How long until you cantered your youngsters?

[chaps89]

A long time! Actually, not strictly true. She was very very green with some bad habits and lots of gaps in her education.
We have cantered all the way through but the primary focus has been on a good foundation in walk and trot.
I'd say it's been 2 years of this and in the last month or so I have an established enough canter to reliably get the correct lead, I can sit to the canter, we can do multiple laps of the school, circles and multiple sets of canter. We've also started flying changes.
It has been a long time building up to this. We have cantered in the school, mostly with a focus on just going forwards on the right lead and out hacking, again with a focus on forwardsness. But on the most part it's been learning (for both of us) how to use our bodies correctly and in conjunction with one another in walk and trot which means we now have a good canter, not just a canter.
It's been tough but one of the best learning curves ever.

 

[blitznbobs]

My big new chap is 6 this time ... he’s cantering only on hacks in a straight line if it happens naturally. He’s so weak and wobbly that it all goes wrong if you try in a closed space . His legs are so uncoordinated he’s going to need time My mare cantered the second time I rode her but she was a very naturally balanced warm blood ... and the cob well he didn’t canter for 2 years cos trot was easy and he can’t devide by 3 .... his canter is only just coming really good now and he’s 12 ... they all take a different amount of time depending on their own balance and that of their riders as well

 

[Rowreach]

All the horses I've started (quite a lot) are sat on, ridden around the yard and maybe in the school just to establish stop/start (which has pretty much been instilled with groundwork anyway), and then they go hacking. First canters are done on a straightish slightly uphill track. By the time they go back in the school they are balanced and responsive enough to cope with the corners. Don't think I've ever done a first canter in a school.

 

[scats]

Pretty soon to be honest. I like it to be something that is just part of everyday riding and not a big event that they suddenly get to do one day.
Provided it’s not falling over its own feet and has some sense of self preservation, I’ll ask for a few strides on the straight in most sessions, from a fairly young age.

 

[Northern]

Just start cantering, you'll be surprised how quickly they gain balance and rhythm. Yes it might feel and look horrible at the beginning but that is (usually) just a very brief phase
I tend to canter in two point position the first few times to gauge where they are at balance wise, and then get them used to being sat on properly. Good luck and let us know how you get on!

 

[Carrottom]

I have had my now 7 year old nearly a year and haven't cantered him yet. He is an ex race horse so has cantered and galloped plenty but had no balance at all, then with the hard ground last summer and no school at home I decided to just work on rhythm and balance on a circle in the field with a view to taking him for some lessons this spring. No need to rush.

 

[RachaelJC]

Each horse is different, OP, so don't force your horse or yourself. Mine is 6 and although he has cantered under saddle in the past, he is extremely weak / under muscled as he spent quite a period of time turned away.

I'm working him on the lunge to help him improve his fitness at canter, as well as help him find a good rhythm and be on the same lead on front and hind legs - can get a bit cross legged at times, which doesn't help his balance.

Ridden work is at walk and trot until he is fit and balanced to cope with a rider at canter.

 

[J_sarahd]

Each horse is different, OP, so don't force your horse or yourself. Mine is 6 and although he has cantered under saddle in the past, he is extremely weak / under muscled as he spent quite a period of time turned away.

I'm working him on the lunge to help him improve his fitness at canter, as well as help him find a good rhythm and be on the same lead on front and hind legs - can get a bit cross legged at times, which doesn't help his balance.

Ridden work is at walk and trot until he is fit and balanced to cope with a rider at canter.

I think this is the way I’m going to end up going with badger. It’s reassuring that others have done the same. I feel bad almost taking him back a step. But if I’m going to compete him, he needs to be going well!

 

[J_sarahd]

So an update on us - I schooled last night, was going to just work on transitions but the mother of one of the liveries asked if I wanted the poles left out so I said yes why not. She watched me for a bit and then put one on the KM diagonal and said to canter over it. Because I’m a wuss and hate saying no, I did and he was actually really good just lacked breaks. She put another one on the other diagonal and said to do the same on the other rein and he bucked before the transition, practically galloped towards the pole and then did bunny hops, causing me to fall over his head. So no cantering unless on the lunge for a few weeks now as not sure if it was a balance thing or an excitement thing, but either way, he needs to get it out of his system without me on board! Moral of the story: learn to say no.

 

[Cortez]

I completely agree with allowing the horse to find his balance in his own time, etc. but I think you shouldn't abandon doing it at all until they're "ready" - how will you know unless you do it? For some horses half or even a quarter of a circle is all they can master in the beginning, but the only way to improve it is to do it, and the transitions are by far the most important bit of the learning.

Thundering over poles is not, as you have found out...

 

[J_sarahd]

I completely agree with allowing the horse to find his balance in his own time, etc. but I think you shouldn't abandon doing it at all until they're "ready" - how will you know unless you do it? For some horses half or even a quarter of a circle is all they can master in the beginning, but the only way to improve it is to do it, and the transitions are by far the most important bit of the learning.

Thundering over poles is not, as you have found out...

Yeah I think I’m going to canter him on the lunge until he at least knows where his feet are going.

Lesson learnt! I tried saying we weren’t ready but they kept saying “you’ll never be ready unless you do it” which seemed like a good point.

 

[Red-1]

Moral of the story: learn to say no.

A good lesson to learn!

I think the 'when to' question is as much about the rider as the horse. If you are happy to continue walk and trot until you have more balance and response to the aids then do so. I would just monitor that you are actually making progress rather than repeating the same thing over and over to no gain.

I know a great horseman who, if the horse needs it, will walk for 6 months. But, when he goes forwards with the training, the aids are already installed, along with the right mindset with the horse, and the rest follows easily. That is an extreme case, but he sure as eggs is eggs would not have someone rushing him. His finished horses are also fabulous to ride, soft and responsive, not that many people are allowed in the saddle!

He was bemused to see me wizzing around, as that was not his way. As bemused as I was at someone walking for 6 months I guess!!!

 

[sportsmansB]

Perhaps the next time you are going to try, lunge first with canters so the canter excitement is out of his system? If he hasn't been cantering then it will be exciting, especially if poles are introduced into the equation as well... To be honest if I had only been walking and trotting my 14yo schoolmaster horse for weeks and then asked him for a canter over a pole I'd probably get bucked off too. If I'd lunged him first and let him get it out of his system I wouldn't be.

Don't let what happened put you off, just be a bit more structured in your planning next time and don't be pushed into things. Try and establish your 'whoa' voice on the ground, so that he listens to that if he gets excited. It can also be helpful in walk and trot to use the corners of the school, combined with a 'whoa' for stopping practice. walk to the corner, say whoa, stand, pat, move onto next one. Do the same in trot. Then if you need to use them in canter, he understands the process- towards corner, whoa, stop, pat.

 

[J_sarahd]

A good lesson to learn!

I think the 'when to' question is as much about the rider as the horse. If you are happy to continue walk and trot until you have more balance and response to the aids then do so. I would just monitor that you are actually making progress rather than repeating the same thing over and over to no gain.

I think I need to give him more training on the downward transitions. Like I said, even though I hate pointing fingers, I don’t think he’s necessarily been taught sit aids. It feels as if he’s been ridden very “handy”.

 

[J_sarahd]

Perhaps the next time you are going to try, lunge first with canters so the canter excitement is out of his system? If he hasn't been cantering then it will be exciting, especially if poles are introduced into the equation as well... To be honest if I had only been walking and trotting my 14yo schoolmaster horse for weeks and then asked him for a canter over a pole I'd probably get bucked off too. If I'd lunged him first and let him get it out of his system I wouldn't be.

Don't let what happened put you off, just be a bit more structured in your planning next time and don't be pushed into things. Try and establish your 'whoa' voice on the ground, so that he listens to that if he gets excited. It can also be helpful in walk and trot to use the corners of the school, combined with a 'whoa' for stopping practice. walk to the corner, say whoa, stand, pat, move onto next one. Do the same in trot. Then if you need to use them in canter, he understands the process- towards corner, whoa, stop, pat.

It was stupidity and weakness on my behalf. I definitely should be cantering him more under saddle before I introduce canter poles. I know he wasn’t trying to make me fall off, especially as he just stopped and stood there like you’re not meant to be there when I fell off, instead of carrying on careering around the arena. It’s been a blessing in disguise though as I’m even more determined to get his canter sorted out and I’ll start introducing more lunging to his schooling.

Oh that’s a good training technique. I may start introducing that tonight as I’m planning on a very chilled out schooling session after yesterday to get both our confidences back to their prime again.

 

[Cortez]

The thing to remember with cantering and stopping is they can't run forever, so as long as they aren't speeding up and losing balance I let babies canter until they want to stop, rather than pulling and fighting - and it's your seat that stops him, not just your reins. It's usually far harder to keep them going.

 

[J_sarahd]

The thing to remember with cantering and stopping is they can't run forever, so as long as they aren't speeding up and losing balance I let babies canter until they want to stop, rather than pulling and fighting - and it's your seat that stops him, not your reins. It's usually far harder to keep them going.

That makes sense. I’ll try that the next time I canter him under saddle. I try and stop him using my seat in all paces and keep my hands soft but with a contact. But like I said, I’m not quite sure if he’s ever been ridden like that as he’s a bit unsure of what I’m asking.