Improving on canter

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Nannon

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So, seeing as my instructor is busy for the next few weeks I thought I'd see if anyone had any ideas to help me out :)
My ex racer is very lazy most of the time, I have worked on walk an trot for the past 8 weeks and he's now responsive and works well most days - he has days where he is hard work but once you start asking him things he perks up a bit! However, canter is whole different ball game - maybe because I have barely done any canter work with him he has just forgotten how to canter? He is quite difficult to get in to canter and then I can only get around 6 strides before he falls back into trot - should I encourage him forward with schooling whip behind the leg? Today I did some trot to canter over a pole on the floor and he picked up canter nicely but still falls into trot after a few strides.
Sorry I started rambling there - if you have any idea what I am asking please put some pointers for me! Thanks :D
 
What size of school are you riding in and how are you riding the canter? (ie 2 point seat?) also how he is cantering on the lunge?
 
It's in a field - have a closed off area but is still bigger than Olympic arena. Have tried both forward seat and sitting deep, he's roughly the same either way. On the lunge he canters lovely as he tanks off! I haven't lunged him as much as I could have because he does have a tendency to just run and I have nobody to help me :(
 
Try and ensure that you sit up tall, I find if I tip forwards at all my mare goes back into trot, the mare not cantering well tells me that I am not riding her properly :) Also watch your hands, our mantra is 'dazzle (taken from an old HHO post), look up and coffee cups :D The coffee cups is holding your hands as if you have a mug of coffee in each hand and you must not spill them.
 
That's a good idea - will try the coffee cups! I think me trying to push him into my hand is probably making him think stop? He's learnt about contact and accepts it in walk and trot, more practice in canter!
 
My new boy is EXACTLY like this.

He's a struggle to get into canter often and then when he is, he can maintain it just on the long side but as soon as I put him onto a 20 metre circle he falls back to trot.

It is completely a balance issue. Unfortunately he finds the canter very hard work so has gotten worried about it and so switches off and falls back to trot at any available (and not so available) opportunity. In my lessons we have been first working on really getting the enginge revving as it were and his blood up so asking for canter and then really pushing him on down the long side, balancing him a bit for the corner but not correcting too much as 1. he needs to start finding his own balance without relying solely on me to hold him up and 2. If you ask him to collect too much he will use it as an excuse to stop. So basically, really let him go down the long side (even if it means really flapping and a couple of taps with the whip) until he is really revving and forward in the canter.

THEN, we work on canter-trot-canter transitions, canter on circles and from say H-C so on a slightly different line.

Have been doing this for a couple of weeks now and have to say, it really IS helping and his canter IS starting to feel a lot more balanced but I still do have to rev him up to start with in the canter or it is very hard going keeping him in it, especially when it comes to circles etc.
 
I find putting a pole at A, B, C and E really helps get my lazy horse thinking forwards. First time I did it she really surprised me by charging off with me round the school, I nearly fell off in shock :D
 
Nannon said:
Summer stars that is exactly it!!! That's the exact problem - thank you for commenting, I will give it a go tomorrow!
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If you don't already then use a long schooling whip, put it into your inside hand of whatever rein you're on and when you start to feel him break (particularly on circles) back up your leg with it. I know it is hard for him and he probably struggles and as a rider you obviously have to sympathise, however he MUSN'T just continually keep breaking.

So try at first to really get him yeeehaa ing and going for it, get him awake and engine revving around the field, just straight lines and once he is THEN ask for a circle, but keep your whip in your inside hand and you MUST back up your leg if you feel him breaking, he MUST complete the circle in canter. I wouldn't worry about him falling out through outside shoulder or anything like that, allow for that for the time being but he MUST complete the circle. Don't push it too much, as soon as you've got what you've aimed for reward him by bringing him back down into trot.

It really is (I think) a mental thing as well as a physical thing after a while though and that can be dangerous once they get into the mindset (like mine has) that canter is hard, especially on circles...so well...I'm just not going to bother and will fall back to trot whenever I possibly can.

It will only get better with practice and the more he builds up balance and muscle and learns to let go and let you direct him in the canter.

Good luck, I am going through exact same thing so know how frustrating it is.
 
It may be worth trying some walk/trot transitions in a slightly different way. Try walk for 5 strides, trot for 5, walk for 5, trot for 5 and so on. I find I can only do this for a short while with my very forward going mare, as she gets somewhat fed up of it :D It does, however get their back legs engaged, gets them off the forehand and more able to use themselves, thus making canter easier for them.
 
Am pleased I am not the only one that has this problem too. Just as Summerstars says.

I am guilty of chucking the reins at him too much in my eagerness to get him into canter in the school, thereby losing all contact and throwing him even more onto his forehand than he already is!
 
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