Schooling exercises to help my 4yr old become more balanced in canter

Polos

Polos

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My 4yr old's flatwork is really coming along, he is a lot more consistent in his paces/speed and is learning to really stretch into the contact, he is also beginning to build up a topline. However he still has a really weak back end so I am hoping just working on the consistency will help to strengthen this (I know raised poles are also good but he is absolutely petrified of poles so they are kind of out of the question for now, we have been working for 6 months with a bsja accredited coach on getting him to realise that they aren't all that bad, at the moment we struggle to get over one without getting upset so I don't think polework will be a good idea just yet)

Anyway, his walk and trot are really coming along nicely, however the big issue is still the canter. He has a very very uphill canter (almost to the point of cantering on the spot) and I sometimes struggle to get him moving forwards instead of 'up'. The left rein is his worse rein, he falls out quite a bit and generally feels very unbalanced in the canter. I know the canter will only improve if I keep working on it so I was wondering if anyone knew any good exercises I could work on to help get him more balanced. My next lesson isn't for another 2 weeks so I would like it if people could give me some ideas to help him.

Thankyou
 
Lunge work! Ideally just in elasticated side reins, work on sending him forwards rather than letting him sit like a rocking horse. Changing the size of the circle as he is cantering works well with my boy to help him find his balance and work forwards.
 
He quite enjoys lunging actually so I think that might work well! I haven't lunged with side reins for a while so I might see if I can have someone who knows what they are doing to be with me for the first few times.
 
Can you hack out? Find somewhere with a slight incline if you can and have a canter up there and push him on - the incline will help him keep in balance and feel balanced so hopefully he will eat up a bit more ground
 
If he were mine, I would be doing as much hacking as possible with canter work and in the school, I would not do any circle work for a while. I would stay large and really push for a big canter along the long sides, back to short canter for the short sides. Make it fun, not work and do this for a good while. If he doesn't like poles, making him canter over them or bringing them in with canter may make him resent cantering for now. Instead, do what you can to make cantering his downtime bit of fun...the easy part of his sessions. No asking for a frame or contact as suck, just let him enjoy it for a while to get him forward.

Hope that helps. When he is more forward work on transitions such as:-

Walk, trot three strides, canter five strides, trot three strides, walk three strides. This helps a horse to learn that to make the transitions easier, it is better to stay together and be balanced. When they have done it a few times, they know they will be transitioning down to trot again very soon, so stay with you in the canter and balance themselves in anticipation of the transition that they know is coming.

When they understand this...and it won't take long...you can start to increase the canter time.
 
Hill work. And I'd stick to canter in straight lines, preferably on hacks where he has time to find his own balance. Unless you have a huge arena, I also prefer introducing bend in canter out hacking or in a field, once they are balanced in straight lines. Round a slight bend in a track or a wide corner in a field requires less bend, & gives a bigger time frame for them to sort themselves out. In an arena a 20m circle or corner its easier for a 4yr old to drop back to trot or motorbike round. Whereas given more space & a canter that's good in a straight line, they generally shorten the stride & balance themselves round a shallow corner.
With the poles, if the issue is the actual pole just being there, have you tried just having them around as part of daily life? Eg so he has to walk over one into his stable at feed time, or trotting over one in hand on the way to the field each day?
 
Littlelegs said:
Hill work. And I'd stick to canter in straight lines, preferably on hacks where he has time to find his own balance. Unless you have a huge arena, I also prefer introducing bend in canter out hacking or in a field, once they are balanced in straight lines. Round a slight bend in a track or a wide corner in a field requires less bend, & gives a bigger time frame for them to sort themselves out. In an arena a 20m circle or corner its easier for a 4yr old to drop back to trot or motorbike round. Whereas given more space & a canter that's good in a straight line, they generally shorten the stride & balance themselves round a shallow corner.
With the poles, if the issue is the actual pole just being there, have you tried just having them around as part of daily life? Eg so he has to walk over one into his stable at feed time, or trotting over one in hand on the way to the field each day?
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Thank you for your replies everyone. I hadn't thought of hacking, I will look up some suitable routes with places I can canter.

Regarding the poles they are very much a part of his daily life. He has to walk over one going to and coming from the field every day and a lot of our groundwork is done involving poles. I think it is just a case of continuing with all this and accepting that they aren't that bad!
 
Polos said:
Thank you for your replies everyone. I hadn't thought of hacking, I will look up some suitable routes with places I can canter.

Regarding the poles they are very much a part of his daily life. He has to walk over one going to and coming from the field every day and a lot of our groundwork is done involving poles. I think it is just a case of continuing with all this and accepting that they aren't that bad!
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If he isn't hacking at all...he could be getting school sour...basically bored and uninspired, so they can then get quite backwards thinking.

I'm sure it will help enormously.
 
_GG_ said:
If he isn't hacking at all...he could be getting school sour...basically bored and uninspired, so they can then get quite backwards thinking.

I'm sure it will help enormously.
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I hack him a fair bit but only in walk, He's not going sour as he is very forward going, responsive and willing to please in the school. He just struggles with the canter. I do try and mix things up as I know how important it is but it can be difficult at times due to the large amounts of work I get from A-levels meaning I don't get to ride as often as I like.
 
Ditto gg, I would treat hacks as schooling sessions. Not just for the balance/canter issue, but because hills are fab for muscle & getting their back end under them. I'm also a firm believer in that a horse that can produce good work on a hack anywhere with all manner of distractions, rather than just a familiar arena, has much less trouble concentrating & working well at comps etc.
 
I fiind the following exercises really help. Turn on the forehand then straight to canter (or asap), it gets them sitting back on their hocks for strikeoff,, then don't canter too far, maybe just a circle, back to walk then do it the other way.
On a 20 m circle ask for canter, then just canter half the circle, trot half and canter half. Keep doing the trot half/canter half until settled, they will start to anticipate but it does balance them.
 
Polos said:
Thank you for your replies everyone. I hadn't thought of hacking, I will look up some suitable routes with places I can canter.
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Amen to that.

This is a general moan, not just to OP but I find it really hard to swallow that most people riding youngsters these days think it is totally the norm to be in a school for the majority of time with young babies such as these when it is common knowledge that they learn to balance themselves (with a rider which is so hard for them to learn no matter how well balanced they go on the lunge) so much better when out hacking in straight lines over different terrain; it teaches them so much without the pressure.
You also have to take into account that he probably hasn't finished growing so will be up and down which places huge strain on their limbs and frame; it also takes up a lot of their energy which makes hard work even more difficult for their limbs and brains which is why it's such a good thing to do regular hacking with them; it gives them work but with a bit of relaxation thrown in; all work makes Jack a very dull boy applies to horses as well as children.
 
I wish someone would tell that to my 'youngster' who is 7 but a late starter. Hacking is damn right dangerous with him. I keep trying, in company by himself etc etc. Over christmas he jumped in front of a lorry. Not fun!
 
Maesfen said:
Amen to that.

This is a general moan, not just to OP but I find it really hard to swallow that most people riding youngsters these days think it is totally the norm to be in a school for the majority of time with young babies such as these when it is common knowledge that they learn to balance themselves (with a rider which is so hard for them to learn no matter how well balanced they go on the lunge) so much better when out hacking in straight lines over different terrain; it teaches them so much without the pressure.
You also have to take into account that he probably hasn't finished growing so will be up and down which places huge strain on their limbs and frame; it also takes up a lot of their energy which makes hard work even more difficult for their limbs and brains which is why it's such a good thing to do regular hacking with them; it gives them work but with a bit of relaxation thrown in; all work makes Jack a very dull boy applies to horses as well as children.
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I am in complete agreement. Going round in circles and working within a school will do more harm than good IMO both short and long term. Get him out and let him experience the big wide world. Schooling is so much more fun without boundaries and yes hill work will soon build his muscle. He is still a baby so please don't rush him and enjoy him as he is today, not impatient for what he may become.:)
 
I wouldn't really be doing anything to improve the canter for a year yet. If you start doing much (like lunging) there is a real chance of shortening the canter and losing your natural jump. I would do as others have suggested and really focus on forward and big canters especially on hacks, minimal work on canter in a school till horse has some muscle and can support himself a bit. Mine has just discovered his fantastic canter & I had a new trainer go WOW at it, at the weekend, and he just this Winter started working in a frame in canter & he is 7 this time.
That isn't practical for most people I know but it really is worth holding off doing too much to canter (as with walk) till they are stronger.
 
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