Trouble with canter on right rein - ideas?

[Broodle]

I have recently found a lovely share horse and have been riding her for the last month or so. She is a well-built leg-in-each-corner type of a cob, but is generally pretty well balanced and seems to know where to put her feet (if that makes sense!).

Her owner doesn't do any schooling with her, but she warned me that her previous sharer (who did a fair bit of dressage with her) initially had trouble getting her on the correct lead in canter on the right rein only. Vet, back man and saddler were consulted and no problem found. She does have a slightly thickened tendon on one of her hinds (I forget which

) as a result of a very old injury, but it was concluded that this was not causing her any problems now. She is now about 12 and until her previous sharer rode her she had mainly hacked, and the consensus was that she had just always cantered with a left lead, possibly because this was more comfortable in the past when she was injured or recovering from injury. The feeling was therefore that she has never really been taught to canter with a right lead, and finds the left lead easier. I have no reason to question this conclusion, or to suspect that there is any current physical problem.

Anyway, I am having the same problems as her previous sharer and need suggestions for schooling exercises to help us please! The previous sharer (who stopped riding her about 6 months ago) apparently overcame the problem through schooling, but I have no way of finding out how she did it...

So far we can manage to strike off on the right lead if I adopt a really light seat, ask for a good bend, and make sure my weight is in my right stirrup (the theory being that this will encourage her to strike off with the outside/left hind - please feel free to tell me if you think this theory is duff) but she almost always becomes disunited at the next bend. She sometimes also strikes off in a disunited canter. We have no problems at all on the left rein.

We mainly hack, but I do want to do some riding club stuff and perhaps local shows so need to solve the problem and am prepared to put in the time in the school. Exercises we can do out hacking would also be a big help.

Any ideas anyone?

Sorry my post was so long, and many thanks in advance if you can help

 

[OrangeEmpire]

set up a trot pole at a corner of the school after 'C'. Do a 20m circle at that end in trot so that you and your horse are balanced. go to sitting trot at 'M', prepare for canter at 'C' and ask as you approach the pole. 9 times out of 10 the horse will extend over the pole naturally into the correct canter lead.

Alternatively you can legyield for a few strides before the transition (both on hacks and in the school) to get the horse balanced and into the outside rein. This technique really helped in teaching my youngster the correct lead!

 

[AutumnRose]

I would be weary of changing your position at all because it will then become tricky to correct it again.

All horses natually favour one leg. My 5 yo much prefers to canter on the right rein and we initially had a prob getting him to strike off on left initially. The main way i am correcting this is by getting outside bend before asking for canter from an active canter. He is already tons better. I'm trying hard to keep all my other aids exactly the same so that he learns what the correct way to be asked is.....
After a couple of weeks of this i am mostly able to get the correct leg by just making sure i don't have too much inside bend.

Another thing you can do it to carry a schooling whip in your outside hand and give them a tap as you ask. This encourages them to step under with the outside hind.

Does that make sense?

 

[Broodle]

Brilliant - thank you for those ideas OrangeEmpire! Will give both a go tomorrow.

 

[Broodle]

Thanks AutumnRose!

Your comments on outside bend are really interesting because - in my ignorance - I thought that a good inside bend would help her strike off correctly. Would you be very kind on an ignorant soul and explain the theory please?! Thank you!

 

[Sit_Up]

Too much inside bend and you 'lose' the outside shoulder and do not have a true bend. The trot then becomes unbalanced. If the hind quaters are not engaged, then its is easier for the canter to become disunited.

Think about what happens when a lorry jack knifes. You have 2 halves moving in different directions

 

[AutumnRose]

As sit_up says, inside bend - espescially in green and unbalanced horses (like my youngster

) will often result in the horse falling towards the outside and onto the outside shoulder...thus making it very difficult for them to strike off with the outside hind. So the outside bend, however slight will help to prevent this falling out and keep the backend underneath them. In addition it ensures you have a firm contact in your outside hand, which is essential. You want as little contact on inside rein as possible.
Good luck

 

[Broodle]

Brilliant - I have had my quota of learning for the day! Thank you both so much!

 

[username223]

Another vote for the pole idea! Has always been a tried and tested method that never fails for me (eventually you don't need the pole)

 

[SouthWestWhippet]

This is so funny, I have just dismounted off a pony very similar. Cob type who always strikes off on left canter lead

I was trying for inside bend too (and failing LOL). My colleague came out and got me to almost drop my inside contact as I asked for the transition and really pick up the outside contact. Pony then struck off correct 3 times out of 4. So it does work although it feels odd and counter intuative.

And big thanks to those that explained WHY it works, that makes sense now.

The other thing that can work is to leg yeild off a circle before the transition as this helps to balance the horse into your outside rein. I have also had some success with gently giving and taking the inside rein on the transition so they don't can't 'fix' on it and fall out to the outside, but they do have to soften and rebalane to the inside.

Once the horse is in canter, on the correct leg, I try to stay on a big circle to discourage them from changing/disuniting.

Will be watchin this thread with interest for more ideas though!

 

[Broodle]

Thanks to Millyismyname, and a "how strange!" to SWW - hope we both have success with our one-sided coblets!

 

[Gorgeous George]

I have exactly the same problem with George and I have found leg yielding and then asking for canter helps, also keeping the outside rein firm (I cheat by holding the breastplate!) helps and it is working.