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canter help

Krickette January 06, 2012 January 06, 2012

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So Jazz doesn't know how to canter. She doesn't get it. She changes leads constantly, tries to run, counter canters, and will not gather herself. She's got 5 more rides with the trainer before she comes home, where I'm gonna have to deal with it. The main problem is the cross cantering. How do you stop them from doing that?

Monsterpony Fri, 01/06/2012 - 17:58

Sounds like she needs more miles. Balancing herself and a rider at canter takes a lot of skill. Sometimes you just need to find a nice long stretch of straight road and just canter until she gets the hang of it. Also, lots of trotting over cavaletti will get her to use her abs and lift her back, which will improve her strength and make it easier to carry herself.

Maigray Fri, 01/06/2012 - 18:01

I agree. I know its more scary than doing it in an enclosed space, but long straight stretches, out in the open, are the best way to school the canter with a green horse. Just keep off her face, and she'll get it.

rabbitsfizz Tue, 01/10/2012 - 14:10

You have to be sure you never let her go out of a collected, working trot when she goes into canter- you need to hold her back and collect her and then push her forward so that she drives off her hocks and goes up into canter as opposed to falling forward- this is true whether you intend English or Western riding- if the latter, once the horse has got the idea of collection you can slowly let out the reins until the animal no longer relies on the reins to collect it.
Ground work would be good!!

Krickette Wed, 01/11/2012 - 22:24

Thanks! I feel much more prepared haha! I haven't gone out and seen her in a few days, but he told me over the phone that she seems to be getting it more and more. I told him if he could focus on the transitions I think I can handle just putting miles on her. I took a few photos from the other day, but she was in a TERRIBLE mood, so she's making angry faces in a lot of them.
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set…

rabbitsfizz Thu, 01/12/2012 - 14:08

I have to say she just is not in the condition for anything more than a trot- why the hurry to have her cantering?
Even without a rider she is uncollected and all over the place. She needs loads and loads of gentle trotting, up and down hills, out on the trail- don't rush things so much!
Look at those pictures- the pictures where she is happy are when she is doing what she is able to do. The pictures where she is angry and resisting, with good reason IMO, are when she is being asked to do something she is not physically able to do.
You do not ask a ten year old child to start working on an acrobatic bar without teaching it how and giving it all the necessary muscles to be able to do it.
Same with a green horse.

NZ Appaloosas Sat, 01/14/2012 - 02:23

What Rabbit said...my daughter was working on the low bar of the uneven bars for a number of years before she was 'graduated' to work on the upper bar...because a) her musculature had to grow to the point that she could b) develop the proper upper body strength.