Is this common with green horses

Devonshire dumpling

Devonshire dumpling

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My mare is super green and we are working on lots of issues, I think shes been broken badly, or maybe just driven, but we are getting their slowly, she didn't understand that leg doesn't neccessarily mean speed, shes slowly starting to understand lots of things, she only did a manic trot until last week, but we can get a nice transition into canter now, the only problem being is she runs to the left!! Tonight, my husband cantered her up through the woods with a bank either side of the track and she attempted to go up the bank immediately into the woods? It's not the first time shes done this, she does it in an open field too, I know youngsters are unbalanced and all over the place, but is it common for them to just run to one side? Shes fine in walk and trot, and when asked to canter up the track a couple times after that she did go in a straight line x
 
well my horse is black and white, not green...haha...but my only thought was does she have a problem with her eyesight. But not sure why she would only do this in canter. I'm sure a more sensible person will offer more constructive advice for you.
 
I would continue with just walk and trot until she is stronger and better balanced and then introduce canter again, preferably on the straight and slightly uphill as that helps them balance properly.
 
Doesn't appear to lol.... I think she is napping to go home.... because she cantered straight after, but always tries to veer to the left, perhaps she is left hooved x
 
Maesfen said:
I would continue with just walk and trot until she is stronger and better balanced and then introduce canter again, preferably on the straight and slightly uphill as that helps them balance properly.
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Yes you may be right, she didn't even understand the concept of canter a couple weeks ago x
 
Just another thought - does the rider sometimes sit slightly to the left? (it can happen to anyone, no offence or crit meant, especially on wibbly wobbly greenies)

Can take a while for them to build up the strength and balance to carry the rider, though it's well worth taking time over.
 
The clue might be in your first post -

Horses broken to drive by a certain element, (ie. not broken to drive very well just hammered up the road) are all, without fail, tipped to the left. Just have a look through DD and you'll see. It's to keep them at the side of the road, but they don't know how to keep a horse straight.

I've had several youngsters that had been 'broken to drive' and I mean that in the loosest sense of the term, and had to spend a lot of time long reining them to get them straight again.
 
How old is she? And what type? Sometimes the really cobby ones struggle with co-ordination when young. We left cantering the OHs cob until after Christmas as he just wasn't balanced enough. We still won't canter him in the school - he uses the gallops tracks and to start with he would massively veer towards the rails but now as he's stronger he's pretty straight soon we will try the school. He's rising 5
 
Quite often young horses will want to always drift in one direction. Has she got a 'good' rein when you lunge her or is she the same on both reins. You really just need to do some straightening and suppling work with her in the school and she should gradually improve. Have her teeth checked too if she tends to be stronger on one rein, a sharp tooth can cause it.
 
My youngster did this when we first started cantering until I realised that I was fractionally shortening the left rein when we cantered - it was too slight to make a difference to other horses I rode. I was probably also shifting my weight slightly as a previous poster suggested. Backing our "baby" has taught me a lot about my riding!!
 
Sorry i was really slack in my original post!

Foxy is rising 6, she is super green, allegedly broken to drive and ride, had 3 foals! Came to me in stinking condition 8 weeks ago, is now looking really well, and has settled greatly, Vet gave her a full check up on thursday as she reared up with me on a funride, I totally and utterly think she misunderstood the question I asked her, she was confused, Vet sedated her and gave her mouth a total examination and did her teeth, she actually has a lovely mouth, she is really hard to bridle, but getting better by the day, she doesn't fight me now, Vet put himself on the line and said he felt certain things had happened to her. When I first started riding her she was so scared of my leg, she would shoot off the slightest touch, we now have a relaxed horse whose only fault ( is she spins for home) I feel she was doing that today in the track, as when told off for it, she proceeded to canter up the track beautifully, and she had a gallop on the way home, again straight. Left spin seems her favoured nap.... she always turns that way. We are working on her issues, but was just wondering as I am learning all the time, I found with our old youngster an unbalanced horse can buck into canter, wondered if veering was another common thing... sounds like it might not be.
Regards her upbringing, yes I think she was pounded at high speed, when I first got her she had the most amazing fast trot and didn't go into canter, it was a trot like you would never believe, she could keep up with the TB doing a fast canter..... thats sorted now, she realises leg on means a multitude of things ( well shes starting to). For now I don't plan on doing any schooling with her in a school, I plan on letting her chill out and have schooling hacks, it's just nice shes not rushing so much now.
Today she had an inflated bag blowing down the hill towards her, again she went to spin, but we held a straight course and she was sooooo brave, she loved all her praise after we passed it!:D
 
Frans said:
My youngster did this when we first started cantering until I realised that I was fractionally shortening the left rein when we cantered - it was too slight to make a difference to other horses I rode. I was probably also shifting my weight slightly as a previous poster suggested. Backing our "baby" has taught me a lot about my riding!!
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Definately not that as we tend to counteract with the right rein, as we predict it x
 
LittleBlackMule said:
The clue might be in your first post -

Horses broken to drive by a certain element, (ie. not broken to drive very well just hammered up the road) are all, without fail, tipped to the left. Just have a look through DD and you'll see. It's to keep them at the side of the road, but they don't know how to keep a horse straight.

I've had several youngsters that had been 'broken to drive' and I mean that in the loosest sense of the term, and had to spend a lot of time long reining them to get them straight again.
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That would tie in..... when she goes to the left if you're not on the ball, she will actually climb a bank!
 
Sounds just like what my youngster was like, he can pace too which was another issue to overcome along with the super fast trots!
I did lots if hill work once he was fit enough. Helped him loads, and we can have nice canters out hacking, but haven't cantered in the school. Saving that next chapter for after my baby is born as he's having a few months off whilst I'm pregnant at the moment.
Best of luck with yours, it will come but just takes so much longer when they have had starts in life like ours! But much more satisfying when it does!
 
My last sec D did this - we would be cantering along and he'd suddenly decide he was going left up a bank. He was very, very one sided and I never managed to supple him up. It's something he never stopped doing....
 
My mare did the veering thing at first. She had only recently been backed at 7 years of age and she was very unbalanced. There was a grassy bank on one of the long sides of the school and she used to go up it every time like she was drawn to it by magnetism.

I did lots of hacking in walk and trot for months before I attempted to work her in the school again. Now she is fine.
 
One of mine would suddenly veer up banks without warning, either on his own or in a group. He was the most un nappy horse ever so not a nap. However, he was very bright and I think sometimes he did too much thinking and needed some 'break out time'. He would also hop up on his back legs to look over fences and continue walking :eek: hop up again if he saw a tasty leaf high up and then try to lie down if not allowed the tasty leaf. All very good natured though. He didn't entirely grow out of it, you always had to watch for 'ad libbing'. One of his daughers did the same.

I use a fulmer in the keepers with the youngsters now, just gives a bit of support at vital moments. Hopefully your horse will grow out of it when she gets a bit stronger (in fact before she gets a bit stronger :cool:).

Also did ride one horse who had a terrible spin/rear/nap. The key to him, which I found out accidently whilst twirling towards a car was to put my knuckles into his wither on the side he was going to go at the very split second he was going. Stopped him going up and round. I was very surprised it worked, he had gone through quite a few riders at this point.
 
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My boy, who had a similar start in life (broken to drive very young), was exactly the same. To the point where when you asked him to canter in an open space you got a circle! Canter is not his best natural gait when ridden and even though he is seven it is still not great but has become a lot better since his straightness and balance in walk and trot have improved. Although you say you don't want to school you do need her to build the correct muscles
 
Thankyou all for your replies. Vanner, I didn't mean I didn't want to to school .... it's just not something that would be good for her at the moment, she doesn't understand yet that riding is about being chilled and relaxed, she just needs to unwind a little... I am schooling her on hacks, we do lots of half halts and directions with legs, the canter is bizaare, she literally leapt up a bank into a heavily wooded area, was no where for her to go, she wasn't impressed when she was told to go back down the bank she shot up, but she did it, and to be fair her canters have been quite pleasant since. I intend on seeing an instructor and having some lessons in the summer on her, but for now she needs to chill and realise humans are nice creatures :-) x
 
Hmmmm.... I don't know where the end of my sentence went!

It did finish with....

Correct muscles from working her properly whilst out on hacks, perhaps doing some basic lateral movements to help supple her.
 
**Vanner** said:
Hmmmm.... I don't know where the end of my sentence went!

It did finish with....

Correct muscles from working her properly whilst out on hacks, perhaps doing some basic lateral movements to help supple her.
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Thank you, i will do this! Relieved that so many of you said yours veered too.... my only experience with green horses before has been bucking on transitions and lack of steering, this is very different, they teach you so much! X
 
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