Struggling to achieve a quality canter

[SunshineTallulah]

Hi all,

My horse is now starting to work more consistently in trot, and tracking up and engaging his back end, thereby working into the bridle quite nicely with self carriage.

However, once we get into canter, it all goes out the window and it reverts back to a hollow canter, head in the air, nose poking, tension in the neck and over his back, evading by falling out through the shoulder on the circle. Going large round the school is also hard as I cannot keep his head and neck straight. His body is straight but not his neck/head.

Also its almost like he uses his front end in canter and not his his butt as the engine.

He has had his teeth, saddle and back checked, all OK!

I am starting him in a John Whitaker Training System, as recommended by the back lady to develop his top line.... hopefully in turn this will have a positive impact on his quality of work under saddle.

Any suggestions for exercises/tips?

 

[Lill]

Um i had this with Blue, the trot came but the canter still sucked. Now we have a fantastic canter but are losing the trot!

To help him get the canter, did mostly work in walk and trot building up the muscles he needed. Worked on really pushing him forwards in the canter (felt like 100mph at the time) and then trying to collect him a bit for half a circle before really pushing him on the the other half and so on.

Cantered small circles at each marker, to get him to bend properly through his body.

Cantered a few circles and then changed the rein over the diagonal in trot, leg yield the last bit and back into canter again.

Just kept working on the above really.... took a couple of months for canter to come good so don't lose hope!

 

[palomino_pony]

Lots of give and release of fingers on inside rein in canter on a 20 m circle with a fraction too much bend inside.
Working for us.