what to do when horse falls onto the forehand in canter

[swampdonkey]

i'd appreciate any advice, just starting to ask my horse to canter steady, up until now have been happy to canter out hacking but he seemed to struggle in school. he starts off steady and can do large circles but rushes down the long side after a while. not sure if he is getting tired or taking the mick. he was in riding school for years and i am a fairly novice rider so not quite sure how to help. half halts don't work, he either comes back to trot or ignores them and rushes on. not sure whether to bring him back to trot, give him a little rest then ask again or try to work through it. hope someone can help

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Transitions, transitions and more transitions.

 

[PapaFrita]

More leg

it's hard to describe and harder to feel if you're quite novice, but the back end has to come under him and you'll feel the front end come up. Sooo, you have to use more leg and ride him into your hand (I did say it was hard to feel!) Imagine your horse's body is a spring that you need to compress for his back to come up and legs under him... Does that make any sense at all?
Transitions are very helpful as well. Walk to canter will help engage the hind leg, us SJers, who can't really do dressage, use it a lot

 

[JenTaz]

i have this same problem but if i sit and put my weight as far back as i can it means he has to balance him self and he will find it much harder due to not running down hill also if you do alot of work in sitting trot with long reins and your weight back it will engage his hind quarters and stop him from using his frontend too much

 

[doonrocket]

Horses find it much harder on a cirlcle, soft surface combined with not travelling in a straight line will be conspiring to make the canter feel more laboured. Riding with spurs will be better than desperately trying to get your leg on harder as I find the more you have to excert yourself the worse your position and preciseness of aids gets. Essentially lots of stretching excercises will help. Flex him on both reins in walk while your warming up. It won't happen over night.

 

[Shilasdair]

[ QUOTE ]
i'd appreciate any advice, just starting to ask my horse to canter steady, up until now have been happy to canter out hacking but he seemed to struggle in school. he starts off steady and can do large circles but rushes down the long side after a while. not sure if he is getting tired or taking the mick. he was in riding school for years and i am a fairly novice rider so not quite sure how to help. half halts don't work, he either comes back to trot or ignores them and rushes on. not sure whether to bring him back to trot, give him a little rest then ask again or try to work through it. hope someone can help

[/ QUOTE ]

I suggest that quality is better than quantity.

Useful exercises; <ul type="square">

Canter uphill when out hacking
In the school, leg yield from three quarter line out to track, then ask for canter when you reach the track in the corner (this helps your horse engage his hind leg).
Ride a 20m circle in sitting trot, ask for canter for one stride, return to trot, repeat. As he gets more balanced, increase the number of strides of canter until you feel him lose balance.
Walk to canter transitions - make sure he is in front of your leg in walk (almost joggy) then ask for canter. Again, only a few strides then go back to trot.
Canter him on the lunge - 20m circle, let him find his own balance.
[/list]
Hope these help
S

 

[MrWoof]

I have VERY short legs and used to show Ridden Cobs and BIG Hunters. Very well sprung horses and some rather forward going - sometimes they could become seriously on the forehand. I bought a "Sam Marsh Pelham", which changed my life. Wearing this, they sit up into your hand and the back end does what it should do. There is no point whatsoever in trying to push the back if the front end is not anchored. Riding a horse is like "a pulley" - the back end will never push on properly if the front end is not anchored - you then end up with the horse's head (say) in Hereford and the bum in Monmouth (very long and not acceptable)!!

 

[swampdonkey]

thank you all, will try all the above, let you know how we get on

 

[CBAnglo]

As above - you need to enagage the back end in order to get him off the forehand. Using more leg to encourage to hind leg under, but you need to be able to hold him with your seat. Transitions will also help as said above.

If he rushes down the long side and goes onto the forehand immediately circle - this will engage the back end and bring him off the forehand. Also, let him walk on a long rein in between the work to let him stretch his topline and then ask again.

One of my horses gets very silly until he has had a canter, and if I canter him too much he also gets very silly and tries to rush on the forehand. I have found that transitions make him even more silly so I immediately circle and this balances him. He is a sharp horse though, so I don't need to use leg which I think makes it a lot easier.