Tension in Canter - Exercises

[Ferdinase514]

Any ideas to improve canter - reduce tension in back and improve impulsion.

Am losing many marks in tests at moment with comments such as " not soft through back" & "canter becoming almost 4 time".

He is a grouchy git in canter - back checked regularly and has chronic muscle probs on R side.

Thankies

 

[Fiona]

Sophie's canter is never great (very up and down rather than forward) until we have cantered round for a while with a forward seat and extending on the long sides.

Then I do a few ordinary trot canter trans and circles etc, then some walk to canter, canter to walk. By this stage her canter feels like a different horse. The walk to canter really seems to get her hindlegs under her and her back loosened up.

Fiona

 

[Ferdinase514]

Thanks F - I do these at the mo and I agree that transitions do help

esp walk to canter.

 

[Tierra]

Hmmm it's always hard to offer a lot of advice without seeing whats going on first hand....

Four time canter to me suggests that the horse isn't going forwards enough and I'd be inclined, as the other poster mentioned, to focus on getting the canter moving forwards nicely before making any effort to collect it up. Attempting to collect or shorten a canter that isn't going anywhere is quite futile.

A lack of impulsion can cause them to shorten their stride and become almost "prongy"... bit like a deer bouncing along. They'll often come very above the bit which of course then causes tension throughout the full frame.

When you say he's grouchy, is it a reluctance to move forward from your leg? What's he like in the mouth and how is his outline in canter?

As the other poster mentioned, Id be inclined to do some canter work in a forward seat and really try and get him powering forwards from behind and then work on keeping the same impulsion whilst taking a sitting seat. Don't fuss with his head and ignore the outline, just get him moving forwards. If he shortens up, push your hands forward a touch and really press him forwards. Also make sure that you aren't driving the canter forwards with your seat as this can then cause the horse to hollow underneath you.

Once he's moving correctly off the leg and back into keeping a good 3 time rhythm, you can work on collecting him back up.

 

[Ferdinase514]

Excellent, thanks.

He is not going off my leg in canter, so will focus on really getting him going forwards.

Outline poor in canter. We do a lot of fake outline at the mo - hence not going truely forward - tends to hollow, but fine walk and trot (get 7's and 8's Novice & Elem)

I will get someone to video us for you to give better opinion

When I say grouchy - he will buck in to canter during warm up given half a chance and prefers to power himself with a helicopter tail, rather than his hind legs

 

[Sal_E]

When you say he has muscle problems, do you mean he is still showing signs of discomfort? (or possibly that he used to have problems but doesn't any more?).

Assuming discomfort is no longer an issue, agree with the others - you need to get him going forwards, forwards, forwards - at the sacrifice of an outline & any tidiness for now if necessary. 4-time is nearly always a problem with tension & not going forwards enough - often caused by a rider who holds the horse back into a 'comfortable' canter which is too collected (not being critical of you, it's something I've only just realised I've been doing myself - I've just realised my TB's canter is naturally waaay bigger than I would like, but loads better to look at from the ground! I just need to learn to ride it now

). Resist the urge to steady him if it gets a bit motor-bikey - let him find his own balance.

If you have the opportunity to work on canter out hacking, that can really help.

Re the grouchiness, again assuming not pain related, just ignore it & try to lighten the moment - try not to make canter a 'big' thing (as it often is in the rider's mind). He will start to get used to the more forward canter, after a while he will begin to accept it as his 'normal' canter & should hopefully become more forward thinking about it which should improve the current negative/tense situation.

For the next few weeks, try to forget working canter & try only for medium canter - my guess is your medium canter will look like an active working canter to anyone on the ground...

 

[Sal_E]

Meant to say - re exercises, for now I would avoid anything challenging that could make him even less keen, plus avoid anything which may collect him up. So, avoid leg-yeilding in canter, small/spiralling circles, flying changes, counter canter etc. Just try to take the pressure off for a little while.

 

[Peanot]

Hi, I had a similar problem with my mare, no impulsion,
"looking pretty, but going nowhere" was one thing that new instructor said!
I have found that whilst riding a circle, lengthen and shorten and lots of transitions with canter-walk, canter-trot, etc helped loads. Along with looking up and thinking up with a straight posture and shoulders back. All the basic things that riders forget to check.
While thinking of all of the above, our canter is now a lovely powerful rhythmic pace.
A loose rein won`t help though, but a good contact, and ride through from behind to the rein, and think light with your weight.
Perhaps regular massages by you on his back would help before and after riding, as this used to be one of our problems too.
Hope this helps.

 

[Bossanova]

Canter light seat, everytime you feel him go four time, give him a light tap with a schooling whip. Throw in as many walk-canter, canter-walk transitions as you can and use poles well spaced out to play around with changing the stride length.
The one thing not to do is get stuck on a circle in the same canter and dont be tempted to collect the canter at all until he is totally forwards and off the leg.

 

[Ferdinase514]

Thanks guys.

Sal - Diff to know whether he is still uncomfortable as grouchniess is such an ingrained behaviour with him now. I get him regular physio sessions and give him massages (which he hates

) Physio pointed out muscle fibrosis and i have to say it is quite pronounced - poss from old injury.

All the suggestion sound very logical and thigs which I've been doing a small amount of. Will def focus on big canter and avoid leg yielding etc.

Flying changes? Phah if only!

 

[Sal_E]

He he - please don't think I'm suggesting I do them on a daily basis

I wonder if he'd appreciate a magnetic rug as part of his 'pre-warmup warmup'...???

 

[ljubb]

Do you lunge?

Lunging will give the horse the opportunity to come through without the rider being in the way and blocking the movement through the back. It will also give you the opportunity to see what he is doing rather than just feeling it.

I have found the pessoa to work wonders at imporoving the canter.

Good luck

 

[sherwood']

U r totally describing my horse! Am very interested in the answers! Bouncy not going forward, and when i ask for a better canter sometimes surges forward like a dolphin which is incredibily disconcerting!

alos have another problem re collecting once we get to that stage. Walk to canter he finds too easy and does this in preference to walk to trot so therefore when im asking for trot he is cantering??!! i ahve been working on getting him out of this habit for weeks! ahhh horses!

 

[Ferdinase514]

A magnetic rug could indeed be an idea....shall investigate

I do lunge him and in a pessoa. Unfortunately he is the same on the lunge and cantering in the Pessoa sends him loopy-lou

so walk and trot only for him!

He is better if i lunge before riding but not alway poss esp at comps.

Sherwood - Finni much better walk to canter than trot to canter. Think he anticipates more in trot-canter trans and gets more uptight.

 

[not_with_it]

I agree with exactly what Boss said. Canter in a forward seat round the arena and maybe introduce some 5m loops. Keep tapping the hindlegs with the stick every couple of strides to quicken the jump in the hind leg, this will help bring it back to a 3 beat canter. I would be inclined to have my hands in a side rein position, so wide and low, as this will encourage him to lower his head without forcing it.

 

[Ferdinase514]

Thanks Nat

 

[Petrie]

My horse is tense in canter, and I find that walk to canter transitions seem to make him more tense - I have to leave these till later on in the session, once I've got him relaxed.

I find working him in a deeper outline at first in walk trot and canter help him to relax and soften over his back. I can then start to pick him up a bit into a more advanced outline, but if he starts to get tense, then he goes straight back down long and low until he relaxes again.

A long warm up (20mins) with lots of stretching, changes in bend, and a light seat also help.

 

[Sal_E]

I'd agree - in my experience you want to work on relaxing the canter & make him less stroppy before trying to improve the quality of it (i.e. deal with his attitude before the quality) - with this in mind, I'd avoid walk-canter transitions for now as it could make him more tense/shorter/boucier/stroppier - undoubtedly it's a good exercise once his mindset it right though.

Petrie makes a good point - I find my mare will have a poor canter if I ask for it too soon & once we've had a poor canter in a session (poor usually stemming from tension), it's hard to improve. I find it far more successful to do lots of loosening/simple lateral work in walk & trot & really get her working through before asking for the canter - if she starts well, she tends to remain consistently good throughout the session.

 

[Twiglet]

I find a light forward seat often gets my boy forward in canter (makes him think we're going to do something more interesting than flatwork probs!) - and to forget about outline initially, and just get as much forwardness as possible to warm him up.

Also we try schooling on hacks, when he's more fizzy anyway, and the impulsion is naturally there. Is there anywhere near you you could try? If you fancy boxing over to Weald we'll escort you to some hacking schooling spots!

 

[Ferdinase514]

Thanks Twiglet! He is easier on a hack

If i'm coming your way i will come and meet up with you