retraining my ex racer

Amy567

Amy567

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So, I have an ex hurdler, who I want to turn into a show jumper that does a bit of everything else too. So far he's doing so well! We're much more balanced in all three paces with a little.more balanve to come in the canter and he's stopped hanging on the bit so much.

My dilemma is getting him to use his back end more efficiently and in canter, at all haha. I know how to make my experienced mare use herself and work properly and I know how to teach a horse to do it from scratch. However, being an ex racer, he's been taught to go long rather than collect and use himself, so I'm trying to teach him a completely different way of going. He goes round in an outline (he's been taught to look pretty with his head, not use his entire body) we're getting there in walk and trot, but canter is still very long.

What exercises would everyone recommend for me to do to get him to keep his haunches underneath him in the canter?
 
Loads of pole work! Poles on the diagonal in a figure of eight, cantering over the poles then balancing for the next set, also pole,pole,bounce jumps, then two other poles, works a treat !
 
As long as you feel safe to do so, small half/full circles in canter with lots of canter-trot-canter and if possible canter-walk-canter transitions. Also, in any gait, riding a proper square with 15m sides and 90' corners! Make sure you use outside rein though! This doesn't necessarily help with bend until they become more established but does get their hocks under them and use their hind end better. Is your horse properly off the leg? If he sort of collapses back to trot when you ask him to shorten you need to have the leg on firmly/quiet flick with the schooling whip if he'll let you to create more energy. It has taken my ex racer about a year to gain a 'proper canter' but these exercises (which were fairly experimental as we don't have lessons but logical to me!!) seemed to be the most effective. In addition to the shortening/lengthening between poles as mentioned by A&M which is very effective too :) Good luck!
 
All sounds good advice :) I don't really jump mine but he has (after two years of hard graft haha) a lovely canter.

He should find it easier as he builds up more of a topline so lots of hill work!
 
Thank you all :) I think I'll give everything a go and see what works for him :)

Regards to kicking him on when trying to shorten, he just runs on a bit more. He improves every time I ride him and learns so quickly. We've gone from completely unbalanced, running off and running along keeping himself up via my reins, to being 100 times more balanced and holding himself up in just 6 weeks (having massive breaks between being ridden due to lameness too!) he had a month off and we picked up where we left off. I do leg yeild, shoulder in and quarters in to get him to use himself in walk trot transitions. And we've started attempting walk to canter transition - so far we've had 3 strides of trot before canter. Lots to improve on, but already improved so much :)
 
Lateral work is really the best thing for bringing the hid leg under & creating the push. Try leg yield from the 3/4 line to the track, he will naturally want to be on the track, remember hands and eyes to the direction of travel. Also make a 15m circle slightly smaller then leg yield back onto a bigger circle. Start in walk and trot and up to canter once he's better balanced and understands the sideways buttons.
 
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