HELP! Our right canter has gone to rat poo

[Hovis_and_SidsMum]

Ok that title may infer our right lead canter has at some point been acceptable. Indeed this is the case if you admire the Evil Canevil school of motor biking around corners......

However his left lead canter is now nicely balanced which makes his right look even worse. This obviously in turn affects our *ahem* "show jumping" ability as our cornering technique is liable to remove the wings in style reminicent of Jona Lomu taking out a corner flag on the rugby pitch............

So any pointers? We have just about got him striking off 90% of the time on the correct leg but he falls in dreadfully through his shoulder. 20m canter circles? You are having a laugh. Stay on the track into the corners? Pigs might fly.

Physio confirms there is nothing wrong with him he is just a little one sided. Not helped because the right lead is my worst rein as well.

Help. Please.

 

[K27]

Maybe try halt and walk to canter instead of the normal trot to canter- that can help keep them more balanced. Also a great exercise i was given for keeping them balancedis to go down centre line or 3/4 line in trot whichever you prefer, let them drift across in leg yield (imagine your on the right rein) to the left, to the e or b marker then as soon as you hit the marker canter- the leg yielding beforehand gets them using the hind leg and opens their shoulder, then canter to next short side, 20 mtr circle with canter-trot-canter -trot trans and then repeat the leg yielding, it's difficult to explain on here but it really worked on one of mine!

My horse struggled with his balance due to his size more than anything else, so i had to be sure that i was balanced in my own seat with my upper body and shoulders back so i couldn't be pulled forward. Also when he was a baby he struggled with canter trans and i was told to really sit firm on my outside seat bone and leg as he would literally try to move my position. Also although not "correct" totally allowing (but not giving away the contact) with the inside hand in the transition gives the inside hind leg room to move and swing forwards.

Good luck- sorry my explanation is a bit rambled!!

Edited to add- if he falls in on a circle try cantering squares instead- that is a good one!

 

[highlandponygirl]

horses like people favour one side(being left or right handed for example) sometimes it is more noticable in some horse. you could try using poles at the corners of the arena as a guide for him.

 

[Alibear]

Get yourself set up correctly in the trot first, make sure you have established right bend fully in trot which will be harder as that still his "bad" side.
Also out hacking see if you can ask for right canter, OK you'll be in straight line so it shouldnt matter but it's a good way of strengthening the right canter without motorbiking incidents.
Check your position out, which is your better side? Do you have your weight aids correct, are you tipped to one side?
Really work on making sure you and he are balanced before you ask.
You can also at this stage make use of his preferences so if there's a corner that it's easier to get it on, make use of it for a bit.
You have to get the balanced int he slower paces first so if in doubt come back to trot or walk and make sure everythings right before you ask again.
All lots easier said than done I know as everything I've written is what I've been told to try and cure the same problem! Good Luck.

 

[Nevergrewup]

(Hovis fan delurking) Some of the things we've tried with my boy (who has problems with strike off *and* maintaining it):

- pole in corner of school
- walk-canter transitions
- shoulder in to canter
- counter flexion to canter
- 10m circle in trot before cantering in corner
- get four good strides first session, aim for 5 good strides the next & so on
- stopping worrying/over thinking before applying the aid and just riding it like a left canter (it sometimes works!)

It did turn out in the end that he had two underlying issues - tightness in his shoulder due to arthritis in fore (so we do lots of physio homework) and a bone spavin brewing <sigh>.

If it helps, we tend to get right canter more frequently away from home when he's got his mind on more exciting surroundings...

 

[spookypony]

I'm working on the same issue on the left rein, and like you, my pony's rein is also my worse rein! A few things:

1) be dead strict with yourself about your own position. Arena mirrors or an eye on the ground can help for this (try not to let the horse step on the eye; those tend to be squishy.)

2) imagine that you're going around the arena almost in shoulder-fore on the trouble rein---I find that this straightens me out considerably, and helps the pony too.

3) lateral work. A few ideas: at the moment, when he starts falling in (i.e. at every corner, and sometimes on a "straight" ( ) line), I come back to walk, ask for a few steps of shoulder-in to get the inside hind stepping under, and then go back up a pace. Or try leg-yielding to the track from the 3/4 line, and then asking for canter in the corner.