problem canter

Question
Hi.  I have a 4 year old mare who has problems with cantering.  she is okay with walking and trotting, but when asked to canter she will either trot faster or pace.  as she is a quarter horse, i know she isn't supposed to pace.  when i put her in a round pen to try to get her to canter i get the same results or she is on one lead in the front and the other lead in the back.  she has been around tennesse walkers since she was two and if you hold her like you would a walking horse she tries to gait.  she is currently stabled outside with company one of which is still a gaited horse.  i have tried ground poles and while this helped with her trot, she either tries to trot faster to go through when they are set for a canter stride or she just barrels through and steps on all the poles.  i have run out of ideas.  any suggestions you have would be helpful.  
thank you,
emily smith

Answer
Dear Emily-
Hi. Thanks for your question. I went out of town for the 1st time in 5 years and I forgot to notify the site! So sorry it took so long to answer.

Your question is a real puzzler.  I have seen many instances of horses borrowing each others habits but to pick up a gait to this extent is funny. Presumably her parents weren't gaited &  I would think her dam may have cantered with her as a foal.  Hard to say, though, since her mum may have been older.  

Thoroughbred trainers use "pony horses" alot to exercise TB's at the track.  Pony horses are ridden & the horse in training is led around the track. The pony rider holds the horse next to their saddle. You dont want them behind you. The pair should work together. Since it seems you've tried all the likely training methods available to you at home, this would be a step I would recommend. To pony a horse you must have a sturdy reliable mount to ride. At the track they are most often QH geldings. They can hold their own with the brats!
If you are thinking of trying this yourself... Since you probably do not have access to track you will have to give a good bit of thought to just exactly where you could pony your horse with minimum distractions, good footing & enough space to get an extended canter going. Of course you will have to have a horse that canters & the right temperament to do this. An alternative might be to look for a TB breeding farm in your area. Some have training tracks for working young stock. I'm sure you could find a trainer willing to work with your mare. Either an intense month with her living at the farm or if its close enough you might be able to trailer in & have sessions with both you and the horse. If this is not in your budget I would definately try to have her stabled with a cantering companion & make sure the have room & inclination to run. If she's in w/ some old mares she may never see a canter. (lol)
Lastly we must recognize that gaits are more than just habits. Some habits are never broken and I think it may be near impossible to unlearn a gait. One answer that holds true in almost every question that comes my way is go back to basics.  One succes you mentioned is that you have seen her canter (albeit incorrectly) in the round pen. Build on that. Ride her circles.  Really emphasize your legs. Move your inside leg in front of the girth (almost tuck in behind her shoulder) & your outside leg as far back as you can. With your reins try to tip her nose to the outside. Muzzle behind the poll. Face slightly away to the outside when you start.Anything to get her to throw that shoulder out. Have her slightly angled with her front toward the fence. (Shoulder out in dressage terms if that helps.) If you can get the right pair of her legs started you've got the key. Go both directions. Decide which side she is better on & always start & end your (short) sessions on that side. Also strenthen your walk & trot skills. Teaching her different cadences of these two will help you establish a base with her for trying the more advanced canter. A good working trot is the most basic step in dressage, then an extended trot is added.   If you dont know dressage already it may have some answers for you. Try to find a good video or book with some ideas you can incorporate into your own particulars. Look especially for riding patterns to emphasize the desired skill. (Circles & diagonals, cuing a canter into a diagonal corner)

I hope my suggestions hold some merit for you. Im always interested in an update any time you might want to send one. (e-mail: PalaminoK8@aol.com or thru Allexperts) Good luck with your mare, she is unigue! A pacing QH! I love it. Another perfect example of horses showing us, all we dont know about them. I had a dog that was raised with two cats. Victor loved to sleep on the ledge of our front porch just like the cats.  The problem was when the mailman came by he would remember he was a dog but forget he was on a ledge in his haste to rise & bark his fool head off. He fell off almost every day. I hope your mare has much more success in relearning her true identity! LOL.

Best wishes- K8