FestiveFuzz
Well-Known Member
Right, this is probably going to be a long one but I'm really beginning to get fed up with myself now and need some advice/kicks up the bum from the wise ones of HHO...
I seem to have a total mental block on canter, and somewhere along the way I have built it into the impossible in my head. Out hacking we are fine, when M throws one of his ridiculous spooks and bogs off up the school we are fine, our transitions from walk/trot into canter are 95% great with the occasional stride or two of rushing if I forget to half-halt before the transition, I've even managed to quit the tipping/throwing the reins at him when I ask for canter, but still I'm struggling in the actual canter.
For background, my horse before Pops and M was a ****** to school and would regularly buck/bronc into canter. He had every physio/vet check under the sun and it was ruled it was behavioural rather than anything untoward so I just had to grin and bear it. He was also lazy off the leg, which led to me spending many years gripping with my legs which led to me tipping forward and throwing the reins at him when I asked for canter so I could ensure I wasn't catapulted out of the saddle...as such I've spent the past 18 months undoing numerous bad habits which had become pretty ingrained over the years.
I've worked hard to improve my position in this time and am now following my trainers post-baby fitness routine to continue to strengthen my core. I've become a lot more aware of my position in this time too, which I think is adding to my frustration as whereas before I didn't know what I was doing wrong, I am now fully aware and yet seem to be unable to stop myself. My trainer is great, but we've kinda reached a point where it feels like a lot of this is in my head and she can only help me so much with this.
When I first got M we would regularly have accidental flying changes in the canter, and for some unknown reason I'd end up stressing about the accidental changes even though I could invariably get him to change back to the correct lead. I can now usually stop the changes from happening but I tend to doubt that I've stopped the change, and by the time I've checked myself we've invariably petered into trot. I know I need to pick him back up on the canter but knowing and doing seem to be two very different things! The fear of accidental changes has also meant I tend to be cautious of using my outside leg in canter, which means I regularly lose him out of the outside shoulder on a 20m circle. It's almost like I flit between over-riding the canter and being a total passenger, neither of which is helpful. We've been doing a lot of canter work on a 20m circle without stirrups as this means I can't draw up my legs/heels in the canter, and the circle means I have to ride rather than be a passenger but I'm finding it hard to stay centred on the circle and have a tendency to lean in and once this happens I find it hard to right myself again without breaking into trot.
I'm just so frustrated as I just can't seem to break this cycle and I know it's the only thing holding me back from getting out and competing now. I have twice weekly sessions with my trainer, and have asked to have a lesson on the lunge so I can work on my position without worrying about the rest but I just don't know what else to do and it's beginning to really get me down. It annoys me as I can canter lesser schooled horses without a problem, but when it comes to mine it seems like we're never going to get there.
I've ridden for over 20 years so it's not like I'm a total novice (although I sometimes feel like it!), but M's my first proper experience of an advanced dressage horse and whilst he's my absolute horse of a lifetime, he's not always as forgiving as I sometimes think I need.
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I seem to have a total mental block on canter, and somewhere along the way I have built it into the impossible in my head. Out hacking we are fine, when M throws one of his ridiculous spooks and bogs off up the school we are fine, our transitions from walk/trot into canter are 95% great with the occasional stride or two of rushing if I forget to half-halt before the transition, I've even managed to quit the tipping/throwing the reins at him when I ask for canter, but still I'm struggling in the actual canter.
For background, my horse before Pops and M was a ****** to school and would regularly buck/bronc into canter. He had every physio/vet check under the sun and it was ruled it was behavioural rather than anything untoward so I just had to grin and bear it. He was also lazy off the leg, which led to me spending many years gripping with my legs which led to me tipping forward and throwing the reins at him when I asked for canter so I could ensure I wasn't catapulted out of the saddle...as such I've spent the past 18 months undoing numerous bad habits which had become pretty ingrained over the years.
I've worked hard to improve my position in this time and am now following my trainers post-baby fitness routine to continue to strengthen my core. I've become a lot more aware of my position in this time too, which I think is adding to my frustration as whereas before I didn't know what I was doing wrong, I am now fully aware and yet seem to be unable to stop myself. My trainer is great, but we've kinda reached a point where it feels like a lot of this is in my head and she can only help me so much with this.
When I first got M we would regularly have accidental flying changes in the canter, and for some unknown reason I'd end up stressing about the accidental changes even though I could invariably get him to change back to the correct lead. I can now usually stop the changes from happening but I tend to doubt that I've stopped the change, and by the time I've checked myself we've invariably petered into trot. I know I need to pick him back up on the canter but knowing and doing seem to be two very different things! The fear of accidental changes has also meant I tend to be cautious of using my outside leg in canter, which means I regularly lose him out of the outside shoulder on a 20m circle. It's almost like I flit between over-riding the canter and being a total passenger, neither of which is helpful. We've been doing a lot of canter work on a 20m circle without stirrups as this means I can't draw up my legs/heels in the canter, and the circle means I have to ride rather than be a passenger but I'm finding it hard to stay centred on the circle and have a tendency to lean in and once this happens I find it hard to right myself again without breaking into trot.
I'm just so frustrated as I just can't seem to break this cycle and I know it's the only thing holding me back from getting out and competing now. I have twice weekly sessions with my trainer, and have asked to have a lesson on the lunge so I can work on my position without worrying about the rest but I just don't know what else to do and it's beginning to really get me down. It annoys me as I can canter lesser schooled horses without a problem, but when it comes to mine it seems like we're never going to get there.
I've ridden for over 20 years so it's not like I'm a total novice (although I sometimes feel like it!), but M's my first proper experience of an advanced dressage horse and whilst he's my absolute horse of a lifetime, he's not always as forgiving as I sometimes think I need.
Cookies for anyone who gets this far x
