Horse panicking when asked to canter

Crazycob06

Crazycob06

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Hi everyone! First of all I a very pleased to say last weekend was our 6 month horseversarry! I can't believe I have had tink that long already and we have come such a long way in that time!

Now we had been having lessons every couple of weeks to get her working properly from behind and she is doing great! My riding instructor was taken into hospital unfortunately (luckily has made a full recovery!) and i have concentrated on hacking in the mean time. Hacking is great, we can now go out in company or solo and she canters excitedly with company and has a great time or when solo is very calm and collected and listens to anything I ask of her.

Now my instructor is back and wants to work on the canter in the school. It's always been full speed and she will fly into a small circle in the middle of the school if she can and its not getting any better, my instructor said its sheer panic, like she has pos had a bad experience with the people who broke her in last year??? We are concentrating on getting the transition, then asking for trot again and praising so she knows its ok. I have tried going in the school since my last lesson and when I asked for canter she launched sideways doing a rocking horse impression....

Anyone have and tips or ideas?
 
Oh god that was worse! I have tried that once and never again, she is such a sweet girl usually but she turned and came right at me and threw a buck in my direction, if I hadn't of had the lunge whip to wave in front of me I don't know what she would of done! My friend was there too and said she looked like she was going to kill me! She would walk and trot on the lunge tho, until then, I can't lunge at all now. And she really isn't a nasty horse usually!
 
It might be worth your instructor seeing that in case it gives any more clues. Is the work with the transitions helping? It might mean you just don't canter alone in the school for now until you're a bit further forward.

Has your instructor tried schooling her for you?

Can you circle in canter on hacks?

Mine started to panic in canter recently - not to the same extent, thankfully! - which was a sign of saddle problems, so we changed the saddle, then did more cantering on hacks, more on the lunge, and got my instructor to school him to stop both of us panicking together.
 
Crazycob06 said:
Oh god that was worse! I have tried that once and never again, she is such a sweet girl usually but she turned and came right at me and threw a buck in my direction, if I hadn't of had the lunge whip to wave in front of me I don't know what she would of done! My friend was there too and said she looked like she was going to kill me! She would walk and trot on the lunge tho, until then, I can't lunge at all now. And she really isn't a nasty horse usually!
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Do you have a lunge aid such as the equi ami? This helps them hold the right shape and makes it much harder to turn in. Or you could try two lungelines? It sounds as though she has a powerful canter and finds it really hard to hold it together on a circle. Plenty of lunging is the solution. Lunging in the pessoa, or preferably, the equi ami. Do mainly trot until she builds up more strength. The secret to a good canter is strength and a good trot.
 
how old is she? what breed is she?

many young horses find it difficult to find the balance for canter , especially in the school and the response is to panic and rush as you have described.
I wouldnt disagree with using any gadgets at this stage. The canter will come with work on balance and with that will come strength. She needs to build strength in the correct places to support the canter and allow her to balance. Your RI should be able to advise on this, if not perhaps get out a good equine physio who can assess her under saddle and on the lunge. The key to a good canter is a good walk and lots of the correct work in walk will help develop the correct muscles to help her canter. Your RI really should advise on this but things like hill work, pole work, loops and serpentines - but they have to be done in a productive walk, getting her to really step under and work in the correct way. I hope that helps.
 
NeverSayNever said:
how old is she? what breed is she?

many young horses find it difficult to find the balance for canter , especially in the school and the response is to panic and rush as you have described.
I wouldnt disagree with using any gadgets at this stage. The canter will come with work on balance and with that will come strength. She needs to build strength in the correct places to support the canter and allow her to balance. Your RI should be able to advise on this, if not perhaps get out a good equine physio who can assess her under saddle and on the lunge. The key to a good canter is a good walk and lots of the correct work in walk will help develop the correct muscles to help her canter. Your RI really should advise on this but things like hill work, pole work, loops and serpentines - but they have to be done in a productive walk, getting her to really step under and work in the correct way. I hope that helps.
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I'd agree with all the above - she sounds like she is struggling to balance in a small area and panicking. I'd build her up with lots of hacking and not worry about cantering in an arena for a while.
 
Thanks everyone! She is nearly 7 years old (in may) 15hh welsh cob, quite a stocky girl too. a lot fitter now though. She was broken last spring/summer before i bought her. we have a good walk and trot going now and she really is working well from behind. I hack her output the only hill we have around here and do pole work in the school. If we canter on hacks it is always in straight lines. I agree it is probably a balance and strength issue as she goes around the corners of the school in canter like a motorbike.

We had a really good lesson Over the weekend, my RI is great with her and has ridden her a couple of times herself and decided to we would ask for canter on a figure of eight as she tends to run to the middle of the school anyway and it really worked. She cantered from one corner across to the opposite and then I took her back to trot. She did get very anxious or over excited but she was happier and she did it. I then schooled her this morning and she loves popping over little cross poles, i let her ride away in a canter and she was keeping it around the school after (I wasn't asking her, she was willing) and then calmly coming back to trot. She was bending better in the canter and holding her self better. I think she was more focussed on the jump so didnt panic as much. Hopefully she is building up those muscles.

Thanks everyone for your advice! It really helps!
 
Crazycob06 said:
Thanks everyone! She is nearly 7 years old (in may) 15hh welsh cob, quite a stocky girl too. a lot fitter now though. She was broken last spring/summer before i bought her. we have a good walk and trot going now and she really is working well from behind. I hack her output the only hill we have around here and do pole work in the school. If we canter on hacks it is always in straight lines. I agree it is probably a balance and strength issue as she goes around the corners of the school in canter like a motorbike.

We had a really good lesson Over the weekend, my RI is great with her and has ridden her a couple of times herself and decided to we would ask for canter on a figure of eight as she tends to run to the middle of the school anyway and it really worked. She cantered from one corner across to the opposite and then I took her back to trot. She did get very anxious or over excited but she was happier and she did it. I then schooled her this morning and she loves popping over little cross poles, i let her ride away in a canter and she was keeping it around the school after (I wasn't asking her, she was willing) and then calmly coming back to trot. She was bending better in the canter and holding her self better. I think she was more focussed on the jump so didnt panic as much. Hopefully she is building up those muscles.

Thanks everyone for your advice! It really helps!
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i know i asked what breed and age but id have guessed a young ish welshie tbh from your description. I have one the same, a year older. This is a really common problem with Sec D's and will most definitely be related to her being unable to balance and not having the strength to do so. I meant to say in my post above that i would not agree with gadgets at this stage, it was a typo. Mine is starting to come on now, but it has taken a lot of work and learning on my behalf to understand why. A productive walk is the key, not trot. Good luck :)
 
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