Horse cant canter- Help needed?

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littlen

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I have been reschooling one of my horses for the past 3 months.
He had not been in the school previously since a very young age, and he was taken on in a bad condition and it has took a while to get him fit and working properly.

He can now work for an hour without sweating. He can walk/trot nicely and sometimes can work on the bit although its hard for him.
He is stiff but we are working on bending and he is improving.
He is a lovely willing horse but there is one thing we cant seem to crack and that is canter, particulally in the school. He will canter on hacks in a straight line pretty well (bearing in mind he is as green as grass so sometimes gets it wrong!) but in the school it all goes wrong.

If I ask for canter he will only trot faster and faster. It usually takes 5 or 6 attempts in every corner to get him to strike off, and when he does he can not seem to hold the canter well at all. I have to push at every stride or he falls into a heap.
On the lunge he will canter fine, but does motorbike due to stiffness.

I get regular lessons with an instructor and she has said the problem is that he is unbalanced and rushes the transition, which in turn unbalances me, and he rushes more and cant strike into a canter, so its a vicious circle. I also feel nervous when he is cantering as he is unpredictable (he will do right angle turns last minute, skip corners etc and I feel like I have no control) and my instructor says I am holding him back when he does canter so he gets confused. Like I said this does not really happen hacking only in the school (or maybe it does happen but he is having too uch fun to listen?!)
If i bring him back to a controlled trot and ask again the same happens.
He is more than fit enough to canter, he can do it when everything is perfect but I feel my riding is letting him down :(

I have tried giving him his head and letting him go but he either refuses, rushes into a frenzied trot (and if you have ever tried to sit an arab going faster than the speed of light in trot you will understand why I am a little nervous) or breaks into a canter but falls straight out again. I am working on the bending every day so fingers crossed once he gets more supple he will find it easier.

He is a lovely little horse and I am showing him this year if possible, but I cant possibly take him into the ring if I cant get a nice canter out of him.

I will be continuing to get lessons but does anyone have any advice for this type of problem?
I want to practice this until we get it right but I dont know what to try to help both of us?
 
geronimostilton said:
oops, just read you'd answered my 1st Q!

What is he like on the lunge or with other riders?
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He will W/T/C on the lunge okay. Not fantastic but he manages to do all 3. I have taught him voice commands which he obeys on the lunge but not ridden for some reason.

I have had a lunge lesson but to be honest I was terrified and dont want to repeat the experience! He refused to do anything and motorbiked around my instructor for the full lesson (well until I asked to stop)

He is a sensitive horse and I only allow myself or my instructor to ride. When she gets on she does manage to get a canter out of him with a good bit of effort. She is a much better rider than me though so I am thinking he understands her better, either that or she wont allow him to take the mick if that is what he is doing.
I dont know whether my aids are just not refined enough, or if I am not riding properly.
 
littlen said:
I get regular lessons with an instructor and she has said the problem is that he is unbalanced and rushes the transition, which in turn unbalances me, and he rushes more and cant strike into a canter, so its a vicious circle. I also feel nervous when he is cantering as he is unpredictable (he will do right angle turns last minute, skip corners etc and I feel like I have no control) and my instructor says I am holding him back when he does canter so he gets confused. Like I said this does not really happen hacking only in the school (or maybe it does happen but he is having too uch fun to listen?!)
If i bring him back to a controlled trot and ask again the same happens.
He is more than fit enough to canter, he can do it when everything is perfect but I feel my riding is letting him down :(

I have tried giving him his head and letting him go but he either refuses, rushes into a frenzied trot (and if you have ever tried to sit an arab going faster than the speed of light in trot you will understand why I am a little nervous) or breaks into a canter but falls straight out again. I am working on the bending every day so fingers crossed once he gets more supple he will find it easier.
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Can you get either your instructor or a more experienced rider to help just with this problem? It sounds like he is slightly confused as well as unbalanced, so if this would help you through this problem I would perhaps ask someone else to school him a couple of times - it might only take a few lessons until he realises what he is supposed to do.

In the meantime I would canter him on hacks as much as possible (here's hoping for rain!) and are there any fields/open areas where you could canter and just introduce a gentle turn and then gradually ask him to canter a large circle? We had a huge setaside field round here that was invaluable for schooling my horse when he was young - much better than a school anyday, and free!

Also what size school do you use for lessons? You might find if you can canter him in a huge arena it will all come together a lot easier. A 20x40 arena is really quite tight for an unbalanced horse - maybe hire a much bigger arena for a couple of lessons somewhere?
 
I have an old mare that was so like that when we got her. i used to literally fall off her in a bucket of sweat from trying to get her to canter. It is so frustrating!. Was speaking to my connected horsemanship instructor, who told me horses will naturally prefer canter or trot. My other horse, cooper was a canterer, whereas cassie preferred trot. She told me to take her out of her comfort zone, ie trot, and go directly from walk to canter, And it worked perfectly, and after a few weeks she would come into canter from trot. Hope it helps!!!
 
littlen said:
I have had a lunge lesson but to be honest I was terrified and dont want to repeat the experience! He refused to do anything and motorbiked around my instructor for the full lesson (well until I asked to stop)

He is a sensitive horse and I only allow myself or my instructor to ride. When she gets on she does manage to get a canter out of him with a good bit of effort. She is a much better rider than me though so I am thinking he understands her better, either that or she wont allow him to take the mick if that is what he is doing.
I dont know whether my aids are just not refined enough, or if I am not riding properly.
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LOL at the vision of your lunge lesson! Definitely don't repeat that one then.

If he is cantering with your instructor, but only with a good bit of effort, then I don't think he is taking the mick. I think he is genuinely struggling but if you just keep doing what you are doing - lungeing, cantering on hacks, and regular lessons, I think it will come together. How about lungeing him over the odd pole, to help him improve his canter so he learns to step under himself more?

If he doesn't like other riders, why don't you try to ride another horse for a few lessons, to get your confidence up and improve your balance in the transition - you need to be able to help him as much as possible, which will be tricky if you are a little worried and tense.

Don't worry too much though - time and patience, you will get there!
 
I am going to continue to get regular lessons, sometimes she rides which helps me to see where I am going wrong but I do like to have a go myself otherwise I will never improve. When she gets on he does listen quicker than he does with me, she manages to get a canter 9 times out of 10. Whereas I get it once.

I will continue the hacking and cantering. He manages much better in a straight line (when he isnt galloping off or being silly!) We have plenty of fields but he tends to be stupid in them and only has his thinking head on in the school!
We have a big rectangular school, he finds it easier to canter along the long side, on the short bits he finds it hard and tends to just cut all corners which scares me as I have no control.
I am the first to admit I am nervous with fast work. Not suprising really concidering the circumstances he came to me in but I am working on it! :)

Pole work sounds like a good idea. At the moment he thinks poles need a metre of clearance to get over them, but I am hoping he will settle and TROT them not jump them.
I do ride other horses, but he is the strangest horse I have ever ridden. He is very sensative to the lightest of aids, yet cant seem to manage simple tasks such as a canter transition.
He does manage to do all other transitions great.

I would love to try walk to canter. I have tried once or twice but again I just got rushed trot. I dont know how to refine my aids to be honest! Instructor says I need to stop leaning forward and ask more firmly but I dont know how as when I ask for anything I am so busy trying to slow down a frantic trot and staying on that I cant seem to think about the transition properly!

Thanks for your help so far everyone, much appreciated!
 
Litten where are you? I think Llewlyn's suggestion of cantering another horse a bit in the school is a really good one. All horses, particularly arabs, can be quirky. My friend at yard and I both have 14.3hh arab geldings, similar age, similar shape etc. However mine is a 'canterer' and hers prefers to trot...
Does yours canter accross the field or do a big 'arab trot' out of choice? How old is he? When you canter him on the lunge does he look like he find it hard work? Do you use side reins/pessoa? Can you collect the canter on a hack or is it a fairly 'forward' canter? Mine will canter all day, but only has two gears out hacking - in control, balanced, hand canter in a nice outline, or proper fast XC canter (he makes BE times easily and is barely 14.3) . A big field where you can canter in a big circle and gradually reduce it would help too. Interestingly I am now bringing on a youngster (not arab!) and he finds cantering in school at home (20x40)quite tricky but out on hacks/in field is fine...but thats a balance issue as he is still quite babyish being only just rising 4!
 
Have you had his back done? Sounds like he is having problems in the school as its hurting his back in the canter transitions as a school is harder to canter in than a straight line out hacking. I would also get his saddle and teeth checked. As you say he is stiff though i would get a very good physio out to treat him and get them to check your tack aswell.
 
littlen said:
I am the first to admit I am nervous with fast work. Not suprising really concidering the circumstances he came to me in but I am working on it! :)

Pole work sounds like a good idea. At the moment he thinks poles need a metre of clearance to get over them, but I am hoping he will settle and TROT them not jump them.
I do ride other horses, but he is the strangest horse I have ever ridden. He is very sensative to the lightest of aids, yet cant seem to manage simple tasks such as a canter transition.
He does manage to do all other transitions great.

I would love to try walk to canter. I have tried once or twice but again I just got rushed trot. I dont know how to refine my aids to be honest! Instructor says I need to stop leaning forward and ask more firmly but I dont know how as when I ask for anything I am so busy trying to slow down a frantic trot and staying on that I cant seem to think about the transition properly!

Thanks for your help so far everyone, much appreciated!
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He he welcome to the world of arab ownership! And I think to an extent TBs.... You have to get used to how sensitive they can be I think - it took me a while with mine but I can now safely say he is the easiest most responsive ride I have ever sat on. Building up confidnence and using open spaces will help - I tried several bits til I found one that the little flower didn't find too strong but gave me enough confidence in my brakes that I was happy to canter anywhere! Would anyone else have a similar sized arab you could ride near you? I do think its particularly helpful to ride something of a similar size/temprament!
 
ecrozier said:
Litten where are you? I think Llewlyn's suggestion of cantering another horse a bit in the school is a really good one. All horses, particularly arabs, can be quirky. My friend at yard and I both have 14.3hh arab geldings, similar age, similar shape etc. However mine is a 'canterer' and hers prefers to trot...
Does yours canter accross the field or do a big 'arab trot' out of choice? How old is he? When you canter him on the lunge does he look like he find it hard work? Do you use side reins/pessoa? Can you collect the canter on a hack or is it a fairly 'forward' canter? Mine will canter all day, but only has two gears out hacking - in control, balanced, hand canter in a nice outline, or proper fast XC canter (he makes BE times easily and is barely 14.3) . A big field where you can canter in a big circle and gradually reduce it would help too. Interestingly I am now bringing on a youngster (not arab!) and he finds cantering in school at home (20x40)quite tricky but out on hacks/in field is fine...but thats a balance issue as he is still quite babyish being only just rising 4!
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I am definatley going to borrow another horse and have a go :)

He is a bit of both! He often does a big arab trot (he can trot at the speed others are cantering!) However, I can ask for canter on a hack and get it in a straight line, just not in the school. He has a huge trot and I think he proberbly does prefer that.
On the lunge he canters okay, he can canter without falling out. It is an effort to get him to canter but he manages easier than ridden. I dont use side reins or any gadgets as I dont know what I am doing lol.
In the school when he eventually does canter its a very lazy canter. I have to push and push to keep it. He does seem to enjoy himself though! Luckily he is very sensitive and I can collect his trot/canter with a squeeze of the reins but its hard to get a canter to collect!


He sounds very much like your youngster, except my riding is not helping matters!
 
I have the same problem with my 5 year old!!!

He has a FAB medium trot, but having never ridden a medium I find it quite unnervey and tend to loose control of him (and me). My RI said like what everyone else has said he will learn and canter as much as I can in fields, as he finds this fun. She also say's I think to much about the canter and worry over it, so (sounds strange to me) I have to think about not thinking!! So I'm going to write to Nike and tell them I have a fab range of riding gear for them to put "just do it" on the back, think they'll go for it?

Good luck and if you find any other ways to help your horse canter let me know please so I can try to!!
 
A friend on the yard has a similar arab,I could definately ask for a go on him!

Back and saddle were checked last month and he is fine.
His teeth were also done 5 weeks ago and dentist said all was well and he has no problems there.

He is ridden in a french link copper snaffle with flash, as he goes well in it. He is very easy to stop so no problems there, I think its more my thinking that he is going to do something bad! I am building confidence slowly but its this schooling thing that getting to me as its so frustrating when we just cant seem to get something and I dont know how to help him understand it better! Especially as the show season is starting at the end of May and I cant possibly take him if i cant manage to canter in the individual show.

So far he has improved massively. I am happy with walk,trot and his bending is coming on nicely. Its just the canter thats stopping us!
 
If you put a pole in the corner of the school, across the track but pointing into the corner, as the horse comes round the corner he will have to lift up over the pole, in a little jump, and that sometimes helps a horse to 'jump' into canter. It helps some horses but I would lunge over a few poles first, to help him realise he only needs to hop over the pole, not launch himself!

You could use a single pole at x, start lungeing nearer the track, then move your circle to include the pole. Get him to trot over it happily first. Once he is happy, ask for canter as he reaches the pole, so he learns that you want him to canter at that point. You could then move the pole to the track in the corner, so he comes down the track, then you ask for canter as he gets to the pole. Might help, as long as he doesn't over jump it and then unbalance you. Trial and error on this one!
 
I'd def agree with tempi if you haven't had back/teeth/saddle checked then thats definately worth doing....
Assuming all ok/fixed up if necessary.... Bearing in mind he is happier on lunge, maybe try getting someone to teach you to to use side reins correctly (loose to start with) to simulate your contact on his mouth? Mine will lunge without side reins etc with his head like a giraffe at a flat out canter.... put side reins or pessoa on and he uses his back properly and canters at a sensible speed!
That might allow you to have a lunge lesson more safely? And also build up the right muscles to help him.
Has anyone except your instructor tried?
Funny what you say about his trot being faster than some horses canter - mine can do that too, but he (and my friend's arab too) can also canter alongside many horses walking.... Lots of variation available in their paces once you figure out how to adjust it!
Cos he is my special boy....here's mine!
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ecrozier your arab is lovely :) I wasnt an arab fan until I got him, completly converted but its a big learning curve from a little welsh pony!

I can adjust his pace easily once I get the pace I ask for. He is very green though so it could be a combination of bad riding, being unbalanced and him not understanding.

I have tried lunging over poles before but he just runs out and I dont have enough control on the lunge to make him go where I want, if that makes sense, so he just runs around it. The pole idea would be a great one if only he didnt just run out at poles and actually went over them. I have forced him over a few times and he cat leaps over from a standstill.

My instructor has been a big help and I will certainly ask her to help me lunge, or I will ask someone else on the yard! I havnt lunged in anything before so I can see if I can lend some stuff.
Only myself or my instructor has ridden him, and I wouldnt trust anyone else to get on.
 
Have you got somewhere to school while you are out hacking, a nice grass field you can use?

Reason I ask, can you not intergrate your hacking canters into a 'schooling canter work' in a large field, basically it not so much as a 'big ask' in doing this and your horse might then eventually understand (in his mind) that cantering the school is acceptable and will get easier for him once he can mange to canter on a larger circle etc
 
Don't know if you've got transport but could you hire a really big school - if your local agricutltural college has an equine unit they tend to have big schools, and then you should be able to get the feeling of cantering him in a big space, but with a fence around you.
 
I struggle getting Belle to canter but I think it's a combination of her inexperience and the fact that I don't have an excellent seat or leg aids right now. It's frustrating because I can get a canter out of other horses (on the odd chance I get to try) but with her it's hard work. My instructor had me hold the stick to her shoulder when asking for canter on a circle (no smacking!) as a back up to my leg and canter was then much easier - I could put the stick back down and then get a canter fine using just my legs. This helped us to get started as I knew she could canter well enough in a school like this and from then on we have just kept working on it, improving little by little. I am also working on my seat in lessons by going without stirrups.

I think once you really get started it gets easier so keep trying, take on all this fab advice from other posters and good luck! :)
 
I am schooling one at the moment that exactly the same. Just cannot hold a canter at all in the school. He knows to canter and tries but is so uncomfortable. His teeth and back have been done - however he'd had a year off prior so i'm not convinced his back/pelvis doesn't need a tweak which could be the case with yours.

My old horse got like this when his pelvis was out a couple of times. When the chiropractor put it all back in place he waslike a different horse. With a twisted pelvis the restriction physically stops them striking and maintaining a canter on the bend i was told.

Just an idea. Thats what i shall be doing with mine as one rein has really improved but the other not so.

Good Luck
 
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