Striking off on the right lead

[Widgeon]

Apologies for the re-post, I put this in "New riders and owners" but it wasn't getting much traffic so I've re-posted here.

Since I came back to riding as an adult I seem to have lost some of my "feel" for it - basic things, like I can no longer feel when I'm on the "wrong" trot diagonal; instead I have to check down the outside shoulder as we strike off. This has worked fine for me for a couple of years now, but I've never got that "feel" for the diagonal back. It's frustrating and a bit puzzling but I can work around it.

My horse is stiffer on the right hand side*, so when I ask for a right hand canter he will sometimes go off on the wrong lead. This is usually down to my mediocre riding; when I've got him properly gathered up and going forwards, and ask with enough determination, we get the right lead. But sometimes we don't. The problem is, that I don't always feel that the lead is wrong. Sometimes I do, but not always. Other times I will think I'm on the wrong leg, but actually it's just a lumpy backwards canter and I need to push him on more. Obviously I need to resolve this, but given that I can't "feel" it yet (I sincerely hope I will get this back!) does anyone have any suggestions for what I ought to be looking for to indicate that I've got it wrong, in terms of where his legs are when, or any others ways of spotting what lead I'm on?

I hope that makes sense - would appreciate any suggestions no matter how daft they may sound.

*I should add, he is sound, I am absolutely sure of that. He has arthritis in that hock but at present he's been treated and isn't showing any of the symptoms that usually indicate it's not feeling 100%. So he isn't lame, he's just stiffer on one side, like me

 

[AFB]

Have you considered seeing anyone yourself?

My horse used to really struggle to strike off left (I used to have to ask on a 90 degree left turn to force it) but it was probably 90% my issues that were blocking it unknowingly.

 

[milliepops]

I'm a bit confused, how are you finding out that you are on the incorrect lead at the moment? is someone on the ground telling you?

In the same way that you can look at the shoulders to see the trot diagonal, you can do the same with canter, the inside fore will be further fowards on the correct lead.

 

[milliepops]

Have you considered seeing anyone yourself?

My horse used to really struggle to strike off left (I used to have to ask on a 90 degree left turn to force it) but it was probably 90% my issues that were blocking it unknowingly.

echo this, a crooked rider will definitely find it harder to get the correct lead

 

[wren123]

A little tip, not to be used long term, it's to turn the head slightly in the wrong direction as you ask for the canter, so ask for right lead and flex horses head very slightly to the left.
@milliepops i assume op is trying to feel they are on the correct leaf without looking down. I had the same when I went back to riding after a long break.

 

[milliepops]

@milliepops i assume op is trying to feel they are on the correct leaf without looking down. I had the same when I went back to riding after a long break.

it was the phrase asking what to be looking for, in terms of where his legs are, that made me think she was asking for visual cues

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I read it the same as MP .
One thing that may or may not be helpful is to make sure that you have enough impulsion in the trot for the canter transition. I had huge issues striking off on the wrong lead on the left rein, and I assumed that it was my dodgy hip - but it seems to have been 99% helped by me finding my balance in a stronger trot and then asking.

 

[Roxylola]

I'm terrible at diagonals, I'm good at hitting the right one naturally but I can only be certain with a quick visual check. I'm better at feeling canter leads but to be 100% I'll still glance down.
I can ride all sorts of fancy sideways stuff well enough though and jump a decent round. It just doesn't bother me enough to worry about it.
As for canter leads, to help get the right one don't try too hard, have the horse straight and forward - if the canter happens straight away when you ask you've got a far better chance than if they run and become unbalanced and make you unbalanced. I'd focus on lots of snappy transitions generally and lots of straightness work and probably leave the canter alone for a bit

 

[Widgeon]

Have you considered seeing anyone yourself?

My horse used to really struggle to strike off left (I used to have to ask on a 90 degree left turn to force it) but it was probably 90% my issues that were blocking it unknowingly.

I do agree that this may be contributing - I am wonky (although less so than I was) and I have a tendency to carry my left shoulder further forward than the right one. However this is usually more of a problem on the left rein as it means I'm leading with my inside shoulder. That said once Covid is over (!) I do need to have someone look at my back and shoulders and make sure I've not crept back into bad habits. Thanks - it's very much a fair point!

 

[Widgeon]

I'm a bit confused, how are you finding out that you are on the incorrect lead at the moment? is someone on the ground telling you?

In the same way that you can look at the shoulders to see the trot diagonal, you can do the same with canter, the inside fore will be further fowards on the correct lead.

Sorry, yes. My instructor tells me. This may be part of the problem - she tells me as soon as I've struck off and got it wrong, so I don't have more than a few strides to "feel" that it's off. Left to my own devices I'm not sure how long it would take me to realise. That said, I suspect that at least 70% of the time I'm getting it right on my own, because some days I can happily do a whole schooling session and have no issues. Other days it feels like an uphill battle. On those days I tend to forget about canter and focus on the trot, which is probably the right thing to do anyway.

 

[Widgeon]

A little tip, not to be used long term, it's to turn the head slightly in the wrong direction as you ask for the canter, so ask for right lead and flex horses head very slightly to the left.
@milliepops i assume op is trying to feel they are on the correct leaf without looking down. I had the same when I went back to riding after a long break.

Thank you - yes I'd forgotten about this, I'll make an extra effort to flex him slightly outwards until we've got the transition correct. I'm glad I'm not the only one - as I said I used to just know this kind of thing but I don't any more. It's quite frustrating.

 

[Widgeon]

As for canter leads, to help get the right one don't try too hard, have the horse straight and forward - if the canter happens straight away when you ask you've got a far better chance than if they run and become unbalanced and make you unbalanced. I'd focus on lots of snappy transitions generally and lots of straightness work and probably leave the canter alone for a bit

Yes this is definitely true - some days the canter goes to pot a bit because (for whatever reason) I just haven't got a good enough trot. On those days I tend to forget about canter and sort the trot out until we're going forwards better. It doesn't help that all our hacking is iced over or mud, so we've not got out much recently and my horse is quite firmly of the opinion that several sessions in the school in one week, without any jumps up, is boring. I don't blame him and I think this will improve come spring.

it was the phrase asking what to be looking for, in terms of where his legs are, that made me think she was asking for visual cues

Visual cues would be helpful to start with as they are the bluntest instrument (so to speak) - I know it's a bit of a crude way of doing things but I need to be getting it right so I can learn what "right" feels like. This is how I make sure I'm correct in trot. Two years on though and I still haven't developed much of a feel for it again - I still have to check. Mostly I'm right, but not always.

 

[wren123]

It is very frustrating @Widgeon, I got my husband to video me riding - I could have cried! I used to be quite a neat little rider, I looked like a round shouldered sack of potatoes!!

 

[milliepops]

I do agree that this may be contributing - I am wonky (although less so than I was) and I have a tendency to carry my left shoulder further forward than the right one. However this is usually more of a problem on the left rein as it means I'm leading with my inside shoulder. That said once Covid is over (!) I do need to have someone look at my back and shoulders and make sure I've not crept back into bad habits. Thanks - it's very much a fair point!

although turning your shoulders turned to the inside may not be a problem for right rein canter, you might find that you are compensating or collapsing elsewhere to keep your balance which may be confusing things, so it's definitely worth checking this out. i know covid makes it awkward because you can't get treated in person, but you could look into doing some equipilates online, I am doing some at the moment because my horse is off games so it is giving me something to do, and there's a lot of focus on symmetry and working to improve that, might be useful in the interim?

 

[milliepops]

Visual cues would be helpful to start with as they are the bluntest instrument (so to speak) - I know it's a bit of a crude way of doing things but I need to be getting it right so I can learn what "right" feels like. This is how I make sure I'm correct in trot. Two years on though and I still haven't developed much of a feel for it again - I still have to check. Mostly I'm right, but not always.

yeah, so looking at the shoulder would be the best way I think. but try not to look down as you make the transition, because that will tip you off balance, i would do your best to strike off correctly, have a little feel, then look. if you are correct, then you can try and feel what that is like. if it is wrong, I would canter on for a few strides more, and see if you can feel what makes it wrong before trying again. i think you're right, if someone tells you really quickly you never have to feel it for yourself.

 

[Widgeon]

yeah, so looking at the shoulder would be the best way I think. but try not to look down as you make the transition, because that will tip you off balance, i would do your best to strike off correctly, have a little feel, then look. if you are correct, then you can try and feel what that is like. if it is wrong, I would canter on for a few strides more, and see if you can feel what makes it wrong before trying again. i think you're right, if someone tells you really quickly you never have to feel it for yourself.

Thanks. Ok, so I'll stop feeling bad about getting it wrong and will give myself quarter of a circle or something like that to look down and see what's going on - and if I've got it right, the inside leg should be leading and coming slightly further forwards than the outside? Hopefully that will help.

 

[milliepops]

Thanks. Ok, so I'll stop feeling bad about getting it wrong and will give myself quarter of a circle or something like that to look down and see what's going on - and if I've got it right, the inside leg should be leading and coming slightly further forwards than the outside? Hopefully that will help.

yes that's correct. I think you have correctly identified that your RI telling you straight away is actually stopping you from thinking about what you are feeling for yourself. so having a bit of extra time will hopefully start re-training that bit, and you can look at the shoulder to check when you think you've made a decision

 

[LEC]

I wonder if you change it and think about the back end and how that should feel whether it would make it easier. I tend to think about the inside hind leg feel and don't even think about the front end.

 

[Widgeon]

I wonder if you change it and think about the back end and how that should feel whether it would make it easier. I tend to think about the inside hind leg feel and don't even think about the front end.

You're right that this would be a more accurate way of thinking about it, as the canter starts with the inside hind, but tbh at the moment I'm not sure I would feel it. My hope is that once I've cracked it using a fairly crude method (looking down at the front legs) I will have a lightbulb moment and start to feel what's going on at the back. As that is obviously a better way of doing it!