My paint figured out finally how to canter with me in saddle, so any time I trot her in the beginning of my riding (well, almost any time) she tries to speed up and go to canter instead of trot (in ring and on trail too). Looks like she's just overexcited (she just turned 4 last month). I tried half-halts, but they don't seem to help much. I also do the circles, but she's actually speeding up on circle even more. Is there any other ways to work with her on that? She mostly does it while she's fresh, after 5-10 mins of good trot she slows down.
Sit very straight and deep and resist with your seat, that helps.
Don't canter for awhile. Arrow occasionally goes through times when he won't rack at all. So I don't let him do anything but a rack besides a walk for a day or two, and he stops anticipating.
Teach voice commands on a lunge line and use those to pick your speeds under saddle. Teach here that you aren't canter unless she hears canter.
You could try lunging at the beginning if she is fresh for that period of time. With the slowing down issues, with my TB, if he's getting too fast, I just keep making him go at the trot. If he breaks, I stop him, make him stand, start him again.
Actually she doesn't do it on lunge at all - she's in opposite pretty slow (like falling in sleep). I do have a feeling she's trying to please (it was kinda long way for both of us before she figured out the cantering thing and she's still learning). The problem is I don't really need that type of "please". Lol!
Vega would get like this one me, so I know what you're going through.
If I asked for a trot and she would go faster, I'd start with a big circle and slowly work my way down into a smaller one and then down into an even smaller one, until she would have a nice steady trot, then I would go back out onto the rail and keep doing this until I could go around the arena without her going faster. Though that won't work out on the trail.
Have you tried doing a one rein stop with her?
Make sure that you aren't anticipating anything either. I found that was one of my biggest things when riding Vega. I would anticipate (when we would pick up the trot) that she'd go faster and faster and she would.
I also would take my outside rein, hold it a little higher and tighter than my inside rein and for the whole time we were trotting, I'd just squeeze and release the rein. With that technique I was able to slow her down to a nice little western jog (I realize that may not be the best thing to use, but it worked for me)
do you just get on and go??? if you do then it is being planted that "when someone is on i go!" my rule of thumb is get on and just sit there for about 5 minutes. this will help with the eagerness to "want" to go. then as you want to move through the gaits ask for them slowly. if you think s-l-o-w then they will for the most part want to slow down. sound like she likes to canter! you could reward her with cantering....trot and walk. if you are happy with her performance then let her canter a few circles. but get back to working. i hope this helps.
No, I don't get on and go. I walk always 10 mins at least making turns, circles, etc. before going to trot. I don't like lunging either of them because 1) they are not big fans of it and they do it pretty nicely anyway, 2) it makes me very dizzy... My biggest concern is she's just little over 4 years old and cantering too much is not a good thing yet.
Appy, I can use one-rein stop (oh, boy she's FAST at turning her hinds) as I work on it once in while with both of them, I just don't want to use it all the time. May be you are right and I antircipate way too much, so she thinks I really enjoy it. Lol!
change things up with her - don't let her anticipate that at "such and such" point she'll have the opportunity to canter...do serpintines, circles, changes of direction, etc.
Thanks for posting that Kickshaw!
I did that with Vega too! It really helped. I would also go down the diagonal lines, up the center line, go halfway up and then track left or right, it really helped too.
You can try the circles again wait till he gets to a good pace and let him out. Walk and if its a good forward walk. Try to go into a steady trot, if he gets to forward try the circles again. I had the problem where my mare would take over and thats what I did.
I also did this, where if she got to fast I would ask for the walk, if she dosent go into the walk after I ask twice. The I make her hault, back up a couple paces, wait for a good hault or lick and chew. Then trot on again if she got to forward again I would repeat. After a couple times she relized that if she was going to take over I mad her do something els.
Or if none of that works you can try the circles again, If he dosent get a nice steady pace... Then disengage him make him wait. Then walk on and if that dosent work and he still wants to go forward and take over. Then make him work! Say ok if you want to go lets really work. And continue a good forward trot not like blasting around in a crazy trot but under control and make him move more forward through his hind so he is really pushing from behind. Then he'll be like this is no fun and want to stop but keep pushing and say no were going to work...
I did all that with my mare and she dosent take over any more and she isnt before my aids.
you can also do a lot of transitions but I wouldnt try the canter until you get the trot better.
I just retrained a standardbred to canter...and he does the same thing very often. In the beginning of a lesson, he'll have a beautiful well collected easy trot...but once i ask him to canter...he assumes that what we're doing the rest of the time.
I solve it by
Working in the other direction
Circles
Keep very spongy reigns when on the circles...really ask for a bend
Try to work long and low as much as possible.
Restric with that seat
Try the sitting trot...ask them to use the back more and slow it down a bit
I just skimmed the responses so this has probably already been said but...
Go back to the basics. Lot's of walk to trot, trot to halt, halt to trot, trot to walk, walk to halt transitions. I mean trot for about the strait of way, halt, walk to the shortway on the ring, halt, change directions, trot for a few lenghths, halt. After you really have all the attention pick up the canter for just a few strides and halt. Change directions and do it again. If they get fast, go back to the trot. You want them to anticipate the whoa...
My gelding used to rush around, what i'd do is say if i am going to the right open up my inside rein, keep the other steady .. and if he started to rush i'd do a 20m circle and get them at a steady pace again, if it happened again do the same thing, They understand it, it works .. for many horses.
If you can do it without being scared or nervous, and have the chance; give the signal for canter and let her run untill she's tired, praising her and don't slow her down. When she breaks of, start cantering again, praise her a lot, and then take her down after a few leaps. Praise even more. You can do it a few times (asking for canter and almost immediatly break up, with a lot of praise) with some trot or walk between and she'll learn it's good to stop too. After that first, long run, decde to stop her after x amount of leaps and focus on that, change the amount each time untill she learns to wait for your signal and pay attention to you. Always praise both in the start of the canter and when she slows down, but not in the middle of it.
When you low down, take gently in the reins, give and take (but don't give completely before she slows down, she's not supposed to be rewarded, just avoiding to get used to a constant pull), sit down and calmly thnk that she'll break of to trot.
If it doesn't help to let her run herself tired once, don't try it again. If it becomes a habit to do so each time you ride, your problem will be worse. But do it once, with a good warm up, and I think it can help, actually, It sounds like she just wants to please you, not to cause trouble.
When you ride, avoid starting canter on the same places.
When she's walking, make sure she walks calmly, sometimesit helps if she has to focus on something else; start moving her hindquarter to the sides or something, make a leg yield over the road, give her something to focus on.
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