Had my very green 5 year out like last night..

seaview

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Hi everyone,

Had my 5 year old out for first time last night after his break, he was only broken late and did nothing last year, just before he went out he was working well in a nice rounded well balanced outline,

well..... he appears to have forgotten everything! The canter was very uncomfortable,

I was up with my instructor and he was saying that his canter needs to be more engaged and more uphill position IYKWIM.
He tends to put his head into a position and just canter with it without actually actively cantering?!

I know good old fashioned work is the way fprward but I just wanted to check my aids with you, so any suggestions?

I am also working him in the pessoa so I am thinking that will help make his canter more upbeat!

N
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AmyMay

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Probably unfit and being buggerous then????

I would not school personally - rather get him fit again by general fittening work, then start in the school again quietly.

Just me though - I'm sure others may have different ideas.
 

seaview

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Hi Gatefield I ahve been doing that so impressed with it already,

Amymay I kinda feel he is ready for work now as he is a lot stronger in himself now, but not in a naughty way!

Can only hack at weekends unfortunately so have to school.

N
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AmyMay

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[ QUOTE ]
Amymay I kinda feel he is ready for work now as he is a lot stronger in himself now, but not in a naughty way!

[/ QUOTE ]

Ahh, yes, but hacking does not have to mean no work. I just think that 8 weeks off, (albeit some lunging in the meantime) and then in the school and expected to 'perform' is asking a lot of a young horse.
 

seaview

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what would you suggest?
My plan of action was just to take things slowly but at the same time I dont want him in the school without working properly!

I dont expect him to automatically perform and TBH we only cantered last night cos my instructor was there and we wanted to assess what stage he was at iykwim!
I will just be back to the walk till we walk properly and trot till we do that correctly stage! On the other hand my instructor says I am too much of a perfectionist and it doesnt ahve to be 'perfect' till I go up the next level!

I have come form my fantisically schooled horse to the baby stage again and tbh I seem to have forgotten these baby stages with the other horse, you forget how much time it takes!!

N
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AmyMay

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[ QUOTE ]
I was up with my instructor and he was saying that his canter needs to be more engaged and more uphill

[/ QUOTE ]

Engagement will come through the schooling work, but I wouldn' have thought at this stage until he is fitter.

The intermediate eventer that's at home at the moment doing her fittening work is in the school twice a week - until she goes back to the rider. She is only walked and trotted at the moment, focussing on suppling excercises - all of which encourage her to engage her quaters. We don't do any of the cantering work in the school - only her rider.

She's in the school for 15 mins max - building up to 30 mins by the time she goes back to the rider in around a fortnights time.

Improving the walk will improve the canter. I'm not sure what your instructor was getting at regarding the 'uphill'. People work for years to get their horses more uphill - unless they're blessed with a naturally uphill horse.

It is hard at this time of year isn't it when you can't get them out on the roads, and have to rely on the school.
 

seaview

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Yeah thanks Amymay!

Its a nightmare cos you know you only have the weekend to hack and lo and behold sat morning comes and its blowing a gale, Hanging off the side of a youngster in wild weather is not my most favourite past time Ha!

Thats was the general plan never mind the horse I am not fit at the mo and the 15 minds will be enough for me Ha! Ha!

N
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Fiona

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Took Flo's canter ages to come right again after being off all summer, but we are now balanced and straight again and not leaning on my hands to balance herself.

Have patience and keep doing transitions etc and I'm sure he will improve quickly again up to the level you were before.

Good luck

Fiona
 

_jetset_

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Grace sounds a bit like yours... she is five and was backed at 4 years old and then given more or less 12 months off. I have taken her on and rebacked her.

That was three months ago and I have been bringing her on slowly because she obviously had no muscle whatsoever. I started off by doing some lunge work with her (I know this is slightly different because she was being rebacked). Once I could get on her without too much excitment, I did a lot of walk and trot transitions to get her listening to my leg. I didn't really think of cantering her because she was so very unbalanced.

When her trot started to improve (it was not perfect, is still not in fact) I incorporated a few short canters. These gradually increased in length and frequency in between lots of walk, trot and stretching.

Over the last few weeks we have just started to ask for a little more engagement in the hocks and a more uphill shoulder. All the problems we had ironed out in the longer frame have reared their ugly heads again, but are being sorted much more quickly.

I was also used to a well schooled horse when I took Grace on, and I also found I had forgotten all of the baby steps we had to take at the beginning. But I now feel Grace and I are starting to work together and more consistently.
 

Bossanova

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Personally, I'd scrap the pessoa for cantering- it sounds like he needs to remember to canter forwards and free again before you strap his head down, pessoas are notoriously bad for this. I'd have him in a pair of high side reins for lungework and when you school concentrate souly on rythym and pace until the quality comes back into the canter
 

Fiona

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Hi seaview

I have been trying to respond to your PM yesterday, but seems to be blocked.
Are you PMs full, or are you not accepting them at the mo??

Fiona
 
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