schooling a youngster

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sitting_pretty

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Hi all
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I have a 4 year old AES gelding that i broke in the summer, and after a few months out in the field i've been starting to school him properly just recently. He does a nice walk and trot, but his canter needs a bit more work. At the moment i'm spending most of the time doing basic movements in the school, his transitions and halts are pretty good. I'm taking more of a contact now too and he's starting to come into a nice outline with a few half halts and a bit of leg.

However i'm not really sure where to go from here? He's bred from showjumping lines (that is what i intend to do with him) and i've done a bit of pole work with him but not jumped, when will be the right time to move onto jumps? I feel that the best way to establish is canter is to let him have a canter out on a hack or in a field to be able to let him get his balance, but our yard doesn't really have the facilities for it
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Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
 
To be honest, if it were me, I would get his paces good first before jumping him. I would get a good solid trot and canter, not one where he is unbalanced etc. It might help him get balanced if you can canter him in large cirlces (sort of arena size or bigger) first, then gradually make it smaller as he gets more balanced and learns where to put his legs. I think it'll just take some time to get him balanced and coodinated, but I would definately get his paces strong before jumping, though I would continue with trotting poles to strengthen him, and get him used to the poles.

Or, as above, you could trot into the jumps, then canter out of them, which may also improve the canter.

Hope this makes sense and helps
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I think he would be fine to start jumping and I find that basic gridwork, poles etc establishes and improves the canter.
 
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If he is balanced enough in trot and over poles then I'd start jumping and use the jump to develop the canter

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Agree with this
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you canw ait forever for the canter to be perfect so i would get on with jumping and use it to improve the canter.

there are lots of jumping exercises that will improve the canter far better and faster than drilling away on the flat.
 
Perfect canter sounds like a long way off, if we are talking about him needing to be out hacking in canter. I would find somewhere maybe take him on a farm ride or to the gallops, this is what we are doing with my boy - he finds the arena too small to start learning canter and the bigger the horse the more difficult it is. I certainly wouldnt be jumping him before he could do a balanced canter but then thats just my opinion. We have found some local gallops that hirer out per horse, it makes a lovely day out for a bit of fun for both horse and rider
 
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