Horse getting strong in canter ..

[tonitot]

Recently Ethel has been getting really strong in canter (especially out hacking) We can do a jump in the field and canter away and she'll be lovely and relaxed and come back to trot nicely. If I ask her to canter then her head goes up and she's difficult to stop, I have to give her a big pull and she'll slam on then trot away. No amount of half halting works, neither does talking to her. Afterwards she won't trot nicely at all and just wants to canter off all the time. On hacks she's even worse, I can't canter her without having to have a tight hold of her at all times, as soon as i relax my hands she goes and take me a while to pull up. After having a canter she jig jogs for ages and just pointbkabk refuses to walk. She currently wears a grackle, martingale and has a happy mouth loose ring snaffle in. I'm wondering if a change of bit would help, I don't really want to put anything harsh in her mouth but I hate having to really yank her in mouth to be able to stop. It's also at the point where I'd rather canter on a hack becaue at least we are going in a straight line, in the field she goes so fast round corners that she loses balance and her feet go out from underneath her.

She's a 4yo TB, was in training to be a racehorse but never raced, never even did a piece of work. She's hasn't always been like this, when she was very unfit she would canter lovely, now she's gotten fitter she just wants to charge off every time we canter :/

 

[D66]

Possibly check the saddle fit, perhaps she has changed shape as she muscled up; or could be teeth or back.
It must be very frustrating.

 

[tonitot]

Teeth were done not so long ago, back has been checked probably about 5 months ago so maybe I should get her checked again. I ride her in a racing saddle as have been having a few issues with saddles. It is very fustrating, I feel horrible pulling her so hard but she just won't listen :/

 

[vickyb]

You say she was in training, and you use a race saddle. Do you canter up on your knees, or are you sitting down and upright? She would have been used to the weight being off the saddle and the rider bridging their reins. Try doing that, if you haven't already, and see if she settles. Also perhaps shorten your martingale? When she jogs after a canter, what happens if you drop the reins? Often a horse will then relax and walk, but one thing you could try when she won't stop jogging is to pinch a fold of skin very hard with your thumb and forefinger at the side of the withers, you don't have to take you hand off the rein to do it, for some reason this often works. Please be careful round those corners, you would be really hurt if she came down! Other than that I would think it's a matter of plenty of schooling. She has only been taught one way of going, it's a whole new ball game for her.

 

[tonitot]

You say she was in training, and you use a race saddle. Do you canter up on your knees, or are you sitting down and upright? She would have been used to the weight being off the saddle and the rider bridging their reins. Try doing that, if you haven't already, and see if she settles. Also perhaps shorten your martingale? When she jogs after a canter, what happens if you drop the reins? Often a horse will then relax and walk, but one thing you could try when she won't stop jogging is to pinch a fold of skin very hard with your thumb and forefinger at the side of the withers, you don't have to take you hand off the rein to do it, for some reason this often works. Please be careful round those corners, you would be really hurt if she came down! Other than that I would think it's a matter of plenty of schooling. She has only been taught one way of going, it's a whole new ball game for her.

I sit down and urpight but will ride her short next time we have a canter out and stand up and see how she is, I ride racehorses at work so trying this doesn't bother me Will try shortening the martingale and see how that goes, we pinch jig joggers at work like that so I dont know why I havent tried that already lol. It works because it's basically a small neck twitch and releases endorphines If I drop the reins when she jig jogs she speeds up and breaks back into canter, have tried that one :/ Don't worry, I tend not to canter her in the field unless we're jumping, for some reason she is totally relaxed when we jump but when we're flat schooling she just tries to tank around. She's been out of training for 2 years now (I was given her in March 2010 and she had been out of training for 6 months before that) and I have spent most of this year from February reschooling her. I desperatly want to have lessons on her to help us both as I've gotten so into riding racehorses all my schooling has gone out the window, but I can't afford the prices of the good instructors and we only have a boggy, slippery field to ride in so I normally hack out anyway.

 

[tonitot]

Bump, anymore help? Thinking of putting a happy mouth 3 ring bit on her

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I wouldn't like to suggest a bit without seeing her mouth but will say that often a 'more severe' bit can be kinder to the horse because the rider doesn't have to take such a firm hold.

 

[tonitot]

Pearlsasinger that's what I thought, I'd rather have a harsher bit and have to be light with my hands than a soft bit and have tear her mouth to bits. Any bit recommendations?

 

[stencilface]

Can you borrow bits of people - makes it a lot cheaper! If her head goes up and tanks off, then I think you need something with a curb to help you, I'm not hot on modern bits, but would probably try a pelham with roundings with that, or a kimblewick.

If you want a bit more leverage you coudl try a hanging snaffle - which is like a 3 ring bit, but only with the main ring if that makes sense. Instead of a bit change, does she try to open her mouth and tank off? If not I'd maybe try a kineton noseband to help bring her nose back down and under control

 

[beehorses]

Bump, anymore help? Thinking of putting a happy mouth 3 ring bit on her

My TB was like that at 4-5yrs even though he was not trained to race, I used all sorts of bits on him and found the 3 ring to be the best he doesn't lean on it.

 

[emma.is]

does she get any time to just run? If you can, turn her out for an hour before you ride

since the horses at my yard have come in for winter and the fields have shut Charlie is getting really strong and forward in canter.

 

[ofcourseyoucan]

sounds like the horse is getting heavy on the forehand! not sorted by a bit change. go back and work on basics getting to work from behind, lunge work,pole work, get the forehand working uphill, and mouth and hand commands being light and gentle.