Unusual canter gait question

greenroof · 19 June 2018

I have noticed a couple of horses at shows recently that seem to move both inside legs together in canter. It looks really odd and I wonder what causes it, it is obviously not a correct way of going. One of these horses was a well schooled warmblood/sports horse type, the other a more novice, but well ridden, Highland pony. Any thoughts on this and how much would this way of going be penalised in a showing class?

ILuvCowparsely · 19 June 2018

greenroof said:
I have noticed a couple of horses at shows recently that seem to move both inside legs together in canter. It looks really odd and I wonder what causes it, it is obviously not a correct way of going. One of these horses was a well schooled warmblood/sports horse type, the other a more novice, but well ridden, Highland pony. Any thoughts on this and how much would this way of going be penalised in a showing class?

It is called disunited and many horses will do it, some because they are unbalanced or young. They either change the front legs or the back without changing the other pair. It is bloody uncomfortable when they do it, my pony does it on the lunge changes her backs but not front changes them again then again.

Have a look at this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpogSf_Jez4

greenroof · 19 June 2018

Thank you for your reply, but these horses were definitely not disunited, they are leading with the correct leg front and back, but inside fore and hind legs appear to be moving in parallel, exactly at the same time as each other, hitting the ground at the same time, instead of the hind leg hitting the ground just before the foreleg as in a normal canter. The canter appeared just a bit stilted, whereas a disunited canter appears ungainly and rolling. Just wondered if anyone else had come across this and wondered if maybe it was a result of using gadgets to force a "pretty" head carriage.

Frumpoon · 19 June 2018

Probably knackered suspensories

There's a reason showjumpers do walk to canter

ILuvCowparsely · 19 June 2018

greenroof said:
Thank you for your reply, but these horses were definitely not disunited, they are leading with the correct leg front and back, but inside fore and hind legs appear to be moving in parallel, exactly at the same time as each other, hitting the ground at the same time, instead of the hind leg hitting the ground just before the foreleg as in a normal canter. The canter appeared just a bit stilted, whereas a disunited canter appears ungainly and rolling. Just wondered if anyone else had come across this and wondered if maybe it was a result of using gadgets to force a "pretty" head carriage.

Like this?? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkBfUtT6gy4

Theocat · 19 June 2018

Struggling to picture this. If the inside hind and fore are hitting the ground simultaneously but the horse isn't disunited, what's the off fore doing? It must either be hitting the ground before the inside legs (which sounds more like pacing?), at the same time - which is difficult to imagine - or afterwards, which would be disunited.

DabDab · 19 June 2018

Like they've gone 4 beat rather than 3 beat?

milliepops · 19 June 2018

Do you mean a lateral canter?

greenroof · 19 June 2018

ILuvCowparsely said:
Like this?? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkBfUtT6gy4

Yes, that's it, except the horses I've seen in the show ring that moved like this did it more easily, with good transitions from trot to canter, as though they were used to this canter.

greenroof · 19 June 2018

milliepops said:
Do you mean a lateral canter?

Yes, now I've seen the you tube video, it must be a lateral canter.

I would like to know what causes this movement, surely it isn't correct for the show ring

Chinchilla · 19 June 2018

following

milliepops · 19 June 2018

greenroof said:
Yes, now I've seen the you tube video, it must be a lateral canter.

I would like to know what causes this movement, surely it isn't correct for the show ring

No, not correct for any discipline where way of going is a factor. Often caused by tension, lack of suppleness or even lameness.

DabDab · 19 June 2018

https://youtu.be/9EBY33mPv8U

This one is in a more dressagey setting.

greenroof · 19 June 2018

Thanks for your replies, definitely learnt something useful

dominobrown · 19 June 2018

I event of rotter that canters like that. Canter is not natural to him and want finds it more natural to move laterally. Some of the horses you see, such as the sport horse type could be trotters or standardbreds.

sasquatch · 19 June 2018

mine has a 4 beat canter like this - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hWVUul6W-5I (sorry, it's the most recent video i can find of him)

he never did any dressage above intro and did showing once I think, because his canter was just not conventional. he had a bit of trotter in him, and naturally (even in the field) didn't present a 3 beat canter. i personally have seen him 3 beat once as he was very wound up but didn't have space to go for a gallop and instead had a gorgeous 3 beat canter. when he'd calmed down a bit, he was back to his 4 beat canter.

he would sometimes do a weird half 3 beat, half gallop where when allowed and if he had space, he would go at more of a 'canter' than his 4 beat, but it felt much more like a gallop to ride and you couldn't sit to it. but it wasn't a full gallop for him, and instead of feeling like a rushed canter it actually felt very balanced. you couldn't have done anything with him from that other odd pace, and he could definitely actually gallop too (he was very fast)

some horses naturally have a 4 beat canter, and for some they can be trained out of it, but for others they naturally move in a lateral canter or 4 beat and it's just easier and more comfy for them. mine when sound was able to jump up to about 1m10 as a single fence/a few fences (under saddle - not under saddle he jumped 5 bar gates as part of his escaping) and his canter only really meant courses he was limited up to about 80/90cm as striding could sometimes get a bit muddled or if he came in slightly flat or wrong to a fence, he couldn't get away with just throwing himself over them when they were over about 85-90cm (depending on how big your course builder would build!)

Mule · 20 June 2018

Frumpoon said:
Probably knackered suspensories

There's a reason showjumpers do walk to canter

Do you mean showjumpers do walk to canter because of bad suspensories or to try to prevent bad suspensories?

Embo · 20 June 2018

Mine goes 4-beat sometimes when tense or tight. Working on suppleness and relaxation gets it back to normal. It happens more in winter when our turnout is heavily restricted. Not really an issue this time of year, only when we're working on something he find difficult & therefore goes a bit tense.

Never a problem when we're jumping, it's too much fun!

ShowJumperL95 · 20 June 2018

The horses could have previously been trotters, that is the only time I have seen a horse canter like that.

Frumpoon · 20 June 2018

No I mean quite a lot of showjumpers are lame but if they don't trot it doesn't show up, it does however come out in a multiple beat canter

spugs · 21 June 2018

I have a standardbred whos just started the reschooling process and shell quite often canter like this before getting into a proper canter.

Unusual canter gait question

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