Horse WILL NOT stop/slow down in canter

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LizzieRC1313

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Just wondered if anyone had any help or advice for me. My horse is 11yr old big strong hunter, and we have had him 18 months. He is an angel in the school and although he used to jog a lot we have schooled him loads over the last few months and had lots of lessons and now he's starting to go quite nicely. However, if we canter out on a hack he will not listen (i.e. will not slow down if I ask him too, and definitely wouldn't stop until we reached the gate at the end of the track or he was tired after galloping round a field), and worse than that, if another horse spooks and canters off for whatever reason D thinks it's a brilliant game and goes charging off after them and will not stop unless it's on his own terms. He is ridden in a Pelham and I'm wondering if this is the right bit for him, I can't see it makes a blind bit of difference. I don't necessarily want to just bit him up. He has the physio & his teeth done regularly & has a made to measure saddle so it's definitely not pain. He only ever seems to do it when either he's not getting his own way or he wants to race. Sometimes I don't mind so much, for example if we are having a gallop in a field with plenty of space but on the roads it's dangerous. I'd also like to take him on fun rides but fear he might go nuts and I wouldn't be able to get a calm canter/stop him. I must add that when we are just having a mooch around the lanes in walk and trot he is absolutely fine, he doesn't try and canter off or anything, but as I said he would if another horse cantered off for whatever reason. I don't know whether this is related but suspect it is, but at a different yard with v little turn out he would run off when he was been led sometimes and take himself up to the fields. He used to do this regularly and you couldn't stop him. He hasn't done it very often since we moved to a yard with a lot of turn out but will do it on occasion.

If you have any advice or experiences then I would love to hear, as its the one problem we are really struggling with and I'm scared he might cause an accident.

Thanks and well done to all of you that got to the end of that essay!
 
In response to this problem I would do two things...

1. I would try and do some groundwork with him, hacking alone, hacking alone in hand (only if safe and strong groundwork/handling is established I.e you can move his hindquarters, forehand and back him up on the ground by cues e.g swing the rope towards his hindquarters, being able to turn the hind quarters with a simple cue is very helpful as by doing this you completely disengage the hindquarters stopping any forward movement if the horse) I would be doing all this as it sound like he has too much dependence on other horses and not enough focus on you. My mare used to be similar but now if I say wait she waits etc..

2. I would really work on schooling, as in his lateral flexibility, it is incredible in an emergency how effective a one rein stop can be, but the horse needs to be very flexible through the neck and not resistant and you need to be able to disengage the hind quarters from on board (one rein stop may be something to look up, as it is a handy tool to have). And also schooling out hacking, transitions are your friend. Do not canter on any tracks until you have full control, so walk the tracks then next time do walk, trot, and halt transitions along the tracks, next time just walk again so he learns to not associate tracks with cantering. When there is enough control build to cantering but again a few strides then back to trot then back to walk etc.. You need to change his way of thinking and keep his mind active!

Good luck!
 
Thank you for your replies! I'll have a look at that other thread, thanks for posting it. ImmyS your reply is really helpful thank you. I completely agree with what you say about him depending on other horses and not listening to his rider & I think this something we need to work on. Did groundwork help your mare with this? My dressage instructor is actually very into doing groundwork so I think I might ask him to do a groundwork session with D instead of a lesson. It's difficult because he's not the same all the time, he's really good in the school, can be okay showjumping (altho he does charge into fences - again not listening to me and doing his own thing) and 90% of the time he's good on hacks. He will walk along canter tracks but if I ask for trot he'll break into canter and I'd struggle to get him trotting & walking again. But trotting on hacks is usually fine unless its in a field/on a canter track.

Again thanks for your replies, it's really something I want to get sorted.

Lizzie
 
TrasaM said:
Lizzie. There was a recent thread by Ffionwinnie about the same problem. Posting link ..hope it works.

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=593034

I also have lessons on one with frequent brake failure. He did it to me at a X country training session last year and I was White and shaking when I got off.:o
Click to expand...

I was just going to say the same. :)

It's a week since I did the canter marathon with my mare and she has behaved impeccably ever since!! Cantering is now a joy. Would highly recommend trying this, but pick your place to do it, mine wouldn't stop for the first 10km lol;)

After the marathon, I have been able to have complete control at all times in canter... I didn't let her stop when she was tired but made her keep going. Now she has realised its work not just a yeehah!
 
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FfionWinnie said:
I was just going to say the same. :)

It's a week since I did the canter marathon with my mare and she has behaved impeccably ever since!! Cantering is now a joy. Would highly recommend trying this, but pick your place to do it, mine wouldn't stop for the first 10km lol;)

After the marathon, I have been able to have complete control at all times in canter... I didn't let her stop when she was tired but made her keep going. Now she has realised its work not just a yeehah!
Click to expand...

Hi, I looked at the thread you wrote, you got so many helpful replies! Glad to hear your horse is behaving now! I found some of the advice helpful and its nice to know other people have similar problems! Only thing is, D is only a duracell bunny SOME of the time. A lot of the time he's as good as gold and will stop etc in the school no problem. He doesn't try and canter off or anything in the school. But like ImmyS said, he's a needy thing and can't cope with other horses leaving him, and thinks any horse going off ahead of him is a race. When he's in that mindset ( similar situation if he wants to get home and is made to wait or if you try to bring him in a few hours after he's been out etc) he will not listen to you.

I've been advised in the past that if they semi-bolt with you ( wouldn't describe it as bolting really) that you should kick them on and make then run until they really can't anymore and it teaches them the lesson. However until we get transport sorted I have nowhere suitable for this.

Again thank you for replies, itching to get some groundwork done with him.
 
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