How do you help the horse to balance in canter?

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pnap

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Jack's canter on the right rein is incredibly unbalanced and I was just wondering how I go about correcting this. Is it just strength training and lots and lots of trot so he's balanced in this pace (TBH when riding he feels fine in trot on both reins). Any advice/exercises greatly appreciated.
 
There are some experts on the forum but as they haven't yet replied! - I would do loads of trot/canter transitions, probably on a 20 m circle building up to canter half, trot half circle. You need to do this on both reins. Also counter canter is good for balance, do a 15 meter circle at end of long side and come back to the track so you do a few strides of counter canter. You can also do shallow loops down the long side. Lastly I'd try some shoulder fore (less angle than shoulder in) in walk then trot on both reins. Hope this helps!
 
I agree with the lots and lots of transitions on a circle. Don't come off the circle until the horse is balanced there, and then build up the distance you canter in a straight line (so start by cantering a 20m circle at one end, once balanced then canter the circle at say A, go half way up the long side and circle in the middle again, then progress to cantering the length of the school and circling at the other end). The best way to improve the canter, apparently, is to not stay in canter. A good trick I found (from one of Carl Hester's books) with my mare with a really long unbalanced canter, was to halt (square if poss), walk, trot, canter in fairly quick succession, canter a 20m circle, then trot, walk, halt square again in fairly quick succession. I found I could gradually stop having to halt and she'd stay balanced in walk, then I could stop walking and she'd stay balanced in trot, and eventually her canter improved. What also helped her was lots and lots of lungeing with a pessoa.
 
I have the same issue with my horse on his left rein. I lunge him at least once a week in a pessoa. The lungeing helps him to work out his own balance in canter and helps hugely when I am back on top schooling. On top of that agree with the change in transition training. You can try trotting a 20m circle, then do it in canter, then make it 3/4 trot and 3/4 canter and then aim for half of the circle in trot and half in canter. This helps their balance alot.
 
Unbalanced in canter normally relates to a lack of connection to the outside rein this is common on the right as they tend to find it difficult to connect in a forward way to the outside rein.
Forward is not speed , speed is the enemy of connection.
So good exercise in co-ordination for you and connection for him is simple leg yeild from the 3/4 line back to the fence. make sure you have your nose looking between his ears so that you feel the flextion to the right as you push him from the girth in to the outside rein . Make sure you have an outside leg behind the girth as this holds the outside hind leg on the straight and inceases the engagement of the right hind, better engagement of the RH = better balance in the canter. Make sure you DO NOT pull the right hand across the neck if you feel you need to do this then you need a better reation to the right leg ie he must step off it , this is the point of the exercise , getting a co-ordinated ask and a co-ordinated response to the right leg to the outide rein.
Riding squares rather than circles in trot with transitions at the corners. make him wait before you turn , you will be surprised how much wondering against your inside leg he does as you come up to the corner and he antisipates the need to balance. This balance needs to come from his hind leg and you asking with your inside leg at the girth and accepting it in the left rein you can then use this left rein in a take as his outside shoulder comes back as this is the moment his inside hindleg needs 'capturing' this will then give you the balance you need. Once this is really clear in the trot work you can do the same in the canter with transitions at first before the corner make him wait take the flection before the corner push his ribs away like the leg yeild in the corner take on the outside rein after the corner and then canter again once he is fluent with this do the same with the canter just riding a half halt on the outside rein as the shoulder on the outside comes back to you before the corner rather than the full trot trans and ask for the flextion and half halt again on the depart so that you rebalance in the outside shoulder before going on the straight.
 
yay to all the above - but also ride canter in a straight line for a long time before you start asking for it on a circle. If he can't connect in a line, he won't be able to do it in a circle.

good luck

E
 
Think I'll need to print this one off - that's loads to try and think about!
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Thanks though guys.
 
transitions... and easy word to say but not so easy to do. what exactly about transitions??? They only have value if they are ridden with an aim, theyare not just going fron A pace to B pace. it is only going to have value if it is done with the understanding of connection and balance.
 
I think when I say transition I mean transition!!!!!
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I could go into the ins and outs of a good transition but that was not my intention!
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But surely the point is to try and help the person posting not just say a word?They may not know what you mean , if they did they would'nt be asking for help.
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maybe it would be better to go into the ins and outs of transitions or not bother posting at all
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Blimey, who rattled your cage?
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I notice that your explanation, despite being thorough and I am sure correct, is hardly advice that is easy to understand.......as the OP says, she is going to have to print it off to go through it. I don't expect many posts require printing in order to be digested and understood. Do you think 'RH' is an easy shortened term to fathom? And flexion, leg yield, forward (rather than speed) etc may need further explanations depending on the poster's level of experience.

Anyway, I look forward to reading all your detailed and thorough post responses in future times.
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Hope you have managed to chill yourself out today....
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PS Thought you might appreciate a smirk back.....
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