PLEASE can anyone help?

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parsley

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I can't get Bomber to canter on the right leg on the right hand rein. We have been practising cantering in the school and have managed to go from not being able to canter without ricocheting off the walls to being able to canter a 20M circle so we are making progress! However, when I try to canter him on the right rein it takes a lot of trys to get him on the right leg. His back was checked a while ago and he seems to do it quite naturally when we go for a canter over the fields
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I have tried flexing with the left rein and then with the right just before strike off
leaving him to it
striking off on a corner or circle
striking off on the straight
doing faster trot into canter
doing slower trot into canter

We are doing our first dressage test at the end of the month
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try striking off over a placing pole, which is angled on the corner?
If this works, get him used to you having your outside leg right back when you make the transition, hopefully when you take the pole away he'll remember to strike off on the correct lead!
Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't, its worth a shot!!
 
Could be a lot of causes - don't suppose you cd get a short video to show us...
but are you sitting crooked? is his bend correct? is the trot sufficiently balanced? will he canter from a voice aid (I lunge mine and teach them voice commands; might help if your aids are inconsistent?). If he will canter right on a hack it points to aids or bend or crookedness from one or both of you....(IMHO) perhaps ask an instructor for their view...good luck
 
I am fairly sure its me that is causing it - I could be sitting a bit crooked. He does strike off from the voice and we do absolutly fine striking off on the left rein - right every time
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I had a lesson on Sat and he got it after the second time - tonight it took a lot more attempts. Hopefully I can get another lesson this week. Sadly our camera doesn't take good videos.
 
I have a big ISH mare who does this on the left rein, I've found putting a jump pole just before the corner and asking the horse to pick up canter as you go over it works a treat
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Have you tried doing walk to canter. When my mare was younger and less balanced it was much easier to get the correct lead when I did walk/canter.
 
My instructor has suggested lunging him in canter. I was going to try this tommorow. He is 9 years old but seems to have been constantly ill and injured since last June so he is out of condition.
 
Someone else has said this to me - we do do leg yielding so I will have a go - this might be a bit easier to do in the middle of a test if I really have to
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As you ask for canter, look to the outside, this shifts your weight to the outside seatbone, freeing his inside hind to allow him to strike off. I find this combined with leg yield usually gets correct leg. The poles are useful too, but more of an early step.

Just worked this through logically with canter sequence and it shouldn't work, but it does! My explaination may be backwards, it is early!
 
My instructor would always say cantering off on wrong leg is rider error!
My old horse would do it if I wasnt sitting perfectly straight and giving correct aids.
I echo check position and also make sure you are giving the aids in a very clear and concise manner!
I know with my youngster now if I go off on wrong leg I check the above and next time he canters correctly,

Good luck, I think they like to try us!

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The best way is to put him on a circle, and be looking half the circle ahead of you when you ask for canter.This alignes your body for the right leg. Also make sure you are keeping upright, and not tipping forward on the transition.
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The trick I find very useful for this problem is to ask for canter whilst increasing the size of a circle.

For instance trot a 10m circle and reduce the size by gently spiriling in - then as you ask the horse to increase the size of the circle again sit and push in to canter - works every time!!
 
I suppose that this corresponds to the idea of leg yielding on the corner - we practice this by spiraling in and leg yielding out.
 
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I suppose that this corresponds to the idea of leg yielding on the corner - we practice this by spiraling in and leg yielding out.

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Yes exactly. It's a really useful exercise.
 
How about allowing him to stay flexed to the left until he's actually cantering? Was the only way to get Napoleon on the correct leg until he was stronger. BOF says it's because sometimes horses find it easier to step under if flexed to the outside. One of his horses absolutely WILL not flex to the left in canter (although he's getting better)
 
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