Very weak left canter - excercises?

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melv1lle

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Just wondered if anyone has thoughts on suitable excercises for me to use to try and help my horse with his left lead canter. He is an ex racer and clearly never felt the need to canter on the left lead until I got him. When I ask for a left canter he strikes off correctly, then panics himself because he doesnt feel balanced, then goes faster because he has panicked and then completely loses it and the backlegs go everywhere and we are back in (accidental) counter canter.
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Can you suggest any suitable things to try in the school?
 
Lots of transitions - pick up left canter, do a couple of strides then straight back to trot, gradually ask for a few more strides and as his balance gets better he will be able to do more of it. It's painfully slow to improve things like this, sadly! (I am so impatient!)
 
Nope its not pain. He is 1/5 lame in his left hind so it is weak but because of that I have the physio out every 6 months and I have him on substi bute. Its a bit of a viscous circel though because I need to help him build up his balance on his left side in order to reduce the pressure he puts on his back. Hence my question as to peoples thoughts on simple exercises.
 
Yes, with and without a pessoa (on the easiest level). On a good day his balance is pretty good on the left lead on the lunge but on a bad one it is as disjointed as it is when I ride him. It sounds stupid but I begin to wonder if both of us have started to get a mental block about it.
 
Hill work is fantastic for building up the muscles for canter work - slow walking or slow cantering up hills is best

Also to help him balance, walk to canter is good, although would agree with the others on just doing a few strides and then gradually building it up
 
Could be that I think! Pony and I have had some 'disagreements' recently then you get a breakthrough and wonder what all the fuss was about!

Have you tried a 20m circle, canter 1/4, trot 1/4, canter 1/4, trot 1/4?

Leg yield in trot back to track then pick up canter?

Spiral in on trot circle then leg yield back out and pick up canter as you hit the track?

Pole in the corner on 45 degree angle (so bisecting the 90 degree corner of the school) to help him pick up the correct lead?

I'd say it is probably a case of not letting him get to the point of being unbalanced, so after a few nice strides, back to trot then try again. Think that's the approach I'd take to start with as there's no point ploughing round the school getting faster and faster until he becomes disunited!
 
I agree, hill work is fantastic, my mare's canter improved very quickly when I started working her up and down hills in trot and canter. Unfortunately since we moved yards we have no hills, not sure if it's related but her canter has deteriorated ever since
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She also gets a bit of a mental block about it I think, so as others have suggested I've been concentrating on getting her stronger and more supple in trot and then just doing tiny bits of canter. Could really do with the hills again though!!
 
He probably just needs supplying and strengthening in that inside hind. The new competition horse I am riding really dislikes right canter. I had a lesson yesterday and we did shed loads of shoulder in and travers to really supple up his hind end on both reins and his canter at the end of the lesson was incredible! He was even doing shoulder in, in canter on the 3/4 line I was amazed! I'm still on a high from it and so is his owner!

So that's what I'd suggest. Shoulder in, leg yeilding and lots of lateral work in general. Start in walk and then build it up. You don't have to get as far as doing it in canter. Shoulder in or leg yield in trot and then cantering once you hit the track is very useful. But as others have said don't canter for too long. If you get half and dozen decent strides bring him back to trot and reward him. It will take time for him to strengthen up and find his balance.
 
Not sure my or his brain could cope with the 1/4 trot canter circle
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but I will definately try the others. Thanks! And interesting that all think it is best to minimise the canter strides. I have taken the opposite approach of when we get a good left lead I just keep on going round in circles. But come to think of it bringing him back to trot and rewarding him is a much better idea. So many smart people on this forum
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Lol, to be fair it has taken me months to be able to do that, but if you aim for it then you at least are aware of not letting him bowl on for too long. I started off doing one 20m circle then trot, then 3/4 canter 1/4 trot, then half and half and we can now do 1/4 trot 1/4 canter - took me months and months though so I'm not suggesting you should be able to do it straight away!!
 
I have a similar problem (weak/worse left canter) and fortunately have access to brilliant hills- but to improve left canter do I have to canter up the hills in left canter?? will any canter lead up hill help?
 
Well work on both reins/leads as you would normally, but you could do a little more on the left if this is his weak side.
If you have good going, try cantering him down the hills as well as up - this is as good if not better than going up as he has to take the weight behind so as not to fall on his head! He should be in a correct outline but not relying on your hands to hold him up. If canter is too hard try trot at first until he is stronger.
lucky you I miss my hills!!!!
 
Actually problems with the left canter often come about because the horse is left leg strong, this means that the left leg over drives and in effect stays on the floor too long, the RHS being tighter and quicker. Imagine if i asked you to 'hop' down the school you would go for your strong side and have no problems going down the school, swap to the other side and it would be quite a different story. So thinking about this we can apply this to your horse and how they use their hindlegs. The RHS is tight and quick and at first this will appear to give abetter canter but often there are big problems with straightness and bend. The left is often a difficult side for right handed riders to co-ordinate the timing of the inside left led with the horses. We have to re-balance the horse between the left and right so that the left side becomes quicker and the right a little slower and more able to carry the ouside body around the bend.
Improvement in the canter can be developed in the trot and the walk really thinking about your left right balance. Really understand the eveness of stretch up through the trunk of your body, make sure your shoulder blades lie flat against your back and the elbow is bent with the elbow heavey and the fore arm and hand light. Really think about your fingers holding the bit rings. I often say to riders that they must first take care of this left right balance so ensure they have an even use of the hindleg for a front back balance to be achieved. Good old squares help with this understanding and the use of the transitions on these squares so that your horse really works between leg and hand, also understand that the natural reaction for your horse is to push and not carry as the race horse needs to cover max ground with min effort at max speed, not really the best things for dressage and that is why we need to retrain their bodies to do this work. S they take the time to finish each step and develope activity through engagement.
 
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