How to keep a horse in canter?

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royal

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Hi all,

So, ponio is now much better in the trot -canter transition, and is working nicely from her backend - however, I cannot for the life of me, keep her in canter. And she doesn't give you any warning at all that she's about to break into trot ie: slowing the pace etc....so trying to prempt the change is just about impossible.
She will go along quite nicely and then thats it, she breaks into trot really suddenly and it can really throw me off balance.
I've had her 5 years and all back, teeth, saddle checks are up to date and fine ...she isn't a naturally foward going horse and we do vary the schooling, with plenty of hacking and jumping mixed in.

I've tried doing plenty of trot-canter-trot transitions to try and get her used to me actually asking for the downwards transition...I've tried giving her a tap with the whip as soon as she breaks and making her go straight back into canter plus loads more but it just isn't working!

Any suggestions guys?
 
If she's quite advanced in schooling then the only thing I could maybe suggest you try is halt to canter-canter to halt? That really gets my horse working and on the ball lol! do you drop your hands or anything without knowing it before she suddenly comes back?
 
Hiya,

We have been working on halt-canter transitions - but they are a work in progress!!
Drop my hands - erm...I going to say no to that one, but I will double check next time I ride just in case!!...she is a bit dizzy and tends to not really pay that much attention to the rider and I have to work hard on getting her concentration, but I just don't think she realises that she should keep going until I say otherwise!
It would be so much easier if she gave some kind of inclination that she was going to break into trot!!
 
lol, Bears a bit special so thats why we do lots of different things so when he's expecting my half halt to result in going back to trot from canter, when I ask him to walk/halt he gets a bit confused :p
I tend to do a lot of leg yielding with him too.
Is she fit? Maybe she might be telling you when she's a bit tired she needs a rest? Bear sometimes comes back from canter doing this horrible dis united trot that throws me out the saddle lol!
I only asked about your hands as sometimes I do it, I drop my inside rein so he falls in and goes to pot :p
Its always my fault when something goes wrong :o
xx
 
She is coming back into fitness now, but to be honest she's always been like it, even when she was 'competition fit'! Her favourite pace is standing still!! :o
And she does even the first time we canter!!
Its what I worry most about with our showing....we can never do a full circuit of the ring in the group canter!! I just have to hope its behind the judges back!
 
I am workin on this atm too! Like you I just suddenly find mine in trot, but in my case it's definitely a case of, me not feeling quick enough that he's lost impulsion and pushing him on before he can trot.
 
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