Right Canter Lead Issues

My horse has always picked up correct canter leads when asked until the last several months. Now he will not pick up a right canter lead, always a left lead. He is VERY well balanced because he can counter canter and you will not realize it unless you are paying attention.

I can free lunged him, put him on a lunge line, with or without side reins and he will pick up the correct canter lead each time. The moment I get on him...

This is telling me there is an issue with me, and I believe I know where the problem lies. I had a congenital dislocated hip (a birth defect where my hip was not formed correctly) which I have had issues with over the years, but has not kept me out of the saddle until last winter. Now arthritis has set in and I cannot get my right hip to engage correctly.

Can anyone give me some advice on what I can do? How can I get the lead without using my hip?

You may have to work with your horse and maybe hire a trainer to set up a different cue for the right lead. I'm sure that there is some way for both you and the horse to compensate for the lack of mobility in your hip, it will just take some time to re-train the cue. The most important thing is that you are still riding, hopefully without pain.

Welcome to the forum .

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Where I live there are a lot of "trainers" who you shake your head at.
There was a clinic given recently by a trainer (a reiner, and I ride dressage) who came to the area (and I thought might help), who only suggested I make it my horses responsibility to pick up the correct lead and his was of getting him to was by rushing the trot, and keep asking forward until he cantered. :(
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That's too bad. Are there any good dressage trainers around you?

3+ hour haul one way.
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Yikes. I would try to offer some suggestions but it would take a lot of conversing about the different cues that are already there as I ride western and know nothing about dressage. You might want to PM a member here named Spyder, there is also one named ~Anebel~. Very knowledgeable dressage people, one of them might be able to offer a few suggestions that would be feasible and practical for you.

Edited to add: Sorry, the second member's username is ~*~anebel~*~. There are also several others that are very knowledgeable, those are just the first 2 to come to mind.