horse has lost all confidence in canter

[TarantuLove]

Basically my boy had a bad pelvis injury years ago before I owned him, which can result in him being disunited in canter. When he canters under saddle he panics and throws his legs everywhere, and tends to just run and run. It is very hard to sit and you feel like you're going to fall off! The physio has ok'ed him to start cantering again, but I think he has been told off badly for cantering wrong in the past so he just panics as soon as you ask him to go into canter.

How can I start to reintroduce it? He canters fine in the field, mostly 3-time and flying changes! Obviously thats different without the weight of a rider but it shows he can still do it! I have spent time developing his trot work so he has more power in his hindquarters but I would like to start cantering him again now.

I would take him cantering out on hacks but he gets very strong and doesn't stop and I'm not the most confident rider!

 

[picolenicole]

No expert but...Have you tried lunging him? Maybe try that with bungies on then he can find his ballance, on his own. Then try it with a rider, if he's ok with it.

Don't know what else I would try. Hope you sort it x

 

[Bruised]

Have you tried cantering him on the lunge using saddle and side reins? This would get hiim used to the feel of the saddle first.

 

[hannah87]

my pony is very similar.
she never had the best canter to begin with but after a sacroilliac injury it went like yours.
The physio says she has a muscle imbalance from the injury that is making it harder for her and im doing exercises to help with this but mainly i think the problem is now in her mind.
on the lunge she canters properly no issues, and also if schooling in a large field she is okish, but in a school she disunites and runs, mainly on her right rein.
I have almost solved it now. Basically i do not canter her under any circumstances until she is competely relaxed and working in a long low outline. I do LOTS of transitions so I can control her just from my seat - if i have to use the reins in canter she panics.
I then canter up the long side of the school first, back to trot on short sides in a forward seat - dont try to sit to canter. If she runs i ignore it and wait for her to bring her self back to trot.
once she is happlily doing this i then leg yield in trot on a circle and very quietly ask for canter - forward seat again. I let her canter on for 3-5 strides and back to trot. I dont worry if she disunites but if she gets tense/panicky then i go back to walk/trot work until she relaxes again.
I then up the length of time in canter until she is cantering a full 20m circle. THEN i start to lower my seat. If anything worries her i go back a level.
Doing steps of the above slowly slowy has worked. I can now get on and ask for a walk to canter on her bad rein and get it 3 time and correct without having to do all the steps.
Canter poles also really help although she found them incredibly hard to begin with.
THe key is relaxation and being in a forward seat.
My biggest issue at the moment is competeing - for as soon as she gets tense she reverts back to her old way but i am working on it.
Also found that lunging with 2 reins helped as did long reining for 10 mins before riding as this really relaxed her.
hope this has helped - i have spent ALOT of time working through this frustrating issue but it has paid off. Can answer any other questions you may have