Help my mare "get" canter leads - without a pole...

Scruff

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My mare is rising 5, and only wants to canter left-lead. I didn't push it til I had her back checked last month, but since then have been trying to persuade her to canter with the correct lead on the right rein as well. She does the same thing with or without rider/saddle and when lungeing or free schooling, so I'm guessing it's mostly her rather than me, although I'm open to criticism as well!

If I ask over a pole or small jump, I generally get the right lead, but without the pole, we revert to hooning round in an unbalanced counter canter. Can anyone suggest ways that I can transfer what she's doing over the poles to get her to do it without, since apparently dressage arenas don't leave handy trotting poles scattered about the place
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I have already tried....
-small circles in trot before asking for transition
-schooling whip behind exaggerated outside leg to try and get her to lift the correct leg first
-really exaggerating aids, ie looking over outside shoulder, leg right back (this doesn't help, as she anticipates, and just hoons off on the left lead anyway!)
-asking on approach to corner
-asking on approach to wall (coming off X on 20m circle)

She did give me the correct lead once today, for the first time ever, without a pole, but she also gave me 15 or 20 wrong leads first.

She is quite stiff on that rein, but once I get the correct lead, she will happily continue, and canter a fairly ok 20m circle, so she CAN do it- just need to get her to understand what I'm asking/see why she should!

Any ideas, techniques or criticisms would be very welcome!
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Definitely dont exaggerate aids. It may well just take time. If she picks up wrong lead dont pursue it, drop quietly back to trot and try again. It can help to lighten your seat going into the transition Dont ever fluster her about it. If yu've tried 3 or 4 times and she still gets it wrong, do it over a pole and give her a nice time, tell her she's great etc.

My mare was the same, right lead took her ages. I just quietly persisted, telling her how clever she was everytime she picked up right lead, even over a pole and eventually one day it clicked!!
 
No and no, has only ever got right-lead with me on her back. I got a very competent friend to sit on her for that very reason and she couldn't get it at all.
 
Ditto to Boss, really praise her when she does it right!!! Even carry polos or tit bits in pocket, so when she does it bring her back to halt and praise her with a sweet. If she can be bribed she'll get it!!!
 
Thankyou - I'm glad it's not just me who's had the problem! It gets a bit soul-destroying after a while and I start thinking I must be a terrible, terrible rider
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ETA - she gets masses of praise when she gets it right, and a good old stretch too. Just wish I could explain to her what she's being praised for...!
 
Yeah I often wish I could explain what they did well and what was rubbish but thats the challenge!!
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took H quite a while to get a left lead, ditto others about keep trying, i just kept asking on a corner whilst schooling and if he struck off on the wrong leg gently asked for trot and asked again in next corner. remember not to ask her for trot too abruptly even on the wrong leg as she is going forward when you ask her to. it'll just take time for ther to be supple enough on that rein so make sure you school well on it inn trot etc.
 
I find that working on the bad rein first helps to stop the good rein leg sequence sticking in the brain. Also, ask for outside bend to free the inside shoulder often helps. Asking in a place in the school where she's maybe leaning towards the yard/field can help.
 
Ok, that's helpful, thankyou - I've always worked the good rein before the bad one in canter for some reason, I shall try swapping it round!
 
Try a teardrop shape - start on the left rein in trot, go down the long side then do a half circle back to the track. Ask for right canter as you meet the track/fence again - I found this worked quite well with my youngster. Otherwise I just did what everyone else has suggested - kept trying, brought him back every time he did it wrong, lots of praise whenever he accidentally got it right!
 
My mare used to be like that, dramatically favoured one leg tocaner on. I literally bent her to the outside when asking her for canter and she literally "fell" onto the correct leg, she eventually got the right idea and we usually get the right canter lead now.
 
My mare always cantered perfectly on the left rein but badly on the right rein. She has back problems but once they were sorted it continued. I taught her by trotting round the arena then turning in and asking for canter on the corner. It took a couple of goes but then she got it and progressed from there.
 
I had the problem with left canter. My instructor told me to use a strong inside leg on the girth with an open inside rein & eventually I got there. Also try asking for the canter as you go into the corner. Praise her loads when she does get it right & don't stress when she gets it wrong. It will click into place. My mare took a couple of months to figure it out (she found it difficult as she carried her shoulder to the inside) and since she's been fine
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