Right canter lead problems

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stephanie94

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Hi!
So a long story short my horse ( 9yr old 15.1 ISH) has had vet (anti inflam for 1 week for sore back), back and saddle adjusted within the last month due to a bucking problem (dentist due end of march). Osteopath found that he was holding his spine twisted from the right hind leg up to his head where he must of slipped some time ago. This would explain his less than enthusiastic response to cantering on the right rein as it was causing him pain to step under from his right hind.

I'm however now still struggling to get him cantering on the right now he has had his back fixed and no longer in pain. I think he still remembers the pain! His problem is he gets hold of the of the bit and cocks his head ever so slightly to the outside and then when I ask for inside bend with leg and a little hand hand he won't listen and runs off into the left canter lead....

The route I am going down at the moment is to improve his trot first and get him bending around my inside leg, not running through the outside shoulder and not anticipating the canter. I am just focusing on canter on the lunge with the use of the equi ami to help his balance, he gets the lead every time on the lunge its only ridden that he has this problem. I have tried a pole in the corner of the school which works occasionally, but as he still has a problem of anticipating the canter and so it doesn't really work for him.

I would love to read some opinions if anyone has had the same issue as me and if they would suggest anything else I'm not already doing! thank you x
 
As it seems to be a long standing issue it will take time for him to get over it, I would expect him to require several treatments to correct such a serious issue and need a fairly extensive rehab/ exercise plan before he will be ready to carry you in canter on the right rein, the fact he can do it on the lunge does not mean it will be easy when your weight is on him so take it slowly, build up his muscles in other ways and come back to right canter in a few weeks time.
I would be hacking as much as possible, doing polework as well as normal strengthening and straightening exercises in the school aiming to develop his topline as well as the weaker hind leg, he will not be "fixed" fully for some time as it takes months to build up the muscle he has not yet developed because he has not been using himself properly.
 
I haven't had it due to a physical problem, but have a horse who was very weak behind and especially struggled with right canter. Struggled to strike off right, and even when we got it would disunite behind after a few strides.

You can do plenty of work in walk and trot to build up the correct muscles before expecting too much of him in canter. Encouraging him to carry himself correctly and move forwards in a straight and balanced manner, as well as working on softness and flexion. Polework is great, especially if you can try some raised poles to encourage him to really pick up his legs a bit, you could do this on the ground/lunge and/or ridden. Hillwork out hacking will encourage him to use himself a bit more, especially if you actively try and make sure he's "pushing" rather than "pulling" himself uphill. Would it help to try and ask him for the canter somewhere other than the school? Where he might be a bit more naturally forward and not anticipating the pain? For example, mine would pick up canter much more easily out hacking to begin with as he wanted to go forwards more, so when I first started schooling the canter I did it in a big field, just asking for a few good strides and then back to trot to rebalance.

Good luck! :)
 
That's great thank you! My hacking isn't brilliant at this time of year as the field are very wet and mostly flat farmers fields! but hopefully planning to take him off the property soon so I'll find somewhere with hills, I can do plenty of pole work in the mean time! He did used to strike off on the correct leads on both sides when I hacked in the past so there is hope with that! :)
 
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