Teaching a horse to canter under saddle

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Annette4

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How!!

normally I'd make sure it's established on the lunge so they know the voice command, then go out with another sensible horse....they canter and hope pony follows suit when told 'canter' and go from there.....establish it on a hack on a slightly up hill straight strech and once it's established start to teach it in the school (once walk and trot are balanced enough) unless you've got a pony like Herbs who just carrys on bimbling along at his own pace while everyone else canters off
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Spirit doesn't lunge (not scared of the lunge whip and a real people pony so just walks in at you) and theres no one to hack with. Tried to canter today and just got some bucks and back to a fast trot (tried once in the school to see if she knew what I was asking and just got a buck and some disunited steps). I can't think of any other way. I'm on my own so can't even get someone to help me teach her to lunge and again no hacking partner means no one to follow
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The bucks aren't big or nasty....very easy to sit and just make me giggle
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but they might unseat R and I don't want to teach her to buck either.....

Any ideas?
 
i'd try over a pole on the ground or a very small x pole, most horses land in canter. lots of praise, try to keep it going with your legs, if he goes back to trot then rebalance calmly and try again. i'd say "can-ter" as he jumps the pole so the horse gets the idea of what the command means.
if you're doing it in the school, i'd start with the pole just as you come out of the corner before the long side, so the horse has a nice easy straight bit before a corner. once he's got the hang of it, and you are being more specific about which leg to lead on, i'd prob put the pole just before the first corner of the short side (if you still need the pole then!) so he has to negotiate 2 corners straight away... most horses go on the correct lead then.
very best of luck, hope that helps.
 
Ooo thank you hadn't thought of that....will try it once she's a bit more balanced in the school (still not 100% and we're having napping problems).

She's 13yo but from what I know and from what I can tell riding her she had foals from 2yo until 9yo and hasn't done much/any schooling before I started riding her. I'm keeping schooling sessions short so she has time to digest things and she's not very fit either at the moment which doesn't help. Going to focus on getting her fitter and more used to the school and balanced I think then worry about canter. She's a hefty girl so theres a lot of her to sort out. She's where I'd expect a 4yo to be ridden wise but because she's that much older she is taking everything very much in her stride and picking things up quickly which is an advantage.
 
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