Schooling exercise for a horse that just wants to canter

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phpony

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Warming up in walk and trot my horse is very calm and collected and he moves in a nice outline. His first canter is the same, after this however, cantering is all he wants to do. After I've cantered him once whatever I'm asking him to do he'll just expect me to ask him to canter. I can just about make him trot but its with his head in the air constantly rushing to get back into canter. When I canter him he just tries to rush into a gallop. It's a shame because his walk, trot and first canter are so nice that we could do a good dressage test if he didn't have this bad habit.
Any tips or schooling exercise that will teach him that just because he's cantered once doesn't mean that's all he will be doing for the rest of the ride?

Its been going on since a got him so I'm pretty desperate now. I've got him I little more relaxed when trotting after by cantering the short side and trotting the long continuously but he seems to have that one sussed now.
 
I think 'bad habit' is the key here - its a habit probably because your schooling sessions are very samey and hes predicting. After that Id be looking at what cues you are giving him without noticing that is prompting the canter.
 
Do lots of sessions without ever cantering! You say his first one is good - then make that the only one and only do it once in a while. Rushing can be a real problem and be a symptom of discomfort - have you had his back and saddle and teeth checked out? Otherwise, do very few canters and when you have done one, do some 10m circles at trot - that will supple him and he will find it almost impossible to canter on a 10m circle. Then walk, more walk, and even more walk, until he understands your aids and learns to concentrate on you.
 
You don't say what you want to achieve from your schooling at the moment, but if he likes cantering then why not do the schooling work in canter? Work on his straightness and self carriage in the canter, if he knows some lateral work in walk then teach him it in canter, do lots of circles and serpentines in canter and maybe teach him flying changes. And then at the end when he's tired, do 5mins of trot work just to get him going nicely then call it a day.
 
sounds like a dresage horse in the making... use this make him work in the canter, faster and slower , sideways etc also teach him to canter on the spot - he'll soon be much more controlable once these things are acheived...
 
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