Help and advise needed please

[samisheen]

I am hoping some of you lovely people will be able to help me, since my trotter mare has started to canter schooling and out hacking our trot has gone to pot. Our walk is still good, relaxed, forward etc but as soon as i ask for trot she hollows, fights the contact and rushes almost anticipating the canter, I do lots of transitions but as soon as the leg goes on for the trot transition she is off again, lots of circles to get her listening to me, I have not cantered in the school for 2 weeks whilst i try to work on the trot but not having much joy. She is voice and seat responsive which is good, it too me 20 mins today of trot work until she relaxed and softened and worked nicely at which stage i gave her lots of praise and ended out session.
Is there anything else i can do with her, i dont like having her fight the contact as she is very soft mouthed in general, any help will be appreciated

 

[x-di-x]

When I had my ex pacer mare we went exactly the same way when we introduced canter work. The only thing that worked for us was practice and time. It took about 3 months in the end to stop her rushing and anticipating canter.

 

[samisheen]

Thank you, yes i am very patient with her, just wondered if there was anything else i could be doing, I am going to look at bits, i was advised to put her in a tom thumb sweet iron but i dont think this is right has she is not strong etc, she definitely prefers the sweet iron though

 

[gelderlander]

My experiences with my pacer mare are: she was very soft in the mouth and putting a straight bar rubber snaffle encouraged her to take a contact (not leaning, just allowing the rider a good feel that she was there at the end of the reins. Once she would take a contact, loads of halt to trot transitions followed. After a week she learnt the difference between asking for trot and asking for canter. I tried to give her a bit of a clue by leaning slightly back and sitting into her trot before asking her to canter. She still gets confused and starts pacing when unsure, but she is such a willing and trainable horse that I am sure we will get over this.
Never trained a pacer before but amazed by her willingness to learn and general sensible attitude to life.

 

[samisheen]

thank you, will make sure i try all suggestions, my mare doesn't pace at all now and she has the most amazing trot when she finally settles down, have lots of advise and i am writing everything down from everyone to try so thanks much appreciated