Young horse canter problems!!!

[Tate]

Hi,

long story short, i have only started riding this year and have been learning on my 5 year old. Yes its crazy and on paper its incredibly stupid, but its working for us.

My boy went away to be re schooled whilst i learnt to ride. I had bought him a new close contact jumping saddle. This was sold to me by a professional saddler who didnt inform me of the type of saddle i was buying and how wrong it was for me to be learning to ride in! I was a complete newbie to everything horsey... I was never quite happy with the fit and had them back out 4 times to adjust. In the end it was causing my horse to buck in canter and actually damaging his back. He had 2 weeks off and niw has a gp saddle which is perfect fit. He has been going sooo well with his new saddle he is like a completky different horse. He has always found canter difficult and would occasionally do a tiny buck when asked to carry the canter on, but i always thought thsi was beacsue it was hard for him. Thsi week however i had someone else ride him and he was severly bucking and always going on the wrong leg in canter. I lunged him the next day and he was disuniting on the left rein.

Could this be still soreness from the old saddle? A new injury? Or the way he was being ridden?..

Thanks x

 

[Destario]

Could be all manner of things. Simple weakness, muscle imbalance, poor fit of tack, bad shoeing, poor initial training, horse being generally wonky! Very hard to know.

A vet check is probably a good place to start to check for low grade lameness and a physio to assess muscular problems. And ensure you are using an excellent farrier as foot imbalance and incorrect shoes can have a huge effect.

It might also be worth finding a pro/instructor who can assess and hop on for a feel and should be able to tell you more

 

[Damnation]

The odd buck in canter (especially in corners or on a circle) wouldn't worry me with a young horse as canter can be hard for them before they learn where their balance is. If someone more experienced has gotten on him and asked him to straighten up and you get that quite extreme reaction, I would say it is definately worth getting the vet and a physio out, no offence intended to the OP but as you are still new to all of this, you won't have learnt the same "feel" for how straight a horse is and if they are holding themselves in a certain way which I suspect is happening here. (This "feel" will come with time and experience)

He is also only 5, have you had his teeth done? Teething or wolf teeth can cause issues in younger horses as it can make their mouth very sore. Your Vet should be able to have a look at his teeth to see if there are any underlying issues on that front.

I am no expert but I was told that a Close Contact saddle was for occasional use, they (to my knowledge) are known for causing a sore back but this isn't your fault, as a professional they should have explained things to you better. You have taken the right step with getting a better saddle suited to you both, but I would definately investigate the possibility that it has made his muscles sore and he may well need time off to allow it all to calm down. It will then take a while for your horse to realise it won't hurt.

 

[Tate]

Thank you both for your replies. I have always known he struggles with canter because he is young and i have a few lessons a week with my instructor. When she rides him he seems to struggle in canter and only does a small buck almost to say its a bit hard, but just gets on with it. I dont canter him as i just havent got the confidence for if he does buck, im sure i will get there one day. It was my friend who rode him sunday when he went bronco side bucking with her. She doesnt use the same instructor as me. He has never bucked with me when i do practice canter, my other friend cantered him today, she does use the same instructor me, and he was good as gold, but still struggling keeping the canter up.. Could it be her style of riding? Or could he be a bit sore still? Ive booked a physio appointment for beggining of jan. Im giving him two weeks rest over the xmas just in case he is sore

 

[Damnation]

Thank you both for your replies. I have always known he struggles with canter because he is young and i have a few lessons a week with my instructor. When she rides him he seems to struggle in canter and only does a small buck almost to say its a bit hard, but just gets on with it. I dont canter him as i just havent got the confidence for if he does buck, im sure i will get there one day. It was my friend who rode him sunday when he went bronco side bucking with her. She doesnt use the same instructor as me. He has never bucked with me when i do practice canter, my other friend cantered him today, she does use the same instructor me, and he was good as gold, but still struggling keeping the canter up.. Could it be her style of riding? Or could he be a bit sore still? Ive booked a physio appointment for beggining of jan. Im giving him two weeks rest over the xmas just in case he is sore

It is true that some horses just do not get on with some riders, but that is quite extreme.

Good that you have a physio sorted, but I would still ask a vet to come out and give him a once over and look in his mouth incase there is something there that needs to be treated.

Do you lunge him at all? I've always found the odd lunging session helps a young horse establish balance without a rider on board.

 

[Sukistokes2]

At five I would not be too worried about the canter in a school, as long as he had been checked by a vet and his back is fine, the teeth and tack were fine. It takes a lot of strength and balance to canter in a school and the odd buck would just be an indication of that. I am having difficulties with my Clydesdale, at ten, because he has never done it. He lacks the muscle and skill to maintain the canter. I am currently concentrating on balancing the walk and trot, with only short sessions of canter to build him up. I am mainly cantering on hacks, helping him to understand its ok to canter, as he really seems never to have been allowed to. Can you not do more work on your canter while out hacking Also make sure to get the saddle checked regularly, as your horse will change shape dramatically as he builds up with the work.

 

[twiggy2]

Could be all manner of things. Simple weakness, muscle imbalance, poor fit of tack, bad shoeing, poor initial training, horse being generally wonky! Very hard to know.

A vet check is probably a good place to start to check for low grade lameness and a physio to assess muscular problems. And ensure you are using an excellent farrier as foot imbalance and incorrect shoes can have a huge effect.

It might also be worth finding a pro/instructor who can assess and hop on for a feel and should be able to tell you more

This