Canter

[Max]

I'm training my horse Timira right now.I'm not into competition but I still try my best with my mare and she tries for me so I'm happy.By the way do you have any suggestions for my horse?You see when she lopes she does more of a crow hop than actually loping.I got her last June and I think that she has been trotting most of her life because it took quite a bit to get her to lope and she would rather trot than do anything else she has givin me other signs of this but it would take to long to go into.Ive been trying to figure what is causing it for a couple of months what do you think?

[Ruby Rider]

well... 1st if you are just trying to get her to canter... try it in the round pen on the ground. Letting her canter.... and if she dose the round penning ok to your standards... get a whip... whenever she bucks or crow hops or just flat out dosent go!!! ... make her feet move!!!... give her a chance to think about it first tho but most of all get after her ... like clinton anderson says " make the right thing easy, and the wronge thing dificult"... i did that with my horsese cus how you decribed it my horse did the same thing and now she will canter on comand... :)

[Walk_On_Cowgirl]

one thing you can do is like stated before, put her in a round pen. if it's a fairly tight circle she has to go into a canter. otherwise she will cross canter (right lead with the front, wrong lead with the back) if she does this just keep pushing her forward....she'll work herself out of it. while on her back it does seem like she's bucking but really she's just kinda outta tilter. in the mean time while teaching her to take leads you can also put a light chain on the inside feet (the one's taking the lead) this will encourage her to move these feet first and together. also turning her head to the outside will also help get that front shoulder out first. hope this works!

[reneigh]

I have a 1/2 Standardbred, so I have some experience with a trotting horse who doesn't want to canter, lol...

The way the lady who owned Fiona before me taught her to canter was to pretty much chase her and whip her and rush her into it, which would explain why she rushes it now. I helped her out by making her trot and canter with side reins on a lunge-line and a few weeks later I asked for it without the line and she was a lot more balanced and happy and willing to pick it up. Now, 5 months since I bought her, she is picking up the correct lead each time I ask for the canter under saddle. She still rushes, but she's getting better every time.

My advice to you is when you ask for the canter, sit deeply into the saddle and really make her go forward. Don't allow her to rush it, make her work. It won't be pretty the first few times, but it'll help.
Whatever you do with an unbalanced horse, you have to enforce it with your seat and never your hands.

Whatever you do, DO NOT rush it. Seek help from a trainer if you feel you're not progressing. Trainers aren't just for competitors. If you want a horse to just be able to hack out with and canter calmly on the trails, you should ask for help.

Good luck =]

[reneigh]

one thing you can do is like stated before, put her in a round pen. if it's a fairly tight circle she has to go into a canter. otherwise she will cross canter (right lead with the front, wrong lead with the back) if she does this just keep pushing her forward....she'll work herself out of it. while on her back it does seem like she's bucking but really she's just kinda outta tilter. in the mean time while teaching her to take leads you can also put a light chain on the inside feet (the one's taking the lead) this will encourage her to move these feet first and together. also turning her head to the outside will also help get that front shoulder out first. hope this works!

Everything I read in this response makes absolutely no sense.
A) If it's a tight circle, cantering is HARDER and it will make the horse pissed off, not canter
B) If a young, unexperienced horse goes into cross canter, YOU SHOULD NOT MAKE THEM KEEP GOING. That's just teaching them bad habits, and not to mention once again pissing them off.
C) The chain idea, to me, seems like torture and abuse, not a training aid. I have NEVER heard of this.
D) I don't know what kind of riding you do, but counter flexion with a young, unbalanced, inexperienced horse will only create problems, not solutions.

[Max]

On the "Canter" subject it's not that making her move is a problem it's her actual canter is screwy.When a horse canters it picks its front feet up and pushes off with horse hind feet (correct me if I'm wrong) well my horse does the same thing except when she picks up her front feet she picks them way up, but her hind feet are normal so I can't even stay in the saddle because I'm bouncing so much.Help if you have any advice :confused:

[bethfornow]

have you ever tried tying her down. (ie tieing the reins to her girth through her front legs) this usually keeps them pretty level. at least it does with quarter horses whos main problem as a breed is pulling with the shoulder instead of pushing off the hip.

the first time you do it tie her very lightly so that she barly feel pressure from the bit. if too much pressure is applied too soon she'll freak out. Hope this helps

PS renigh is correct. you should never let a young horse cross canter.

[reneigh]

I suggest giving bethfornow's advice a go. Either a tie-down [western] or draw reins [english] could help. But either way, you should have a professional help you out. Draw reins can be very dangerous if they aren't used properly.

Seems to me like you both need help with your balance. You should ask a professional trainer for help. If you can't sit in the saddle, you need to learn how to ride with your core and your calves, especially on an unbalanced horse, and a professional can help you with that, as well as teach your horse to gain her balance, too.

=]