God made the canter - discuss.

[sleepykitten]

I'm selling at the moment and hating it.

Someone came to try my horse last weekend, but we could only walk and trot as the ground was rock hard. The prospective purchaser wants to try him in canter which is fine, but he said to me that an old dealer once told him that you can improve a horses' walk and trot, but that God gave them their canter and you can't do anything about it.

Do you think thats' true?

 

[Farma]

I dont really understand that Whenever you start cantering a young or green horse they are unbalanced and it wont feel great nor look great, as time goes on with work they become more balanced, carry more weight from behind and are able to extend or collect therefore the canter has improved.
Does she imagine that a grand prix dressage horse cantering in a very uphill frame with an extremely active hindleg was just born with that canter?

 

[cptrayes]

I have heard the saying as that the trot can be improved but not the walk or the canter. What I take it to mean is that you should never buy a horse with a poor walk or canter because whatever you do to improve them they will never become a great walk or canter. But a poor trot can be improved to become a great trot.

I agree with it to a great extent, especially the walk, though I'd prefer not to buy a horse with a poor anything

 

[dumpling]

Lol. To me, every horse has their best pace. For my boy, trot's his best pace, purely as its 'easier' for him than canter. However, with good schooling his canter is much better than originally.

So no, I'd say it depends on the horse- confirmation, way of going, forward thinking, and schooling .

 

[millreef]

If this is so then I am doomed......

 

[Emilieu]

What millreef said. My boy's walk is MUCH better than it used to be however so I won't lose faith!

 

[ecrozier]

I had always been told walk is the hardest pace to actually improve. My young horse's canter was a bit of a nightmare to start with, very unbalanced, couldn't turn corners, huge stride that we couldn't collect at all.
However my dressage instructor (who is a group 2 rider and very experienced instructor) said that often horses with the big ( and possibly unbalanced) canter as youngsters end up with the best canter as once they learn to collect and shorten to a good working canter, the progression to showing mediums etc is easier.
However it does help if they are trainable and built reasonably uphill which would bother me far more than whether a horse has a perfect canter!

 

[maresmaid]

I have always been told that you can improve the trot & canter but always pick a horse with a good walk as this is much more difficult to change. I have always found this to be very true.

 

[burtie]

I have heard this too and may be its true in an older horse, but then you'd be able to make fewer improvements in any pace as the horse gets older, but my Warmblood had the most uncomfortable canter until he about 7 (it was jerky and downhill)when he could then start to sit and carry the weight behind more and now has a lovely canter as long as he stays balanced.

 

[blueblonde123]

I've heard this from lots of dressage people with regards to the trot being the easiest pace to improve, and tbh I would agree with it having schooled tons of horses. It's to do with the complexity of the movement - trot is 2 beat instead of 3 or 4 so there's 'less' to deal with.
Yes when they are babies all the paces are a bit wonky looking but if you know what you are looking for you will see it.