Horse won't canter on lunge

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Shannonnicola

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My horse is a Welsh section d and as many of you would know these horses aren't lazy and mine especially is not. However I can't get her to canter on the lunge. I've tried so many things I'm beginning to give up and wonder if it's such a big deal? Does it even matter?

She seems to be not phased by the whip and changes from walk to trot and trot to walk by voice commands. Every time I've tried to make her to canter she trots 100mph and just drags me around the school. It's as if she doesn't understand that she has to go in a circle? But she does in walk and trot.

The one time that she cantered on the lunge I had to run with her and let her use the whole of the ménage.

Someone please help me and tell me how to teach her what to do, Im so stuck!!!!!
 
Ds find cantering hard work, they are after all bred to trot. I wouldn't worry. Out hacking under saddle you will get her cantering.

Mine is 7 this year (had done nothing so is basically a 4yr old) and when I bought her in June was in a bad way physically and mentally. I started cantering her at the beginning of this month and all she wanted to do was trot at warp speed, but this is her last week!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUh2t-AE2gc
 
Why does she need to canter on the lunge ? I can't think of a single reason why, it's hard work for even a lighter horse and for a section d would be hard for any more than a couple of circles. I assume she's broken and if so I would concentrate on cantering out hacking or in the school and not when lungeing.
 
There can be very real physical reasons why horses can't canter in a circle, knackered hind suspensories, arthritis in fetlocks...these horses will look sound in a straight line at the trot but will be in real pain
 
FfionWinnie said:
Ds find cantering hard work, they are after all bred to trot. I wouldn't worry. Out hacking under saddle you will get her cantering.

Mine is 7 this year (had done nothing so is basically a 4yr old) and when I bought her in June was in a bad way physically and mentally. I started cantering her at the beginning of this month and all she wanted to do was trot at warp speed, but this is her last week!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUh2t-AE2gc
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Your horse looks great! Well done. She canters when being ridden I just thought there may could be an underlining problem? I'm currently on the hunt for a back man to give her a check over!
 
Shannonnicola said:
Your horse looks great! Well done. She canters when being ridden I just thought there may could be an underlining problem? I'm currently on the hunt for a back man to give her a check over!
Click to expand...

Thanks. She was a serious problem when I bought her but she is turning into a lovely horse now.

I think it's unlikely there's anything wrong with yours other than she's a young unbalanced D. She has plenty of growing to do so I would avoid too much lunging anyway. Lots of light hacking and straight lines is what she needs this year.
 
good. I love to hear stories like this. It's nice to know that good people are still out there!
I dont go mad with the lunging. ive done It only a handfull of times but will take your advice! I worry too much I suppose but shes my baby lol.
 
There really is no need to ever canter on the lunge, the size of the circle is desperately small for any youngster, at his age you should only be cantering in straight lines or maybe on a 30m circle. A young horse isn't muscularly ready to canter, is not supple enough or collected enough.

Canter on the lunge doesn't improve any other work. Trot does though so most of you lunge work should be in trot
 
I have a Welsh D x and she has always struggled to canter on the lunge - her canter was soooo huge that cantering on a circle that small was very difficult for her. When the ground was good in the summer I would sometimes take her out into the field with 2 lunge lines tied together to give her a circle big enough to canter on!

Her canter work has taken A LOT to improve - but the best thing I did was doing canter training (with endurance rides in mind) on the beach - so just straight lines, and working on the walk and trot work in the school. Just getting the time in canter in straight lines really helped to build her confidence in the canter work, and that combined with the W&T schooling, she had chance to build up her strength.

I can't tell you how awful and unbalanced her canter was - but it was a true wall of death in the school - but she is now competing medium. I would take out trying to canter on the lunge for now - it is likely that this is just too difficult for your horse at the moment. Try and build up her canter work in more straight lines than circles until she has the strength and ability to cope with the circles :)
 
FfionWinnie said:
It's only 4 and it's a Welsh D!
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A 4 year old is unlikely to be well enough balanced to canter a circle, they struggle on a straight line sometimes. Give him more time learning the aids out on hacks, and work on his canter depart in the school then only ask for canter on the lunge when he is much more mature. Even Welsh D's take until 6 for the spinous processes to fuse, which gives you a clue as to their maturity and balance.
 
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