arrange!
Keep having regular lessons but instructor doesn't seem concerned that he isn't cantering but i think it should be well established by now
 
Hi. I have been having a similar prob with my 4 1/2 year old going into left canter. He knew the transition but always struck off right despite trying a variety of things to help him go left. Then when I did get left canter it would feel so unbalanced and fast I felt insecure and it felt like he might bolt off with me. Got a new RI who pointed all this out to me. He has really helped me with achieving left leg strike off and he says when I get the canter I need to sit up and press my lower leg on and open the knee and really allow him to go forward even if it feels a bit fast. The theory is that doing this will help him build the right muscles and then we can work on controling the pace and bend a bit more. Another thing that sometimes help is letting him find the canter himself by letting him do a really big trot and just keep the leg and just go into canter when he is ready, then ride the canter forwards - sounds wierd but it works.
 
Is he struggling to balance himself in the canter?

My boy is just beginning to work on canter and it's not something that comes naturally to him in the school. He is quite unbalanced in canter and I have to be really careful not to close up my inside rein thus preventing him from using his inside hind. His transitions are much better on the left than right and we are working on this. My boy is rising six and I am not worried that we haven't got it yet - plenty of time.
 
I feel your pain :rolleyes:

Just starting (trying) to canter Lyla in the school, she's fine on hacks, just think she feels to enclosed in the school :confused:

She's rising 7 was back at 5 1/2, my confidence means we're slowly getting there :o
 
(ps old man didn't canter. His four paces? Walk, Jog, Trot, Flat out) hence the nerves

It's strange having to 'leg on' with Lyla rather then 'leg off' with Darco, so it's me holding her back :o
 
Thanks for all your replies.
We did try getting the canter and he was fast and unblanced but nothing major the we started having issues with him not wanting to do anything and he had to go back to boot camp for couple of weeks and now he is getting there again but everytime i ask for the canter he just bolts think he is just holding it against me will def get back checked so i can rule that out then if thats ok think i will just have to be brave and see what i get!
 
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