Teaching young horse to canter

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I backed my little horse (andalusian x welsh b - very fine and lightly built) last year but by September he was still hugely unbalanced in trot and could barely trot a 20m circle, stopped every time I got even slightly out of balance with him, and he was also very unpredictable. I felt he would benefit from being turned away so he spent from Sept to March in the field.

I rebacked him in March and he is like a different horse! He is trotting happily, balanced and forwards, over poles etc, he feels so much stronger, more confident and calmer (mostly!). I didn't even attempt canter last year, except on a couple of hacks, even on the lunge as he didn't seem balanced enough so he doesn't really know the voice command for it, but I think it's about time he tried it!

I have taken him to the gallops a couple of weeks ago, let him follow another horse and he ran into canter but then did a (gorgeous!!!) canter with a lead. I thought this would be the bast way to do it, but sadly the ground is like concrete at the moment out hacking, and I don't have transport to get to the gallops very often. He is only 14hh so I think now he is stronger he should be okay to try it in the school but what is the best way to teach it? I popped up a little rail yesterday in the hope that a little pop over it and he might naturally pick up canter (he did this last year over a raised pole) but in the sun she was so chilled he just popped a little jump in and went straight back into trot! (I was very excited about his first ever jump though, he felt lovely!)

He is just turning 5 this week and I am in no rush, but he does feel ready to do more.
 
tbh i'd just keep working on his balance, transitions, reactions etc etc until he offers canter over a pole or hopefully in a nice moment of joie de vivre. you were right in thinking that on the gallops following another horse is an ideal way of getting them to canter. in a school alone is a lot more challenging for them (unless school is huge) as lots of corners etc. i am a big believer in waiting for a young horse to offer canter rather than chasing them into it (which usually results in running, loss of balance, sometimes sulky bucks, etc), some offer it very early, others take longer. i'd want the horse to be cantering nicely on the lunge before trying it under saddle in the school, too.
 
I am having this "challenge" at the moment! I was wondering whether yours canters on the lunge? I can get my boy to canter out hacking but not on the lunge at all he just runs and runs?! I suppose it's just a case of keep trying!
 
Thanks kerilli, that has been the way i have been thinking (I think Ive let other people make me feel I should be doing more). I think if the weather was a bit cooler he may well have offered it after the jump, but yesterday was so hot I don't blame him for not wanting to! I certainly don't want to chase him into it. I will keep working on his balance etc.

I have to admit that I haven't tried it on the lunge often as I wasn't sure about stress on his joints, I loose school him sometimes, when he needs to let off steam, and once he has the initial bucks out of the way I start giving the verbal cue into canter, (if he has decided to do it himself, I say 'canter' right as he goes into it, in the hope he will start to associate it). He is fine maintaining the canter around the school free (good at flying changes too!) so maybe it is time I started to try on the lunge.
 
Mine has this too = she is 8, an ex broodmare and coming into 'proper' work after being broken last OCt.
She initially struggled and kind of ran into canter behind a lead horse - this is now stronger and transitions are great.
Lunging canter has always been tricky - she finds the circles a bit hard - usually manageing 0.5 or 1.5 depending - but even this is getting better.

My suggestion is leave off the work on the lunge - they build confidence and muscles out hacking then the rest will follow naturally!

making it all fun has avoided the 'running, bucking and confusion mentioned' - I did see some of this once - but then decided i didnt want to force anything.
Enjoy longer hacks, and try find a big flat field where you can canter around the edge, slowly bringing in the circles tighter and tighter. :)
 
My mare is just 5, and althought she was cantering when I bought her, the school was a lot wider than ours, so she could run on more unbalanced in it. Anyway, we've been cantering for about a month now I think, and we began by asking her to pop a little x pole, then asking for canter for 2 strides in the middle of the double, then sometimes a few strides after the second jump. She could canter on the lunge, although the transition is still quite rusty.
 
My mum just sent me this pic of him on the gallops - I think i'll just stick to doing this for a while...he looks so happy (although was staring at the camera the whole time!)

2010-05-0110-34-43_EOS0071_resize.jpg
 
Thanks! I think so! Even on the occasions I ended up looking at him from my back on the floor he looked like he'd be something special...small, with a monster buck, but special!
 
Ah bless him he's lovely!

I didn't have the option of learning on a hack as my youngster was/is a bit of a fruitcake hacking out (getting better slooowly)

He lunged very well when I got him and although a bit unbalanced could and would canter on the lunge from a verbal command. We did have a bit of racing round the school under saddle but I made sure I didn't hang onto his mouth and let him find his balance. I still go into canter from the voice command though as the leg just sends him wild. His canter has improved with a bit of jumping.

However, if I had a sane horse I would definitley be trying out on hacks, with a nice brosk upbeat 'canter!' at the right moment.
 
I always canter on the lunge so they know the voice aid and then that translates easily to gently applying the aids and saying your canter voice command; they soon learn to canter then without the voice.

If they hare round in canter on the lunge I just keep going until they settle and canter more often rather then less. If he can't canter without a rider then he is going to really struggle with you on board. Also if canter is just part of his normal work it becomes not so exciting!

He really is a stunning boy!
 
I taught my 5yr old to canter by taking him out on a hack and getting my other horse (and rider) to go in front, whilst making my lad wait, he soon caught up and went into canter, I backed him at 4 1/2, for the first 6 months all we did was walk and trot., if your in no rush let him take the time to go into it himself.
 
My highland was 4 when I got him- he'll be 6 in June. He was very unbalanced initially obviously- I have literally spent the last 18m hacking him out in mostly walk and trot and introducing leg yield etc. Last month we had a few decent canters - still unbalanced but getting there. He has changed shape a lot- much more mature now so his back and muscles generally are able to cope better.

He will canter nicely on the lunge now but I don't do it often. I'm in no rush- plus he's my daughters pony really so I didnt want to turn him into a youngster who wants to canter every time his hoof hits grass. So far so good.:)
 
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