Mare won't Canter

[IngramsRoughDiamond]

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[splashgirl45]

do you have a trainer as they would be the best to ask. some horses find cantering in the school difficult, can you canter her on a hack and does she still go disunited? if so i would suggest she has something wrong somewhere to cause this, if not could you try lunging her in the school to see if she is ok without the weight of a rider. thats all i can think of i am afraid.

 

[IngramsRoughDiamond]

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[IngramsRoughDiamond]

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[splashgirl45]

it is difficult to comment as i cant see the horse but are you sure you are not holding her back and she doesnt understand what you want her to do? collection comes from the back end working and therefore the front lightens up and the frame shortens... i think if you lunge her it may help to see what is happening when you ask for canter

 

[Orangehorse]

Going disunited sounds as though there could be something amiss. As my vet says, hindleg problems can be difficult to tell for a rider.

Assuming that all is well, does she canter on the lunge willingly? If so, you can teach them to canter from a voice aid, and then transfer this to when ridden. Although canter in a circle is very hard work for a horse, so don't do lots. Also it can be easier to teach them to canter from walk. It gives you time to organise yourself and give clear aids. It is what I did with a couple of horses that had great difficultly in taking up canter on one leg, and cured the problem.

Cantering in a straight line, preferable uphill is usually the easiest way to get canter.

 

[IngramsRoughDiamond]

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[IngramsRoughDiamond]

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[Ellietotz]

In my opinion, it sounds like she has a possible problem with her SI joint or hind limb suspensories and runs in canter as a reaction to it, unable to hold it properly. Going disunited is a common sign of one of these problems. Has she seen a physio?

ETA: cantering fine on lunge doesn't necessarily mean there isn't an issue as she isn't carrying a rider then so it's not a clear answer. My mare was fine to canter everywhere else and out on hacks but disunited in the school. She ended up being diagnosed with SI discomfort and this was partly due to PSSM too I believe.

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

I doubt very much that she is changing legs behind on purpose so you will pull her up. I would guess she might be trying to alleviate pain somewhere in the back end.

 

[IngramsRoughDiamond]

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[IngramsRoughDiamond]

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[Mrs. Jingle]

I appreciate your opinion but you don't know her and it's is exactly what she learnt to do.

Righty ho

 

[Ellietotz]

I doubt very much that she is changing legs behind on purpose so you will pull her up. I would guess she might be trying to alleviate pain somewhere in the back end.

I agree with this too, sorry. Rushing canter and disuniting is a sign of problem, they don't just do it on purpose. If it's one thing I learnt with my mare, despite seeming fine doing absolutely everything else or at least most of the time, didn't mean that she was okay because she actually wasn't.

 

[irishdraft]

If she has been allowed to go in a certain way for a number of years ? I don't know her background as you haven't given that info I would be guessing she is finding it extremely hard to change her way of going as we would if ask to suddenly perform some exercise . Its probably a case of very small steps just a few strides in a more collected frame and build from there .

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

Well that little flurry of deleting makes a mockery of even bothering to post a thread and even more of a mockery of people even taking the time to ever bothering to answer a thread

 

[ester]

Shouldn't really be a surprise though unfortunately MrsJ

 

[splashgirl45]

agreed mrs J, i thought i was being helpful but obviously not

 

[ycbm]

I want to reword your title 'mare can't canter'. Whether it's because she's green or broken is something that needs investigating.

 

[Ellietotz]

I want to reword your title 'mare can't canter'. Whether it's because she's green or broken is something that needs investigating.

Before it was deleted, the post said the mare wont canter at all when asked now as previously she would just run into canter and disunited "on purpose" in order to avoid having to canter properly on the bit but all usual things have been checked so it was supposedly just behavioural as she canters fine on the lunge. ?

 

[Tiddlypom]

It sounded like the mare has an ouch. OP said that funds were tight, due to Covid I think, so that when people suggested that it might be pain rather than a schooling issue, the delete button went into overdrive...

There will a lot of people with reduced income to care for their animals and pay vets bills .

OP, if you are still reading this thread, I suggest that give your horse some time off til the vet can see her rather than keeping on riding her.

 

[ycbm]

Before it was deleted, the post said the mare wont canter at all when asked now as previously she would just run into canter and disunited "on purpose" in order to avoid having to canter properly on the bit but all usual things have been checked so it was supposedly just behavioural as she canters fine on the lunge. ?

That's why I want to reword the title. The mare can't canter with a rider on board. But if funds aren't there to investigate, then I agree with TP, she should be turned away or worked only in hand until they are.
.

 

[scats]

I missed the original post but, as most of you know, Polly’s issues began as refusing to canter and disuniting behind when she did. I had a pro tell me to crack her one as she was being ‘naughty’.
It was SI issues and PSD.
OP, if you’re still there, please listen to your horse.