Wont take up right lead canter when ridden

T

trickivicki

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Hi All,

I'm at my wits end with my little chap and his refusal to pick up right lead canter!

Physio/ Saddle/ Teeth are all up to date/ fine.

He is a happy little soul just wont canter on the right leg when ridden (so it must be me!?!?!?).

A few instructors have ridden him and were also unable to get him to pick it up correctly.

I am currently working on getting him as happy and supple as possible on both reins and trying to keep him chilled and happy (he is a bit of a worrier).

If I pop him on the wrong lead on the left rein and cut across the arena changing the rein he will maintain the right lead just wont pick up off it.

Any ideas?

(have some low key polework/ jumping sessions booked in to try and loosen him up and build his confidence and also have some schoolmaster lessons booked for me).

It is getting to the stage where I just want to sell him on as a hack and start again!

V x
 
How long have you had him? Does he pick up the correct lead when lunged?

Given that your instructors are able to pick up the correct lead it sounds as though it is an issue with yourself that would probably best be resolved by your instructor.
 
Oops didn't read the original post that carefully.

If your pony doesn't pick up the right lead on the lunge I think you next port of call should be your vet.
 
My ex racer has improved massively through lunge work though this was after thorough investigation and we found he has one hind leg slightly longer than the other following a pelvis injury that healed out of line so this is the cause of his problem. Lunging in the pessoa has built up the muscles to help him when ridden
 
He is only 5 and has always favoured the left lead ridden.

The little ****** will pick up right lead on the lunge and it is his favoured lead running across the field to his mates.

He had physio 2 weeks ago and dentist 2 weeks ago and saddle approx' 1 month ago.

I might go chiro for him in case some sort of pelvis wonk and get my back checked/ straightened at the same time.
 
Given your horse's age, it may also help to simply teach the lead from the basics... That is, teach the horse to bring its quarters in when you move your outside leg back. Then the horse should have little choice but to strike off with the outside leg as that's the one under the body... And should get the correct lead.
 
A horse not picking up the correct lead is not doing it to *******you off. Just because it's happening on the lunge does not make it automatically possible under saddle. Somewhere something is wrong, a horse will take the easiest option, so far the wrong leg is the easiest option. The trick will be to find out what is wrong......?Good luck, he is young.
 
My boy that this exact same problem, I made sure there was no physical issue then got a little tough with him especially as put hacking he loved the right but would not do it in the school.

The biggest thing is to make sure the horse is straight and not loading the left shoulder in the transition. Then we would keep calmly trying till we got it do a few strides then stop before he fell out, sometimes he got a bit of a smack as he would stop trying but now he prefers that lead odd creature!
 
THe other thing I found helped when ridden was to shrink my circle if he was wrong. If I brought him back to trot strait away he was getting tence and stressed and it was making the transitions less forwards. By putting him on a smaller circle he either changed himself or came back to trot by himself as he was out of balance over time he learnt it was easier to strike off correct
 
We got it!!

Had a schoolmaster lesso on Sat that showed up all of my wonky weak points :) then had a lesson on Ossy with a new superhuman instructor on Sunday who got us doing lots on/backs, getting him more reactive to leg, getting me to actually sit still, leg yields and then canter trans over a slanty pole :).

There was a suitable amount of screaming and hugging!


Straight back to her next week to try & concrete it a bit.
V x
 
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