HOW TO TRAIN YOUR HORSE TO CANTER....

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Gucci_b

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HELP, I BROUGHT A REALLY NICE 15.2 5/6YRS OLD TB-TROTTER FROM PARIS LATE LAST YEAR, AND SHE WILL GO VERY VERY FAR, BUT SHE DOES NOT NO HOW TO CANTER, i HAVE HAD A FEW PEOPLE TO LOOK AT HER AND THEY SAY TO TRAIN HER TO CANTER WHEN OUT AND ABOUT ON A HACK LITTLE AND OFFEN THEY SAY, THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN IT WILL ALL CLICK INTO PLACE FOR THE MARE TO CANTER..HAS ANY ONE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM!!
 
yes - when i got my welshie last august she had been stood in a field for years - never been schooled - the first time i cantered her (after about 5 weeks of fittening her) she just ran then eventually threw herself into canter an veered very sharply left then stoped - I just kept hacking her behind another horse - she would run like hell and eventually throw herself into canter and an alaming speed for about 3 months (did schooling and lunging in walk and trot) but it has gradually got better and better and although not brilliant -(still have issues veering left in school) she is now slowing her canter down - so just persevere out hacking with a lead horse and it will come - good luck - hope that gives you hope!! x
 
I've had dealings with trotters and pacers - my experience has been that the pacers are far easier to teach canter to than the trotters.
 
Cnatering out is good advice, I ride and school and have competed at Dressage an ex french racing trottor and he too had no idea how to canter. It's actually now a lovely pace and very comfy. If you can get him forward enough out in a big open space he will canter. It helps if you can ride in the forward seat to really free his back as well and have another horse to canter along with and give him the idea.

Once he is happy doing this if you use your voice to tell him to canter just as he does this will help him associate the word with the pace. Eventually you can use this in the school to go into canter. Once you start introducing canter in the school you will need to have him soft and in an outline in trot first so that you can ride and ask for the canter transition by really riding leg into hand so that he steps up a pace and does not just run faster. This part is quite hard and if you are not confident riding a bit stronger from leg into hand it's worth getting an intructor to ride him a few times. As soon as he gets the idea you will be able to ride the transition much softer but those first few sessions will need to be very black and white to stop him running.

Hope that helps.
 
thanks for that, but the web sites for these's horse's are saying the oppisite.. ( see what i mean by HELP) also for me to send her some where for a pro to do it for me would cost me £170 a week...
 
Does she canter readily on her own?

Remember these horses are not only bred but trained NOT to canter. You are not training you are retraining, which is much more difficult, and you are starting with a horse that doesn't have a natural apptitide for what you want. I know Standardbreds that have developed reasonable canters under saddle but it's taken time, patience, and often some expert input. (And I have to say that ones that developed good canters often showed an inclination from the outset.)

You've got your work cut out for you - there are no easy tricks - so be prepared to use time and patience. I'm sure you knew that going in so just try not to expect too much, too soon.
 
yes when i had a welshie he wouldnt canter, simply because he didnt know. so i took him outin the fields with a few others and they cantered off he didnt this extreamly fast trot untill he realised it was quicker to step up a gear.... asking for cantre after that was much easier
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i have a trotter and used to have the same prob for the first few years she was ridden, she still prefers to trot but i found the more supple she got the easier it was for her. she will trot all day on a hack still and on the lunge and in the school still favours trot, cantering on the flat stil a bit dissunited but on the whole a lot better
 
she canters very well in the field, on her own will, and two of the pro's that she has seen, have already said that she would make a great 3 dayer on the eventting. but first things first. I just need loads of input and help.
 
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