Running on after canter when schooling - help!

L

Lola43

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 June 2010
Messages
116
Visit site
I have a lovely, very forward going cob x (tb - we suspect!) mare, 15.1hh, 5 and a half. I have had her for a year and she is genuine, confident and mostly a pleasure to ride. However, she can get strong out hacking (when presented with a green, open space) and in the school. The hacking I'm not worried about, but in the school, I have a problem that I would appreciate some advice on how to tackle.

She is getting better and better in the walk and trot - on the bit, getting softer in the hand and responding to the leg. Initially, her trot was much too fast, on the forehand and forging and she used to motorbike round in the canter. However, the trot has slowed and steadied and in the canter her balance is much improved and much more rhythmic. However, whilst the canter itself is much more relaxed these days, when you ask for a downward transition from canter to trot she sticks her head in the air, all contact is lost and that relaxed demeanour is out of the window. This then sets the tone for the next 10 to 15 minutes until she has settled back to work again.

I hack her out in a ns universal with a turtle top mouthpiece and for schooling I either use that bit on the middle ring, or a ns loose ring turtle top snaffle. She can sometimes get too deep when cantering, so I am trying to use the snaffle more for schooling. She likes the turtle top and is much more inclined to mouth and accept it and there is less head in the air than there used to be with both the KK ultra and curved single jointed snaffle I have also tried her in. However, being a mild bit it doesn't give me much control when she throws her head in the air and says 'shan't'.

What I need are some exercises that can target this problem - any ideas?
 
"Not an Expert" Alert!

I wouldn't worry where her head was, I would make sure I had a consistant soft contact, maybe carrying my hands a little higher than usual so that the bit is in the corners. Then I would do a lot of transitions, us circling or pointing at the fence if you need to slow her down and if she starts motorbiking just raise your inside hand a bit. Keep your hands as still as you possibly can, but don't loose hope, it will come :)
 
Ha, ha - I know what you mean. So many people are experts and happy to criticise rather than be constructive!

Thanks for the comments, will take on board. However, the times I have tried asking for lots of transitions it seems to wind her up tremendously and then I have to change the subject completely!
 
Hmmm, fair enough, what else have you tried?

What does she do with poles on the ground? Do they wind her up!? Canter poles? They soon get the idea that they have to start concentrating where their tootsies are :)
 
She is OK with trotting poles - I only had to get off once today to realign them after she kicked one out of place! However, the couple of times I have tried canter poles she has rushed over them, tried to jump them, and then just kicked them all over the place. Couldn't call it a tremendous success!
 
Sounds like a weakness thing to me - as you say the other paces are better and more balanced, the canter usually does take a lot longer. Use your hands a little less and your seat a bit more, because it sounds as though she can't help falling onto her forehand and then jabs herself in the mouth from your contact. Do lots of canter departs, they really help with balance and don't do too many strides before you come back to trot. One instructor I know makes them do 5's and 5's (5 trot 5 canter 5 trot 5 canter) or if they can't manage that, 10s and 10s. It will come but not straight away.
 
I would also echo the weakness thing. Try to slow everything down slow walk slow trot slow canter . Allow her to find her balance. the same will apply throughout her training . Its the same with jumping ,(and the bane of my life) Start slow ,you can always extend but you cant shorten without risking throwing them on their forehand. Rush them and they learn to flatten .
 
Thanks - I have been googling this today and am thinking my seat and too much hand might be part of the problem. I have tried the 5 and 5 (and longer distances) - she got quite agitated by that whole concept, but maybe that's because I need to think about how I'm asking her to downward transition.

I can feel some lessons coming on .....
 
How is she on the lunge? Does she respond to voice commands to transition down?

If this were my horse, I'd be riding her on a loose rein in the school at all times and then just doing a little work in walk and trot where she is balanced with consistent contact. Also, echo the transitions suggestion - if she is annoyed by transitions between gaits, why not do them within? Set up some trot poles at varying distances to help you and then work on lengthening and shortening her stride in both walk and trot... And then in canter don't bother with the poles but try to do one lap lengthened, one shortened. Doesn't need to be a huge difference - just enough that you feel it - and try to achieve it with your seat rather than your rein (I would honestly try on a loose rein even if you think she'll rush and just persist until she does what you want - then all pressure off and let her do what she likes). It might mean you go scampering around the school "out of control" and messy a few times but once she understand the seat aid, particularly if you also have a voice aid to couple it with, you can then reintroduce the reins very gently and make life less unbalanced for her...
 
We have this issue, I think it's a balance thing and it will come with time. We've definitely improved over time. Things that have helped me include engaging and using my core, really sitting up and keeping the shoulders back and hands soft in the downward transition.

My horse gets really stressy doing lots of transitions so we don't tend to do that despite every book saying is what you should do! I found keeping the canter slow helped, also if the trot is really fast after the canter then walk for a few strides to regain some balance and control before picking up the trot again. One exercise I have done that helped mine is walk shoulder in followed by turn on the haunches into walk to canter round the short side, straight back to walk and either straight back into shoulder in or walk a 10m circle and then into shoulder in, repeat, I find it keeps things quite slow and controlled.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions (which I will give a try), and good to know I'm not the only one. I think it might be a combination of bad communication (on my part) and genuine excitement, because even when I bring things back to walk after canter, she's very 'distracted'. I have tried the turn on the haunches to canter, which has helped with the canter itself, but I have to be careful how many times I do it as after the first one she's already anticipating the next!

I think you have underlined what I was thinking myself - I need to work on my seat aids and loosen off the rein. I will just have to make sure there minimal witnesses to the ensuing 'scampering round the school out of control'!!!!

Anyway, I agree, I should give it more time. She was very weak when I got her and although she has made tremendous progress in one year, she's young yet.

Thanks for all your help.

She honestly has the best attitude of any horse I have owned (or ridden probably) so I want to get it right!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top