# Cantering horse



## Meggrazzle13 (Nov 25, 2014)

Hi, my coach is currently on vacation so i figured i would post here to try and get some help. I have a 6yo tb x percheron, we have been having a hard time cantering because i am a begginer and am just not great at canter. My coach started riding him and put in about two weeks on him before he had to Be given three weeks off for allergies and a cough. Then my coach broke her arm. While my coach was riding i was able to canter when i asked him to (atleast the right lead) extremely unbalanced and quick but we still got around the arena a few times. This past week though, we start off our ride with a lunge (like we have for the last 7 months) and then i get on and can walk and trot around, but as soon as i switch leads and ask to trot he drops right into a canter, i pull him out of it and by that point its too late, if i ask him to move at all, whether its a walk or a trot he is dropping into a canter and going. I can try and switch back leads and he does it that way as well. Any ideas on how to stop this or why it is happening? My coach is away for another week, and i dont want to ruin him by riding him and letting him canter like this so would definately appreciate any help! Thanks!


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## tinkerbell02 (Apr 2, 2017)

Your horse is being disrespectful.Since it happened the first time, he thinks it's okay (ESPECIALLY if you didn't correct him the first time). It's one thing to slow him down and it's another to correct the issue. Before riding him, make sure you lunge him, get out some of his extra energy and get him to listen to you and respect you (this also will give you a chance to tighten his cinch afterwards). Then, once you're in the saddle work on lateral bends and start out slow. Make sure he's listening to you at a walk and work up into the gait you want. When he starts to break into that canter immediately pull his head in and circle him both ways. Make sure you correct him as soon as you feel it or the problem could become harder to fix. After you've circled restart from the walk and keep progessing. Everytime he does it, circle him and make him back up. Don't let him be lazy either, you have to get on him about it. If it won't go away, keep adding to your circles and reverse. This will teach him that your way is easier and his way is harder. Don't forget to praise him when he tries though, this'll help him think it was his idea and the idea will stick better. Whatever you do on one side, you must do on the other though so make sure that next time you work with him, you have plenty of time. Always end on a good note!


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## Light (Mar 4, 2012)

Hi,

I honestly would only walk, if you can do it safely, for now. Wait until your trainer is back so she can help you. I don't believe anyone can read what you wrote and know for sure what is going on with him and give you advice based on what you are describing. If you have a trainer, which you do, I would try calling or e-mailing them for advice since they know you and your horse best. I would definitely continue lunging him daily etc. But really, I would call your trainer and ask.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

The tags say it all. Green horse, green rider add to that likely young rider and very large powerful horse. He is being very naughty and you probably don't at this point have the reflex, training or strength to get him to change his mind. You really need a BTDT laid back horse to ride if you are going to spend time riding by yourself while your coach is out and even then that depends on your skill level and the horse as many a horse will take advantage when they sense they can. Perhaps your coach can make recommendations or arrangements for another horse and have an older, advanced rider or another trainer make corrections to your guy for now. IMO as a beginner if you have to lunge a horse to rid him of extra energy at this point he is too much horse for you. Lunging is a temporary fix for short term until your horse learns to respect you both on the ground and in the saddle.


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## QtrBel (May 31, 2012)

I edited this but for some reason the edit doesn't show. By young I don't necessarily mean child but even an older green rider that has to lunge their horse every time they ride says too much horse for you.


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

Stop cantering. You are doing nothing productive. If they keep trying to canter when you trot, then walk if you don't feel you can prevent that. 

Don't feel discouraged being confined to the walk. You can learn a lot while walking, some of my most recent "ah ha!" moments have been at the walk. You can try to get them to March around the arena on the buckle and relax enough to drop their head. Generally, if you get them really moving at the walk so they are over tracking and swinging, they will naturally want to lower the neck and stretch. That's a building block for later down the road. Sometimes that is all I do in a ride with my green horse.


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## bellagris (Dec 6, 2010)

I would stick to a walk until you can have someone on the ground assessing. I remember trying to teach something to my first mare the first time and having no experience in training...I very often found it was smarter to just wait until I had someone with experience there because it is a lot easier to do it right than to go back and fix something. That being said, its also part of learning and there will be times that you are working on something and like now, don't have the help. You don't want to be unsafe. I have often used the method of stopping my horse and backing them up or small circles when they are going too fast or being disrespectful in a gait. There are other methods and each horse is different, but if I have a horse that is going too fast generally if I stop the forward movement and back them, they tend to prefer to just go the speed I am asking rather than have to stop and go backwards. However, of he isn't being respectful at the trot and trying to canter...he (meaning you as a pair) is probably not ready to canter just yet. It is better to go slow and not miss steps than to speed up the training and miss something important.


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