Schooling exercises for canter (possibly long...)

[Ginge Crosby]

Hullo, just some suggestions for the above needed really. Some background......

I bought my boy in the summer of 2009; he's seven and he came from a horseball/polo background, and hadn't done much in the way of flatwork or dressage. I've been slowly schooling him, and we're competing at prelim dressage. Last summer we had a few lessons with a local dressage rider, and his trot was coming on quite nicely. Then, winter hit, and the yard was completely isolated, no riding at all for about 8-9 weeks between November and January.... anyway, i'm now starting to bring him back into work; he seems to have remembered alot of what we'd started in summer, and now i'm looking to work more on his canter. As money's tight, I wont be able to afford lessons for a while, so looking for inspiration from other sources!

Here is a video of us at the end of last summer, doing one of the exercises our instructor had started with us. basically, we ride a 20m circle in the middle of the school, in the half going away from camera is his 'normal' canter, then going towards camera pushing a more forward canter, before collecting for the other half. Video is fairly long and boring, but gives an idea of his usual canter. His canter currently doesnt feel balanced; he tends to go disunited/reunited occasionally. Whilst out on hacks, however, he has a lovely canter which i just cant seem to recreate in the school! His back, saddle and teeth have all been checked out recently.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRAB-yezDLw

So what we're aiming for is a balanced canter, in a nice outline, which is pleasing to watch (and ride!), and would like suggestions for exercises which can encourage this.

Please dont be too critical of my riding - constructive criticism is welcome, but the aim of this thread is to get suggestions for canter exercises and not rip my riding ability

 

[Kenzo]

If he doesn't feel balanced in canter but feels much better when cantering out (more on the straight I presume you mean) then he will find it more difficult cantering in the school specially working on 20m circles, yes work on them but remember not to make things more difficult than they need to be.

I'd personally be doing plenty transitions but obviously not too many times to start with (trot to canter, back to trot etc) and working larger, 20m circles will be difficult for your horse if he's unbalanced in the school, so your not really making it any easier if your going round and round without coming back to walk and picking up again for a good trot.

Pushing on for a faster canter pace on a 20m circle (of half if that is what you were doing), I'd only do this on the outside track once to start with once the horse is blanced in working canter but is a definate no no if the horse drops onto the forehand on the outside track (which they can do) otherwise your not teaching your horse anything, he has to be light both on his legs and in your hands, as well as balanced.

 

[Booboos]

Just to add if he was out of work till January for 8-9 weeks, he really needs at least 4 weeks hacking in walk, then 4 weeks hacking with periods of trotting, and then he will be strong enough to be able to do more schooling. If he is weak in his back he will find it that much more difficult to balance himself and help you out and will get into bad habits in terms of his schooling.

He looks very nice on the vid, lovely horse, but try to avoid straight lines and staying too long in one page. Do loads and loads more of transitions between all paces, loads of circles of different sizes (as soon as he loses balance on the straight take him on a circle, try to keep him shoulder for in canter on straight lines), decreasing and increasing the circle with a few strides of leg yielding, and varying withing the pace like you did with your instructor.