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Cantering the gaited horse!

3K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  evilamc 
#1 ·
Everytime a post starts with pics it makes me happy, so starting mine right.




So Jax, my TWH (first gaited horse ever) canters great under saddle. I knew this when I bought him.

New mare, Orianna, I'm honestly not sure if she knows how, I know some don't train their TWH to canter under saddle. She does canter in the field...and yesterday I had her on the rail trail and she was gaiting sooo nicely..So I decided to see what would happen if I ask for more.

Usually I wouldn't try this the first time in an open straight path but shes a pretty good horse so I figured why not.

When I first cued her she went into a faster running walk...maybe even to be considered a rack? So I pushed her for a little more and its like she started cantering from behind then gaiting in front?

How can I help her understand how to canter under saddle? I've never had to train a horse to do this lol! I may just not even bother since shes a guest/husband horse so no need really to ever caner...I just decided to see what would happen if I asked. So should I just keep practicing? I don't have an arena or round pen so everything is done on the trail. Should I slow her back down if she does the goofy thing? Or try asking for more? It was super smooth but def not a canter...

Video because shes adorable
 
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#3 ·
It might be a good idea to do some ground work to "untrain" the "don't canter" training that's likely been used in the past.

How you do this depends on what type of longeing/round penning you normally do.

An alternative is to find a long, straight dirt road (no turns, easy on the feet) and use leg and seat to push for the canter under saddle. This might be a more difficult road, but sometimes it's easier with some horses. I depends on how strong the "don't canter" training was.

The canter uses the body differently so go easy as the training progresses.

Good luck in the project.

G.
 
#4 ·
I don't have a round pen or arena but I do have access to very long roads! We have miles and miles of rail trails here :)

I'll have to take her again and give it a shot, if she really doesn't seem to get it I won't worry about it, she doesn't HAVE to canter. Just decided to see if she could lol!
 
#7 ·
I like that idea, I thought about that too. As we go up the hill I could do the cue too.

Hackamore your idea is great too! I do not have someone to assist me though or a place to really do it at home :( Wish there was a free to use riding arena/park around here like I had back home in DC. Made training a lot easier sometimes when I could trailer over to the ring! If my dirt paddock dries up some I could possibly try lunging in there...the footing is not ideal though, very rutted from winter.

I think I'll combine your ideas. I work on re-enforcing the gait cue as more of a cluck and then going up hills I'll try to cue her for a canter and do a smooch. I'll try and figure out where I can go to work on it on the ground some too. My pastures are pretty small so I really don't like riding/working the horses in them and risk tearing them up.

My gelding LOVES to canter, still working on slowing him down in it lol! I'll play with it some more with my mare though. Like I said, not end of the world if she doesn't do it :)

What would I even call what she was doing though LOL! It was like a canter-running walk ****!
 
#6 ·
TWH’s will canter naturally. Most likely the problem is the horse was never cantered with a rider when she was started under saddle and she may not understand the cue to canter under saddle with a rider.

I would first do a little ground work with the saddle on and teach the horse a verbal cue to go into the canter. For example “cluck” to gait or trot and “smooch” to canter. This will assist you and the horse once you are in the saddle as the horse will have some idea of what you are asking of them. The fist time you try to ride the canter you may also want to have an assistant to help generate some energy from the ground to help get the horse into the canter. This way you can just smooch and just be a passenger and the assistant can flag her into the canter. You also want to make sure you are on a loose rein and stay out of her mouth during this process.

Best of luck.
 
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