Improving canter

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Ameli&Finlay

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I have a five near six year old gelding that I’m having trouble trying to get a smoother more collected canter from. I don’t have problems getting him in to canter but it feels like more of a issue of him not knowing where his legs are ?. Is there something I could be doing to help him or is it something he needs to figure out?
Any tips and or exercises would be really appreciated.
 
Trot, canter, trot, canter transitions. If you can do this on a 20 metre circle to do this, even better.

I start with 10 trot, 10 canter, 10trot, 10 canter. Then I have a walk break and change the rein and repeat. I start playing around with the number of strides over time.
 
He's 5 - go and let him enjoy canter and find a balance out on your hacks would be my only advice. Constricting it now will lose the cadence you are looking for.

Don't make a young horse come to associate canter with restrained school work only - you need it to be forward at this age - his spine and back muscles need time in canter work to build strength in a more stretched out position. Ask for a tiny bit of collection by doing circles but not many and give it at least a year. You don't want spinal issues and many youngsters forced into tight work get on the forehand and end up with all sorts of issues.

I don't want to get you worried but if you continue experiencing canter problems - there may be something mechanically/metabolically challenging that you need to investigate.
 
scats said:
Trot, canter, trot, canter transitions. If you can do this on a 20 metre circle to do this, even better.

I start with 10 trot, 10 canter, 10trot, 10 canter. Then I have a walk break and change the rein and repeat. I start playing around with the number of strides over time.
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
Sugarplum said:
He's 5 - go and let him enjoy canter and find a balance out on your hacks would be my only advice. Constricting it now will lose the cadence you are looking for.

Don't make a young horse come to associate canter with restrained school work only - you need it to be forward at this age - his spine and back muscles need time in canter work to build strength in a more stretched out position. Ask for a tiny bit of collection by doing circles but not many and give it at least a year. You don't want spinal issues and many youngsters forced into tight work get on the forehand and end up with all sorts of issues.

I don't want to get you worried but if you continue experiencing canter problems - there may be something mechanically/metabolically challenging that you need to investigate.
Click to expand...
Thank you
 
My mare came to me very green schooling wise. I spent the first 6 months only really cantering our hacking up hills, then once a week in lessons where I worked on the transition from trot. The hacking helped build the muscle she needed to be more balanced in the school without making her stale.

I also found the more I worked on trot and the better quality that became, the better my canter was.
 
ownedbyaconnie said:
My mare came to me very green schooling wise. I spent the first 6 months only really cantering our hacking up hills, then once a week in lessons where I worked on the transition from trot. The hacking helped build the muscle she needed to be more balanced in the school without making her stale.

I also found the more I worked on trot and the better quality that became, the better my canter was.
Click to expand...
Thank you this was really helpful, I thought it must be good for him to canter on hacks but recently it’s been to wet and slippery to do so.
 
The most wobbly youngster i have ridden with the most enormous canter you have ever seen improved quickly with walk-canter- walk transitions. Cantering out hacking and gently bringing back and sending on is probably one of the best things you could do.
Also make sure you are not asking for too much too soon, a little on and back, canter down the long side and count your strides between two markers then see if you can just add an extra number to it the next time so if you did 7 strides see if you can make it 8 then leave it alone, dont over do it, let it happen gradually over time rather than in a few sessions. I would say with the one i mentioned which was by far the most tricky canter i have ever had it took 6 months to go from wall of death to nice and balanced.
 
My 7yo connie has only had a more balanced canter in the last 6 months, even though I have owned him for 2 years.

Work on it for sure, but also accept that it might not be physically possible for him yet...

Fiona
 
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