Some exercise to produce the 'perfect' canter,big long horse need help

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mickey17

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HELP ME!!! I have a big quite long 17hh ( and a bit ) warmblood, who has a huge ground covering stride but tends to get comments like frame to long etc in his dressage tests. Have pretty much sorted the trot ( on a good day his very compact in the body works from behind well and has learnt to step under really nicely and has had some good comments ) However since the trot has come better the canter has gone down hill. He can tend to rush into it sometimes and then become very long and strung out and a little hollow. I can get the transition perfect when the trot is top and his responsive to the leg however even then it is hard to keep the canter soft and back on his hocks. I f i can work out how to get a video on u tube ll pop a couple of examples on! Its not awful in the way his star gazing and bolting around its just not where we need to be! Desperate to get him going as the canter is what is holding us back from going affiliated now!! Any help, advice exercises would be great!
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I improved my mares canter by keeping on a 20m circle, cantering half way, then trotting half , then cantering half and kept doing that. It helped her find her balance and sit back onto her hocks more.
 
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Also try canter poles on the ground, either on straight lines or circles, both mounted and on the lunge, to keep the canter even, and contained. The poles also help the hind leg activity.
 
cool, def try poles as his much more uphil and collected when he thinks his going to jump! Am working on circles as you mentioned in first post already , hopefully persist and he will come good!
 
I’m working a lot on this on Bodey at the moment as we are trying to improve the canter so we can jump bigger. So I ditto the walk to canter, and also canter to walk. Canter for 10 strides then come back to walk for 3 or 4 strides and then back to canter for 10 strides.
Another good exercise is to come onto a 20m circle (staying in a lightened/half seat) and half halt with the outside rein, then go onto the long side and sit a bit deeper and push the canter to open it up, then come back onto the circle and lighten the seat and half halt with the outside rein, you should start to feel the horse come up in front of you (think rocking horse feeling), you know when you have got it as you will feel the horse really lift. I hope this helps!
 
I have this exact same problem, my only suggestion would be have you had his back done by someone 'decent'? I say this because for years I have had a McT lady come out to me to 'help' with my horses canter. After having a prper chiro out to her yeaterday it turns out the McT has only been hindering my horse not helping, and being quite dangerous whilst 'treating' her! It was a big shock so definately reccomend a chiro; as turned out my horse couldn't bring her left hind under correctly.
 
Dont get me started about mct back people!! Last year when i first brought mickey i had his back done as part of his MOT anyway the next day he was lame and the back lady kept saying nothing to do with me etc etc... £500 in vets bills and having her out further to check him no one knew what was wrong with him, i wa starting to panic only had him 5 minutes! Anyway tried another back lady and she explained a few things moved him the opposite way to the other one and wow he was sound straight away!! Costly lesson i tell you! He was done by this lady ( the good one!! ) about a month ago but have called her today to arrange for her to come and double check him, and saddler to!
 
I was so angry. I'd love to ring her and tell her what I think! Although no permanent damage has been done it could have been- the McT tried to 'pop' the right side of her pelvis back into place!!
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ETS: There was actually nothing wrong with the right side! Your poor boy- its so scary! Hope its all sorted now!
 
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