Jo1987
Well-Known Member
Hi all, I'm very excited and OH just isn't getting it so I'm going to tell you lovely folks as well 😂
My wonderful, handsome, sweet cob has been practically perfect in every way since I bought him aged 4, 3 years ago. Apart from his left canter.
He just couldn't do it in the school. Hacking, yes. School, no.
He was checked by a vet, had many massages and physio sessions and a few different instructors but no one seemed to help much.
We'd ruled out a physical problem, and on a drunken night out with the yard girls I said that my goal for the year was to do a half decent prelim test, so I decided to tackle this myself and with the use of firstly a small jump (more often than not he'd land left lead when jumping?!) then a pole, I'm pleased to say that in the last week, he has not struck off on the wrong leg once.
He finally seems to 'get' it. I think the poor boy was just massively over thinking it as he was very keen today to show me how easy left lead is now that he understands that's all I want and went skipping round the school as if he'd always done it.
He is my first youngster (I never wanted one that young!) and I'd been feeling that I'd let him down by not being able to teach him something so simple as his canter leads - I'm embarrassed to admit I had a few happy tears when he struck off correct for the first time without a pole!
I'm sure we'll have a few hiccups and backwards steps but I really feel like we've turned a corner and hopefully I'll be able to achieve my goal of a prelim test in the summer!
Sorry this has turned into a bit of an essay - here's a pic of the clever cloggs
My wonderful, handsome, sweet cob has been practically perfect in every way since I bought him aged 4, 3 years ago. Apart from his left canter.
He just couldn't do it in the school. Hacking, yes. School, no.
He was checked by a vet, had many massages and physio sessions and a few different instructors but no one seemed to help much.
We'd ruled out a physical problem, and on a drunken night out with the yard girls I said that my goal for the year was to do a half decent prelim test, so I decided to tackle this myself and with the use of firstly a small jump (more often than not he'd land left lead when jumping?!) then a pole, I'm pleased to say that in the last week, he has not struck off on the wrong leg once.
He finally seems to 'get' it. I think the poor boy was just massively over thinking it as he was very keen today to show me how easy left lead is now that he understands that's all I want and went skipping round the school as if he'd always done it.
He is my first youngster (I never wanted one that young!) and I'd been feeling that I'd let him down by not being able to teach him something so simple as his canter leads - I'm embarrassed to admit I had a few happy tears when he struck off correct for the first time without a pole!
I'm sure we'll have a few hiccups and backwards steps but I really feel like we've turned a corner and hopefully I'll be able to achieve my goal of a prelim test in the summer!
Sorry this has turned into a bit of an essay - here's a pic of the clever cloggs