A Racker to Canter?

[HorseDayz11]

So, I have a racking horse, Morgan/Saddlebred cross, named Rose. I have a little story. My question will be somewhere, so sorry you have to look for it, I may bold it for you.

I wanted to know if a racking horse can canter. At least, a slow collected canter I can control with my twelve year old spirited racking mare. The first person I asked is someone I can really trust. His name is Jeff and he is quite a horse expert, he has helped me train my mare with a few ground work techniques I didn't know much about. Anyway I asked him, How can I get Rose to canter slow and not fast? He told me circles, circles, circles. Everytime she sped up circle her in a tight one-rein. Yes, I have tried this, but it doesn't really work quite well with her. After the circle, after she slows down, when she puts herself straight again [anywhere rail or midddle] she continues to speed up her canter. He also asked me to quit my speed classes for the show season. I understand the reasoning if it wasn't show season, but I need those speed classes right now, otherwise, I'd deffinately not do speed. Usually, I don't do speed outside of show night anyway [which is why we are bad haha] because I work on Rose's gait.

I then asked a trainer I know that I don't really like, but she is smart. Her name is Robin. She is nice and all, but my grandmother and I don't like her training methods. When I asked her though, she made a lot of sense in her reply. She said Rose is a racking horse. Well, I know that, but I didn't know too much about their gaits, so I kinda followed along. She said it wasn't impossible to canter Rose, but it is harder than any other type of horse. She said to squeeze when I ride her with my legs, because it takes a lot of leg muscle to do it. I agreed and said I do squeeze with my thighs and knees to keep her moving forward. She said squeeze my whole leg around her barrel. This will roll up her back and let her hindquarters come under her to lift her frontquarters which will help her canter slow. I haven't tried it yet, but I will soon. I will let you know what happens. I need your opinions on my situation.

[Walk_On_Cowgirl]

Racking horses CAN canter....and without any trouble at all. Once they're trained to do so it's very smooth. I have a 3 time Trail Racking champion who canters with ease. I would suggest training her on the ground first, them move to the saddle....keep her on a lunge line (have someone on the ground) and make her canter. That way the person on the ground can help you control her speed until she becomes more consistant. One important thing is to make sure you sit tall and deep in the saddle, by doing this you're actually telling your horse alot, you also have more control this way. Some horses need a little help getting started cantering, so turn her nose slightly outside, this helps her get her shoulder out. A pretty collected canter does take some time. With my guy it didn't take much to teach him but the consistancy took a while. So in short, try the ground work first then move to the saddle. Let me know how it works for ya.

[silverleprichuan]

Racking horses CAN canter....and without any trouble at all. Once they're trained to do so it's very smooth. I have a 3 time Trail Racking champion who canters with ease. I would suggest training her on the ground first, them move to the saddle....keep her on a lunge line (have someone on the ground) and make her canter. That way the person on the ground can help you control her speed until she becomes more consistant. One important thing is to make sure you sit tall and deep in the saddle, by doing this you're actually telling your horse alot, you also have more control this way. Some horses need a little help getting started cantering, so turn her nose slightly outside, this helps her get her shoulder out. A pretty collected canter does take some time. With my guy it didn't take much to teach him but the consistancy took a while. So in short, try the ground work first then move to the saddle. Let me know how it works for ya.


That's good advice. Let her canter on a lunge line and figure things out on her own. Once she realizes she can canter at a nice slow pace you'll have a better chance of getting it undersaddle. The only thing I wanted to add is to make sure it a fairly large circle because a really small one might throw her off balance.

The advice you got about the small circles works well with a horse who knows better but is misbehaving. It sounds like your horse is willing but she just hasn't figured things out yet. Good luck, I'm sure she'll develop a nice canter quickly, especially if she's solid in her other gaits.

[HorseDayz11]

Rose is shaky a little bit in her gaits. Her pace is solid, but again I mention shaky. In a turn, she messes up her pace a bit and by this one gate, she speeds up her walk, but she is pretty solid in her gaits. You know, about ninety percent of the time.

Robin did say work her on ground in the round pen. It is a little small, but she canters pretty smoothly there. The thing is, I can't tell if she is cantering the way I want or not. I am the type of person who can tell by feeling it better than seeing. You knoe what I mean? I could ask Robin, but I don't think my grandmother would agree, and she may ask me to pay if she helps me. Then again, I could ask Jeff, but I don't know. Tomorrow I will be out there and I will deffinately try everything.

I try and sit tall, but it seems I can't flow the deep with it. This is western, so if I sit tall, my butt rises of the cantle. I am supposed to be sitting on my jean pockets. It is difficult, but I work on that everytime I ride. I really hope she canters soon, but I do know it takes time. I will work on ground work tommorow and ride a little. I will try to find someone to help. Thank you and I will keep you posted on any more questions and my results.

Also, speaking of questions, are you two the only gaited advice people? Haha.

[ashleygoesrawr]

I try and sit tall, but it seems I can't flow the deep with it. This is western, so if I sit tall, my butt rises of the cantle. I am supposed to be sitting on my jean pockets. It is difficult, but I work on that everytime I ride. I really hope she canters soon, but I do know it takes time. I will work on ground work tommorow and ride a little. I will try to find someone to help. Thank you and I will keep you posted on any more questions and my results.

Also, speaking of questions, are you two the only gaited advice people? Haha.

aren't, technically, you are supposed to sit the same, english or western? my mom rode and showed western pleasure and showmanship for many many years, and she taught me how to ride western, and essentially you are supposed to sit on your crotch bones either way. maybe this is only the way pleasure riders are supposed to sit, i don't know. i'm just wondering if people are riding differently now. correct me if i'm wrong, i haven't done western in years, and maybe things have changed =) maybe i'm completely wrong and confused! hehe. sorry to sound so picky. it just made me curious!

[mhoney05]

i think when you cantering in westernyou sit on your butt......im not sure but when my trainer tells me to do it......its harder for me to be comfortable like that because you still have to reach your hands way up to hold on to the reins



i just sit normally

[HorseDayz11]

Ashley yeah. I guess your right. I was just reminding that this is western and gaited english riders may sit different than gaited western riders. I am not sure. I was just being specific =D.

mhoney yeah. I do sit down, I haven't tried anything today yet. I will be out there tonight, but I sit back on my butt and flow with my horse as one. Is that making her extend her canter and make it seem fast to me? If you read my comment on that incredible dressage video, it says that I think the extended canter is fast. That may be what my mare is doing and I don't know how to collect her.

[ella bar miss&frankiebaby]

i'm not any better than any of these people, or any smarter, but just read this. I think if she starts to speed up you should do what i do with my friend's horse(she has a back problem and can't ride). Sit deep and say easy, easy, and slighty tighten the reins, just so it slows her down instead of stopping her. it works like a charm, and she has a beautiful lope.

It's simple, i know, but hey, it works=)

[iluvcreek4vr]

Do a lot of circles and see sawing on the reins and backing...thats how i am getting my horse to slow down.

[Walk_On_Cowgirl]

When cantering you should really try using your legs to help you keep your seat as well as keeping the canter going. Riding english or western, gaited or non gaited the canter is basically a universal gait and should be ridden the same. Now in Western pleasure (QH's) the lope is typically a longer drawn out version of the canter in slow motion, but has the same basic principals. Moving with your horse as one is great, but it also needs to be in control as well, for example, my cousin used to flop around like a chicken at the canter....very uncollected and out of control. So therefore, there should be control there as well.

Now as far as slowing down the canter as a whole, well it's very achievable. Being solid in your other gaits is not a must but it definately does help. Consistancy if a huge factor in the show ring, and is just basically important to have a well rounded/trained horse, but like I've said previously, it takes tons of time! Back to cantering, having a collected, controlled canter, first you need to make sure that you are holding the reins correct. Cantering gaited horses most generally require having a tighter rein, sometimes even having the outside rein tighter, bringing the nose to the outside. The thing I do starting off a horse cantering is while riding I make sure they know that they can canter with you on them, so therefore if you haven't cantered her a lot then this is going to be faster than what you really want. This is okay!!! Don't be concerned at first. Once the horse learns that they can canter with you then now is the time to work on collection and variable speeds. When you get to this point, sitting tall and deep is really important. Posture means a lot to a horse and gaining control. Also tightening the reins and slowing down like you do with gait transitions is basically how you control the cantering speed. The only difference is that you won't break the canter, you'll then use your legs to keep the canter going. I hope this makes sense, hopefully I'm explaining this right. In short, it takes time time time, so be prepared to spend many many hours at the barn riding and working on this. If you work with her consistanly then you'll see major improvements, not only at the canter but at the other gaits as well. I would suggest riding and working on these things at least every other day. Remember horses learn by repeatation.

[HorseDayz11]

ella simple is the best way to go. I have done that and it does work like a charm, but my horse is getting smart. She works her way around it, but it is really good advice thanks. :)

creek I used see sawing with my reins to teach my horse to gait, so that wouldn't work. She would be confused if I asked her that, but I understand the solution you came up with. I now use leg pressure to get her to gait, but I am not sure I want to try see sawing again for slowing down as well as gait training.

walk on legs, legs, legs. I know. When I ride my legs begin to hurt, well, after I get off the horse, but I use leg most of the time. Also, I do stay in control when I move with Rose. If I bounce around, it could hurt her back. Everyone says I have a natural seat. Haha, I may, but I use my legs to keep her going and to keep balance.

With my reins, I keep them generally tight. She is a fast mare normally. People keep saying, ride with a loose rein. Well, they have never been on my mare. Gaited horses are fast and I have noticed need a tighter rein in general. Also, I have pulled her nose slightly to the outside rail before to slow her down. I love that exercise, it really works. When I rode today, I finally fit the tall and deep combination. It worked like a charm. Thank you so much for that advice. You see, the only thing I don't have is time. I can't make it to my barn as much as I want. It sucks horribly, but I can't drive, and my grandmother doesn't like to sit at the barn. She doesn't really like horses. This is why I try to do so much in such a timely manner in the time I have at my barn.

Today, I got that combination and used Robin's advice with leg pressure from every point. We started at a pace then moved slowly into a canter. It was great. As in, she was slow, but still speedy, but she understood my command. It was completely different than the canter I felt just two days back. Before I rode though, I worked her in our round pen. We started at an extended trot then by voice command [up, up] she moved into a canter. She was extremely fast though. I said slow and she got into the canter I wanted, but then she began pacing. I said up and she canters fast. Then slow and progessed back to a trot. This continued for a while until she realized what I wanted. After that, when I said slow, her canter was the right lead and the right speed. I was excited. I got on her, bareback and halter only. I asked her to canter with leg pressure and she did, but to fast. I then sat deeper and said slow and went to a pace. It didn't take as long for my mare to realize what I wanted, so we finally did it. Then I saddled her and she was perfect.

I want to thank you all for your advice. It really worked. I am so glad. If I have any more questions, I will let you know. You can also give me more advice, if you think something will work better. :D