A nice canter

Question
QUESTION: Hi Christine.
You have helped me so much in the past, I was hoping you could help me again. :)
My mare has improved so much over the past few weeks and we have really bonded well. Whenever I come to the barn and she sees me, she greats me with this funny noise she makes in her throat. I love it!
Anyway, we work in the arena and she is great while lunging, she pays attention and always minds my cues. I couldn't ask for more. When I am in saddle, she moves off my leg and follows all my commands. We just have one slight issue left: Her canter. There isn't one. When I ask her to canter, she wants to go from a nice trot to 100 mph. Before I bought her, the prior owner let a 13 yr girl ride her (for exercise) and the girl only knew two speeds. Stop & full on barrel racing speed. She forced the horse to go so fast all at once that poor Bambi stumbled and went into the ground injuring her front legs and couldn't be ridden for 2 months. I am afraid she remembers this and gets very nervous when asked to go harder than a trot. I don't want her to go lighting speed - Just a nice easy canter. What can I do to get her over this? She has come so far and done so well, (She used to be nervous working in an arena and now does great) that I want to put the rest of these fears to rest. Any ideas?

ANSWER: Hi Susan

Sorry its taken so long for me to respond, but I've been away for a friends wedding anniversary party and only just catching up!

Firstly glad to hear that thins are going well, its nice when people take the time to let me know how they are doing.

Ok the non canter............... well you know  what I'm going to write before I do, but again it s back to patience

Ask for the canter, BUT when she starts to charge off stop her and ask again, when she is at the speed you want then let her go, but every time she charges off like a loon then stop her and ask again.

She will possibly remember the injury she had and so might be thinking 'if I get this over fast enough then I won;t hurt myself again', the do remember injuries and pain........... again its going  to take patience and lots of it.  In  time she will get the message about cantering and she will do it and she will realise that a nice steady canter is  the best way and she won;t hurt herself in the process.

You both have come so far in such a short time, its amazing  and you are willing to invest time and patience  in her to make her a partner with you.

I'm afaraid that undoing past behaviour is sometimes a longer process thatn teaching new things, but you have really worked so hard with her, I'm impressed with that!

A little teaching each day, work it into your routine now and then see how things are, it might be worth getting her back checked as well, I know the injury  was her knees  but  ask your vet to just give her a back check, she might have hurt that, its unlikely  but  not unknown.

Keep in touch

Christine x





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks Christine,
I will try it and see what she does. The hard part is the fact that she wants to bolt right from the start. We will be trotting along and I will slowly ask for more speed. As soo as she knows that I am going to ask for a canter, she tightens up, kinda throws her head up for a minute and then wants to be off to the races!!!! :)
As soon as she does this, I only allow her to go just a few strides before I ask her to stop. The good thing here is that she does stop. It's not like she's bolting and hell-bent for election. She does listen to me and will stop when I ask. It's just that transition from trot to canter when things are dicey.

Answer
Hi Hun

Right  I know its frustrating when they  know what you want but they don;t want to do it!

Ask her when coming off a corner, thats when she  is listening to you the  most, but its also easier to pull her up if need be.  Work her on the lunge line as well, asking for the transistion to canter from trot.  As she is on the lunge line you will have a little more control and you can vary  the routine as well.

Patience and time to 'unteach' her the things she has learned in  the past is the key to this one, no easy quick  fixes I'm afraid.  But you are going the right way, about things, praising her when she gets it right and no shouting when it goes wrong.

I wish more  owners were as careful and considerate as you are with  their horses as you are with Bambi.


Time and patience  will prevail inthe end and she will do as you ask and get it right in the very near future.

Just have a think back and you will see how far you have come in such a short time!