Teaching an old (ish) horse new tricks!

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Sophie123

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Just after a bit of advice on what I can do to get my lovely (if not stubborn!) horse to strike off on the correct leg in canter.

When schooling said horse in menage he will go of the correct lead on the left hand rein but on the right hand rein he will not, and i mean will not, strike off on the correct lead.

It is so frustrating as I have been having lessons and untill we can sort this out, we cant really do much else (or at leat that is what it feels like). Even with a pole on the floor and asking for canter when going over the pole, still no joy!

Has anyone had a similar problem, or know of any exercises to do to try and correct this.

Instructor, who is fab, agrees that he has been left incorrected in doing this (with previous owners) for so long he now doesnt know what I am asking from him and is genuinely doing what he thinks i am asking of him (horse is 16).

After warming up last night, I tried without success to get him to go of the correct leg but after 20 mins of failing, we had both had enough!

Please help!?
 
I'd suggest you get all the usual checks done and a vet MOT to make sure its not an underlying issue. I know of a horse who wouldn't strike correctly and turned out to have spavin in his hock.

We also had an older horse at the RS who when he came wouldn't strike correctly on the left leg, purely a balance issue, he'd throw his weight onto the lef shoulder and fall out through the right, freeing up the right leg to strike onto. So instead of the usual thing of bending to the left to get the left lead, we actually kept him straight to keep the weight off his left shoulder and keep his right shoulder in. Then as we asked we laid a crop down his right shoulder and a contact on the right rein with plenty of left leg on right leg back. After a few weeks of being schooled like this, he learnt and now strikes correctly whoevers asking him.

Does this sound familiar at all? If not, sorry to ramble :D xx
 
I think maybe having them checked out by an osteopath could help - there would be a restrictiveness in them somewhere where they dont feel comfortable cantering on that side - plus they can give you a load of stretches to do which can really help!

Sometimes they need to be physically shown they can do something before realising they can!! So plenty of ground stretches can help & lunging aswell could also help! Will he canter on the correct leg on the lunge?

Good luck :)
 
Well, in the lessons we have been having, we have been focusing on bending correctly and making sure he isnt leaning on me (using the crop on neck technique). Our instructor is sure that this is just something that he does as he has been left to his own devises and has never had it corrected!

It is very frustrating as he tries really hard in other areas and picks things up very quickly.

When i first got him we had issues with him working correctly from behind and not accepting contact from the rider. I have slowly worked on this and now i can get him working nicely from behind and he will accept contact nicely and hold himself well. (mind you if anyone else gets on him and expects him to take contact immediatley, he has something to say about it and quickly walks backwards untill they release! Although, he doesnt do this with me)!

I will continue trying with the pole on the ground. Over the course of about 5 lessons, we have managed to get him on the correct lead once :s

Thanks you for your reply.

Anymore suggestions!?
 
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