english pleasure

Question
Okay so I have a Saddlebred named Rocksteady and i want to teach him English pleasure. I need help slowing his canter. What should i do when i want him to canter he just will take off. His old owners years ago just used to canter him to death. I have tried to slow him down many times he trysts but he just ends up going to fast. I have gotten him to to do a collected canter before, but his will only do it in a western bit. I ride saddleseat and want to do sadlleseat and English pleasure i no you can do English pleasure with saddleseat tack but i would like to teach him different things so do you think I will be able to teach him English pleasure?

Answer
Dear Kelsey:
If you have a Saddlebred and you want to show English Pleasure at a breed show you MUST show in saddle seat tack and attire. Also- you do not mention how old your horse is or what his training back ground was. Also- if you're showing English Pleasure at a breed show, you would probably want him in a double bridle- not something you can just toss in his mouth and expect him to "get it." Nonetheless- it is a curb and a snaffle - so you'd be getting the same leverage as with a western curb. The type and level of English pleasure that you want to do is fairly critical here as Saddlebred English Pleasure horses are VERY big, weighted movers.
It sounds like regardless of your showing goals- your horse has some holes in his basic training. Any horse (western/ English- no matter) should be able to collect and lengthen at all gaits. If you can afford it- you might want to consider consulting with a reputable Saddlebred trainer in your area (be wary- there are some rather tough trainers out there) for an assessment of your horse's training level.
I hope this is of some help.
S. Evans