we have 2 weeks to sort right canter, help!

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Walrus

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Hello. Me and the pony have signed ourselves up for an unaffiliated show in 2 weeks time. Currently we cannot canter on the correct leg on the right rein. Our transition is lovely, just onto the wrong leg.

PLease could I have hints and tips to try and sort this by our show. We've had both the physio and saddler out in the last fortnight and all recommended alterations made. Pony is young and hasn't done much cantering and this rein has always been trouble but I want to get it nailed now back and tack have been accounted for.

Thank you :)
 
Does he canter on the right lead on the lunge?

If yes, it may be you unbalancing him (not meaning to be rude but as he's only young it's easily done) so try and sit as straight as you can when you ask. Perhaps get someone to lunge you on him to see if the penny drops.

If not try a raised pole in the corner of the school and ask whilst you go over that. The raised pole was what finally got BH to work it out. Took him months though the slow creature!
 
There are lots of different tips for doing this and some will work better than others for you. I'm sure you'll get lots of different tips from HHO members for you to try.

For me, the way to work on it long-term will also be different but bearing in mind how long you have I would say to try raising the inside rein up as you ask for the canter - make sure you don't bring it across the neck. You can also turn your head to look over your outside shoulder.

Good luck
 
2 wks may not be long enough! We couldn't canter right at all a year ago - friesians are supposed to be late developing - now we are ok 80 - 85%% of the time and now trying for round 20m circles in canter!

I had lots of lessons from YO who also schooled him in the winter. We worked on lunge and in the school lots of circle work with a tendency to work 2/3 of the time on the poor side all at trot. Always asking him to step away from my inside leg with a firm steady outside rein held a little lower and on the bend, raise inside hand quite high.
Only since March have we been getting the correct lead and then he might change leg!

When asking for a canter always in the same corner to start with and if we get the correct lead go large and let him enjoy himself. If wrong lead back to 20m circle, trot, halt, collect and using above aids ask again. Always try for 2 or 3 in a row correctly.
 
My first horse would only canter on the right lead when he landed over a fence after ageeeeees and various different people's opinions i went to jane bartle wilson at yorkshire riding centre, she made me trot him REALLY fast until he pushed himself into canter on the right leg, worked a trick and eventually he could canter right normally, he was a baby and obviously very unequal!

Not sure if that will help! but good luck anyway!
 
I am in a very similar position to you at the moment :)

I have tried so many 'tricks', but my horse was so determined to pick up the wrong lead, that it took us three months of trying to get him on the right leg under saddle once :)

We started by warming up ridden with no canter, then lunging him like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyJsh-qLvjg (not my video) with lots of canter transitions. I think that the gadget helped him to be working properly before the transition, as well as being on a circle which obviously made him more likely to pick the right leg.


After he had done this for a little while, and I was sure that he had built up the necissary muscles and found it generally easier to go on that leg, I started to ask him under saddle.

He didn't actually have a proper que for that leg, so we then went back to the lunge, gave it more of a voice command and then established a clearer leg aid for canter (rarely on the right leg, but it was canter, and he was trying his best)

We are now at the point where occasionally when I ask him he will get it right, but I have to do certain things.

*Go on the wrong diagonal when you are trotting before you ask for canter. I have no idea why, but if I'm on the wrong, he seems to get it right more often.

*If he gets it wrong, let him go for a couple of strides, pull him up, and in less than three strides of trot, ask him for canter again. Sometimes this will be on the right leg, sometimes I will have to do it again.. certainly made my reaction times much quicker!

*He gets lots of fuss and pats if he gets it right, and at the moment, is only asked to do about a side of the school until the last transition where I keep him going a bit longer, because I am trying to establish the t/c transition, and get as may transitions in as possible before he gets too hot and sweaty :)


*My horse found walk/canter easier to get the right leg in. Might be worth a try?

* Try not asking him in a corner. Everyone told me to bend him right in to the corners, then ask, but I found having to think about all of that, and canter actually made it harder for him, and now I tend to ask him on the streight, or just before a corner.


* don't throw all of your weight to the inside, it will just unbalance both of you :)

* actually asking for a slight outside bend to make sure he wasn't poping his shoulder out just before a transition could help, as could resting your whip on his/her shoulder and maybe give a tap if you feel him/her doing it significantly.


*Get someone else to ride him/her. This will check if the problem may lie with you. I must add, some horses will initially go a bit better for a different rider.

*ask him bareback. Some horses just go better without a saddle, even if it does fit, I would imagine that they do restrict a little bit of movement. :)

If you need anything explaining a bit better, don't hesitate to ask :p
 
I would suggest you invest in 2 lessons each week with a good instructor between now and your event, that will give you 4 lessons to work on this. I have recently been using a classical dressage instructor and I cannot recommend it highly enough for ironing out problems!!

The other thing i would suggest is to really make sure you get your outside leg really really really far back as you can when you're asking for the transition and squeeze plenty with it! Like you're trying to touch his hip bone! If you look at the likes of Edward, Laura, Carl etc you will see in certain movements they have their legs REALLY far back behind the girth! Also be as firm as you can with you inside leg on the girth and maybe even exaggerate the inside bend to the inside (but hold him up with the outside rein) and if you can remember on top of all that try to gently roll your fingers continually over the reins as you are doing all this so much the better!! :D This may or may not work for your horse esp if there are underlying problems... Also remember to ensure you have a lovely rhythmic balanced trot underway before you try to ask for the transition!

But I would definitely get as many lessons as you can in between now and the test, there is very little that can substitute for frequent coaching from an expert instructor!
 
it might be really usful to work out if your pony is dtraight from the floor untacked and from the ground have a good look round note how she stands and look at you , how wonky you are, ive never met a straight person yet,lol
we are all wonky to some degree, have you experimented at sitting in a differant place when asking for right canter lead, which side does she/ he throw you out of, nobody can say till a true measure of what happening, with you and pony can be given, video your self, and send it me,"if your ard enough:p or get the phillipe karl dvd;s or books, there really useful, good luck
 
Thanks everyone! Lots of things to try. Am definitely booking my instructor as much as possible, unfortunately she has a little boy so our lessons have been a bit hit and miss recently with childcare issues. Have told her we need to see her as much as possible between now and the show!

The other slight problem is that the school at my yard is being redone so we are schooling in a field so it's a bit less structured. On the other hand it's perfect practice for showing!!
 
Also remember that when you get to the show DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE RIGHT CANTER. Relax and smile, if you get the wrong lead it's not the end of the world, it'll come right in the end and the main thing is you know you're working on it at home. B*gger what anyone else at the show thinks!
 
Just another - try walk to canter. This gives you time to think of the aids clearly and definity and get them in you mind so you use you leg with the correct timing. It worked for one of mine that I tried all the poles, circles, etc. My present horse can walk to canter OK, but sometimes has trouble from trot to canter!
 
Thanks everyone, some great ideas to try. And yes the main aim of the show, which will be his first ridden show, is that he behaves and we don't totally disgrace ourselves! I've recruited some friends to practise working with other horses as I'm a bit worried about that too!
 
Ozz struggles on the right rein, but is 100% if I ask for a couple of steps of baby travers before I ask for the transition, just the first time I ask on that rein, to help him get the idea :) I also do big figure of eights with him (sort of) cantering half a circle, then trotting half a circle, then cantering half on the other rein, then trotting half etc. The repetition helps his balance and seems to help him understand what I'm asking :)

J&C
 
create an outside bend, move your shoulders slightly to the outside, maintain an rythmical and easy trot, keep it relaxed, stay balanced and ask.
 
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