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|| Picking up the Canter ||

1K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  Smilie 
#1 ·
I am currently working with a mare that belongs to my grandfather. I was not looking forward to working with her because she has quite the reputation but she is actually a total sweetheart. I have only been having one problem with her. She hates cantering. She canters and gallops around in the field like a crazy thing but when you are on her back she doesn't want to do it. She is physically in shape and their is nothing wrong with her. She has been vet checked and checked out by a chiropractor. Saddle also fits great so I know that she can canter and she is not in any pain. The only way I can get her to canter is by using my crop and I feel bad having to smack her quite often to get her to canter and then continue cantering. When I kick and kiss she just speeds up her trot and wont break into a canter.
If anyone has any ideas as to what I can do to get a good canter when I ask instead of her speeding up her trot that would be wonderful.
Thanks!
 
#4 ·
Work her in the trot until she's completely balanced there. It really sounds like she's not balanced in the trot and so is unsure about going faster. Once she's completely balanced at the trot, then she'll be more comfortable moving up to the canter.
 
#5 ·
Very common for some green horses just to try and trot faster, instead of picking up the canter
I would not use a crop or spurs, on a green horse to pick up nay gait.
Do you know how to make it easy for a horse to pick up the canter? I'm not talking about a trained horse, where you have basics like shoulder and hip control, plus some softness in the face and poll, but even a green colt?
Does this horse know voice cues, lunging, for the various gaits? If so, use them along with leg aids
The easiest way to have a green horse pick up the canter, is using a circle, asking in the corner. Sit up, use outside leg, keep that inside shoulder up with inside rein, and use a kiss, or whatever verbal cue for the canter that she knows, and just keep using that verbal cue, while bumping with out side leg, until she picks up that canter. Don't hold on the mouth.
Method number two, is to first do all the work at a trot and walk, to teach body control, so you can position that horse to pick up that canter made easy. For that you need hip control, shoulder control, some lateral moves, understanding of basic collection-enough that legs mean drive deeper, while staying light in the face and poll, thus stepping up into the canter from behind, versus out of forward momentum, by trotting faster, until she 'falls ' into that cnater
 
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