How quickly do you canter in the school?

N

nicnag

Well-Known Member
Joined
9 June 2005
Messages
2,132
Location
Scottish Borders
Visit site
I have brought my mare back into work following a spell off work while a spavin fused (small minor changes, horse now mechanically sound - yay!)
Anyway, as I feel she takes a while to warm up now, I normally walk round a couple of times on each rein, then introduce trot work and normally don't canter until after about 15 - 20 mins work, I had a lesson on sunday with my long term instructor and she has suggested going straight into a forward trot for a circuit then a low canter gradually opening it up, do this on both reins and it should help her loosen up. I really felt it did work but it seems to go against everything I've ever been taught! I really do trust my instructers opinion and she has worked to a high level and has experience with horses with similar conditions - it just didn't feel right!!
 
Hi,
My mare has a fused spavin too. In my lessons my instructor usually looks to make sure that she's tracking up evenly with both hocks in trot before introducing canter work. A lesson generally goes:
Walk and trot on long rein for about 5 or 6 minutes (if I've had the chance to hack her gently before the lesson and she's warmed up, we will do a canter on the long rein too).
Collection in trot for suppleness exercises (bending, circles, half loops, serpentines etc) for about another 10 minutes.
Canter work both reins - circles and change rein with trot at x and any other collection work - shoulder-in etc - to the end of the lesson (about another 15 minutes).
Listen to your horse. Mine tells me if she's still a bit stiff by hanging back just a fraction and then we do more warm up and she'll usually be happy to canter after that. I don't know if there's any 'right' or 'wrong' as long as you are happy that they are comfortable doing the work.
 
On a younger horse taken from the field - I'll do 5 mins walk, 5 mins trot and then a very loose canter off the back using the whole school before starting to work.

On an older horse, or one taken out of the stable, 10 mins walk, 10 mins trot - doing plenty of big circles on a loose rein allowing them to stretch and then a loose canter off the back on both reins for a couple of circuits . Another walk for a few mins and then start real work.

I also like to give at least 5 mins walk and stretch at the end or go straight out for a short relaxing hack.
 
My RI has me cantering after 5 minutes walking round the school too.
We always aim to start working in trot, but as my horse is so backward thinking a canter (sometimes gallop!) round at the start really gets her thinking forwards.
I've noticed a real difference in my horse since I started warming up this way - we start working correctly sooner, and she then swings through in trot, rather than pulling herself along very slowly
smile.gif
 
With my last horse because he found canter work easier than trot work and would loosen up better with canter work we used to canter about 5 min into our session with me off his back and on a long loose rein.
 
I don't think you would harm your horse by cantering quite early on, as long as you weren't asking for a real collected canter straight away. You can canter in a light seat so you're not sitting too heavily on their backs to start with.
 
My mare is really tense when I first go in the school, so I just trot round on a loose rein for approx 5 mins then straight in to canter in light seat I dfo this on both reins and it really helps her loosen off and relax x.
 
[ QUOTE ]
"How quickly do you canter in the school?"

About 40mph on a windy day!

[/ QUOTE ]

hehe I was thinking along the same lines - about 100mph usually on the wrong leg!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top