Teaching older horse to canter on correct lead…

[spotty_pony]

So my new(ish) mare is 15 this year and hasn’t done a lot of schooling in her life. She has come on in leaps and bounds and the walk and trot work although a little rough round the edges, the basics are established. I introduced canter in my schooling session today (have cantered her lots out hacking) and we can get right canter lead but not the left. That is her stiffer rein in all paces and I have to work on keeping her bending round my inside leg to the left. The right canter is a little wobbly but quite balanced. I am wondering if she is going to be easy or too established and set in her ways to teach left canter? I am happy to put in the work just not sure if I’m fighting a losing battle at her age? I did all the usual asking in the corners but didn’t manage to get it today. She can get quite worked up if upset so I didn’t make an issue of it.

Asking for it on the lunge is a no-no as she has only just got used to lungeing and I did try once and it frightened the life out of her and she took off in a straight line. I have introduced pole work in walk and trot so am thinking I may put a pole in a corner and ask over that. I’m also going to try out hacking and if she gets it, keep it going so she starts to build up the muscle and find it easier.

She’s a joy to work with, any tips much appreciated. I’m proud of how far she has come these past four months.

Was going to upload a photo but it keeps telling me it’s too large!

 

[Flowerofthefen]

She sounds lovely!! What worked for me, getting left canter , was leg yield first. So come down the 1/4 line on left rein, 3 to 4 strides of leg yield to the track, then ask for canter.

 

[SEL]

I used to use the incorrect bend to get a little Arab I had for a while to strike off on the correct lead. My instructor at the time got me to give it a go

Providing there's nothing wrong with the right hind preventing her striking off then bend her to the right as you ask. My only caution is that the little Arab got the correct lead but then took off like a bomb because it was obviously an odd way of using his legs & muscles.

 

[blitznbobs]

Can you get both leads out hacking?

 

[Skib]

I got the left lead on my old favourite out hacking only when my wise RI (at another yard) suggested I asked for canter on the straight, with no bend. The only other way I managed it was by cantering a figure of 8 in a meadow in summer.

 

[stormox]

Put a little x pole in the corner, trot round and ask for canter over the poles. They usually land on correct lead then.

 

[Skib]

My old favourite was not ridden in the school so corners and poles didnt arise. I am ashamed to say I dont know which lead I am on a without an RI or escort to tell me, so as I hack on my own (I mean horse and me) I am not sure which lead I canter on these days. But I assume it is the right lead. I will set myself the challenge of looking when I ride this week,

 

[spotty_pony]

Can you get both leads out hacking?

Haven’t really checked before but I’m pretty sure I have got her on the left lead before out hacking (not on purpose though, she has just gone onto it)

 

[spotty_pony]

My old favourite was not ridden in the school so corners and poles didnt arise. I am ashamed to say I dont know which lead I am on a without an RI or escort to tell me, so as I hack on my own (I mean horse and me) I am not sure which lead I canter on these days. But I assume it is the right lead. I will set myself the challenge of looking when I ride this week,

Glance down the shoulder once in canter and see which leg is going more forwards than the other, that’s the way to tell what lead you are on.

 

[spotty_pony]

Put a little x pole in the corner, trot round and ask for canter over the poles. They usually land on correct lead then.

She’s never jumped before we’ve only got as far as poles so far…

 

[Maddie Moo]

Assuming there isn’t a physical reason why she can’t canter on that leg, could you have a schooling whip in your outside hand and give a gentle flick at the same time when you apply your leg to help cue her to strike off on that lead?

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

Get her checked over and get a saddle check as well.

Mine has always struggled to get the correct canter lead: both vet & physio was here this week (yep an expensive week!) and it turns out there IS a physical issue.

I'd always check this first.

 

[Skib]

Glance down the shoulder once in canter and see which leg is going more forwards than the other, that’s the way to tell what lead you are on.

I know that is what one is supposed to do, but I dont seem to be able to do that. For the good of the horse, I will try this week. My riding has really deteriorated since Covid started. These days, I just say Trot or Canter and the mare knows.

 

[blitznbobs]

I would get it cantering on each lead on a hack
- if uou cant acheive that then it suggests a physical problem to me -

Another trick if it is simply lack of suppleness is to
Leg yield into the corner , thus putting inside hind underneath the horse and asking as you hit the corner

 

[sbloom]

Get her checked over and get a saddle check as well.

Mine has always struggled to get the correct canter lead: both vet & physio was here this week (yep an expensive week!) and it turns out there IS a physical issue.

I'd always check this first.

Added to that are the "way of going" issues - on the forehand, crooked etc. It'll be there in walk and trot but shown up by the canter strike off issue.

 

[cornbrodolly]

This was what a dear horse of mine was like. He was 9 when we got him , and had only been a driving horse. No right lead whatever , stiff through the shoulders , no gallop at all. [ but many good points , and still sadly missed]
As said above , incorrect bend was the only way to get the right lead , as it allowed the correct shoulder to have the freedom to move forward. A season s hunting loosened him off [ early on Shetlands would over take us ! Then one day he lowered and discovered a gallop pace!] and eventually we were able to go showing and do a figure of eight with a change of lead - but it took a couple of years .

 

[Landcruiser]

My horse had this issue, eventually he was diagnosed with severe hock arthritis in one hock (the other is fine). It's quite possible he was carrying an old injury from before my ownership, but he hid it well. He could/can counter canter impressively.

 

[spotty_pony]

Get her checked over and get a saddle check as well.

Mine has always struggled to get the correct canter lead: both vet & physio was here this week (yep an expensive week!) and it turns out there IS a physical issue.

I'd always check this first.

All been checked

 

[Denali]

Does she canter on the left lead at all? In the pasture or out hacking. My knee jerk reaction is a physical issue. Most horses I have met that won’t canter on one particular lead have issues with their hocks.

 

[KJ94]

Lots of hacking and straight lines did it for my pony!

Got her as a fat 14 year old who had done basically nothing, would go disunited/wrong lead/get frustrated and bugger off whenever asked to canter on lunge (is Welsh )

Did lots of hacking straight line canters hill work and she did eventually get it, not sure if it took longer with her being ‘older’ and set in her ways, or if it was a stubborn Welsh thing. But once we got it out hacking it became so much easier on the lunge etc.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

So my new(ish) mare is 15 this year and hasn’t done a lot of schooling in her life. She has come on in leaps and bounds and the walk and trot work although a little rough round the edges, the basics are established. I introduced canter in my schooling session today (have cantered her lots out hacking) and we can get right canter lead but not the left. That is her stiffer rein in all paces and I have to work on keeping her bending round my inside leg to the left. The right canter is a little wobbly but quite balanced. I am wondering if she is going to be easy or too established and set in her ways to teach left canter? I am happy to put in the work just not sure if I’m fighting a losing battle at her age? I did all the usual asking in the corners but didn’t manage to get it today. She can get quite worked up if upset so I didn’t make an issue of it.

Asking for it on the lunge is a no-no as she has only just got used to lungeing and I did try once and it frightened the life out of her and she took off in a straight line. I have introduced pole work in walk and trot so am thinking I may put a pole in a corner and ask over that. I’m also going to try out hacking and if she gets it, keep it going so she starts to build up the muscle and find it easier.

She’s a joy to work with, any tips much appreciated. I’m proud of how far she has come these past four months.

Was going to upload a photo but it keeps telling me it’s too large!

What I do is go onto a 15 metre circle and then ask or start off on a 10 metre and move out onto 15 once it has been established.

10 metre circles on corners are handy as you can carry on up the school once you have it.
Lots of balancing exercises and lunging more on her bad rein

 

[Flowerofthefen]

What I do is go onto a 15 metre circle and then ask or start off on a 10 metre and move out onto 15 once it has been established.

10 metre circles on corners are handy as you can carry on up the school once you have it.
Lots of balancing exercises and lunging more on her bad rein

I was always advised not to work 'more' on the bad rein as it can make the horse sore. Just keep doing everything evenly and in time the sides will even up without making the horse sore.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

She sounds lovely!! What worked for me, getting left canter , was leg yield first. So come down the 1/4 line on left rein, 3 to 4 strides of leg yield to the track, then ask for canter.

This is what I have done before and worked for us.

 

[spotty_pony]

Update!

I was lungeing her today and the horse in the field next door took off at a gallop and she broke into canter (on the correct lead!) so I kept her cantering for a little bit. It looked quite unbalanced but she was happy to maintain it! I then asked a few more times over single poles just to see if it was a flook and except for once when she picked up the wrong lead, she picked up the correct one every time! I did lunge for slightly longer on the left rein than the right to try and even it up a bit. I’m really pleased so don’t think it is a physical issue… just greeness. Now for me to figure out what to do when I’m on board
to replicate what we did today - I think I will try asking over a pole.

 

[Flying_Form]

So my new(ish) mare is 15 this year and hasn’t done a lot of schooling in her life. She has come on in leaps and bounds and the walk and trot work although a little rough round the edges, the basics are established. I introduced canter in my schooling session today (have cantered her lots out hacking) and we can get right canter lead but not the left. That is her stiffer rein in all paces and I have to work on keeping her bending round my inside leg to the left. The right canter is a little wobbly but quite balanced. I am wondering if she is going to be easy or too established and set in her ways to teach left canter? I am happy to put in the work just not sure if I’m fighting a losing battle at her age? I did all the usual asking in the corners but didn’t manage to get it today. She can get quite worked up if upset so I didn’t make an issue of it.

Asking for it on the lunge is a no-no as she has only just got used to lungeing and I did try once and it frightened the life out of her and she took off in a straight line. I have introduced pole work in walk and trot so am thinking I may put a pole in a corner and ask over that. I’m also going to try out hacking and if she gets it, keep it going so she starts to build up the muscle and find it easier.

She’s a joy to work with, any tips much appreciated. I’m proud of how far she has come these past four months.

Was going to upload a photo but it keeps telling me it’s too large!

From the sounds of it she may not have the leg yield down just yet so that cheat might not work but there are other ways. I had an older cob come into the yard before that favoured the right rein too due to an old injury. It took a lot of persistence and a lot of tries but over exaggerating the aids was the best technique I found worked.

This means: ask in a corner, and go very straight into the corner so it’s harder for her to strike off on the other leg, take the right leg back behind the girth to activate the right hind as this is the first leg to move into canter, open your inside rein quite wide and lean into the inside. She probably won’t get it for a few tries but when she does give her a huge amount of praise and pats, let her canter a few strides and then back to a walk and try again. If that doesn’t work you can also use a placing pole in a corner to help her And ask her at the pole.

I would be slightly concerned at the fact she found it very hard to do on the lunge and had a bit of a negative reaction - she might be a bit sore so maybe a visit from the physio might be a good idea?

But apart from that from a practical standpoint, exaggerated bend, exaggerated aids (leg behind girth), and exaggerated weight on the inside can be a big help. As time goes on and she gets more consistent these aids of course can be reduced until she is comfortable striking off on both leads.

Also when she becomes more consistent keep an eye on the leg she uses when hacking and try to make it as 50/50 as possible. And finally don’t forget about the right lead - it may be tempting to focus solely on the left but building the right lead aids can help with the left too!