How to teach canter??

[noodle_]

to a 4 year old?

she will canter using voice commands (and a whip sometimes) on the lunge... shes mostly lazy tbh

we have walk and trot establised and going well but.... i want to do a dressage (beginners prelim) end of next month...

So what is the best way to get her cantering?? she will pop a pole.../jump (i have jumped her but she never canters away)....

if shes not ready for canter in the show im taking her anyhow and will trot the canter bit as i really want her out and about!...

thanks

p.s - ideally i will have to do this alone... so lunge it out unless its at the weekend but tbh shes better behaved undersaddle.

 

[Toffee44]

Samba wouldnt canter in the "school". First cantered her on the lunge very much the same way you have, first canter was on a hack up a field with another safe horse, was v forward going but safe. She will now do a few strides in the school on the long side but unbalanced. She struggles with the transition as her trot is very big (The hackney in her).

Some horses I think are just genuinely not ready to canter as they dont have the balance to go round corners with someone on board. I'm not a horse trainer but I wont push her for a canter in the school other than what she is doing just yet as I feel she is not ready.

 

[jmason]

I would try it out hacking. Nice long stretch with good ground.
Alot of youngsters find cantering hard in the school to start with.... the corners just come too quick!
Also dont expect a slow canter to start with.

Good luck

 

[Honey08]

I would try it out hacking. Nice long stretch with good ground.
Alot of youngsters find cantering hard in the school to start with.... the corners just come too quick!
Also dont expect a slow canter to start with.

Good luck

Ditto this.

Our 4yr old was so big and unbalanced that he couldn't physically canter more than a few strides in the school at 4. He felt lazy, but in reality he just couldn't do it!

 

[noodle_]

i would love to hack her out - but hacking is straight onto a main road.


we do have ahuge field but tbh its just so muddy and i think id be risking slipping and i dont fancy 1. dying and 2. the poor girl being terrfied lol

she will canter happily on the lunge (and easily)....

i could just push her on in the school and try running her into it....?

and if i manage to badger a helper - lunge...?

 

[Honey08]

Could you trailer her to somewhere that you could canter ona hack?

As for cantering on the lunge with a rider on, with an umbalanced horse, its not the best plan really..

Could you just stick to a walk and trot test until you've had more time to work on the canter? Or stick to the original plan and just miss out the canter in the prelim - you're doing it to get her out anyway aren't you? If you rush her into cantering in the school and doing it at a show before she's ready, you could create more problems - you'd be making the cantering an unpleasant experience for a baby...

 

[Toffee44]

Gonna sound horrible now but why the rush?? How about making it a goal for next spring when the ground is better??


Could u trailer up to some gallops or a beach?? Lunging would mean she would be on a circle with a rider which may unbalance and scare your youngster all together.

 

[night_mare]

Although actually cantering on the lunge with a rider on isn't always best with a young horse but you could use her familiarity with someone in the middle asking for canter and see if that helps. If you ride in the school, and have someone else stood in the middle of the school with a lunge whip whilst you ride, and them giving the voice command to canter, as you use your leg aids it might be enough to get her started to make the connection between asking on the lunge and being ridden.

 

[noodle_]

thanks all

no rush really but ive had her 3 months now and worked hard on walk/trot got setback with saddle.back issues and thats almost sorted now im just wanting to get cracking

wanting to affiliate this horse netx winter (2011)... so need to get her out and about sooner.....

if shes not ready shes not ready... id love to take her the beach! but no-one really goes anywhere from our yard - but i will ask!!! as its something ive always wanted to do anyhow

 

[bryngwyn22]

Maybe the fact that her saddle/back problem is 'almost sorted' might suggest that she isn't balanced enough to carry herself in canter on a circle/confined space? - just a thought

 

[corrie153]

I taught my boy like you using voice commands on the lunge. once we had got that sorted I used my voice and very obvious leg aids when under saddle so he associated the voice command for canter with the leg aid. once we got that he would canter with just normal leg aids. happy training

 

[noodle_]

^ thanks

will give it a go when were ready

we did it the wrong way round though lol.. done small jumps (crosses!) and straights on the lunge but no canter...

she is balanced etc and goes lovely in walk/trot....

will update when we have cantered