tips for improving balance when cantering corners please

[Magicmillbrook]

Hi - has anyone got some good exercises for helping to imporove balance. 20m circles are mostly ok, however when going deep into corners, and particularly when making turns to canter along the long diagonal we sometimes become unbalalanced and often drop a shoulder.

 

[samp]

I have the same problem, lots of changes of reins, suppleing exercise, leg yielding etc

 

[katiejaye]

A good lungeing ex for helping with balance in corners:

get a cone or jumping block and put it into one of the corners of the school away from the track (enough space so the horse can go past it on the track) and use this to lunge around. Slowley introduce it into the circle in walk and trot and you can slowley decrease the size of the circle and the pace when you feel the balance is improving. Someone taught me this ex and I've found this really helpful for teaching the horse to balance and bend him/herself naturally. I normally put out two blocks at one end of the school in the corners and alternate between the two on both reins.

 

[Oldred]

I would first go back to bending the horse in walk using inside seat bone and inside leg to improve suppleness and establish correct bend through the ribcage rather than jackknifing at the shoulder. I would test that the horse goes into the corners just by using my weight aid and inside leg (with a loose rein) and that there is a feel of the horse's inside hind crossing and going under his body to engage a little more. Only when that is really established in walk would I try it in trot asking the same thing - inside aids creating correct bend and a feel that the horse is stretching topline, rounding and engaging naturally.

I would ensure I kept my outside hand as a reciever of the stretch and bend so that you are working inside leg into outside hand and can then begin to think of balancing the horse with the inside leg/outside hand co-ordination.

When I feel I can achieve the amount of bend I need to go into a corner in trot by using my inside leg and moderating the forwardness with the outside rein - using a hold and release feel to keep the horse forward - I then have a chance of cantering in a balanced way on smaller turns and half circles.

So difficult without seeing what's happening of course but may well be a little re-education needed in keeping the neck and wither from overbending and the ribcage/middle of horse from underbending - if that makes sense!

 

[Peanot]

Hi,
Are you dropping your inside shoulder as you go round the corner? You probably won`t notice though so next time you ride, just put your inside shoulder back as you go around the corner and keep hold of your outside rein.

 

[not_with_it]

Think more about riding a square in the middle of the school and controling the shoulders and haunches. At a guess I would say that your horse is throwing his hanches/shoulders in or out and unbalancing himself. Make sure that your horse is straight down the long and short sides and slightly off the track to keep him straight.

If your horse is capable then try making the turn more haunches in and then ride shoulder in on the straight sides. This really does work, its what I have spent all morning doing in my lesson and we got fantastic results. It does take a lot of concentration though.

 

[Magicmillbrook]

Thanks - that does make sense, we seem to be able to acheive this quite nicely at home, its when we get out that it goes to pot. Its very likely a matter of rider error than anything else!