This is an archived Horseadvice.com Discussion. The parent article and menus are available on the navigation menu below:
HorseAdvice.com » Training, Behavior, & Conditioning Horses » Basic Riding Skills » Help with the Canter »
  Discussion on Canter Leads
Author Message

Posted on Sunday, May 16, 1999 - 10:19 pm:

Hi Karlie:
The trick that I always use to see if my horse is one the correct lead is to glance down at his shoulders-particularly at the inside one. It will be moving farther forward during the canter. Hope it helps!

Posted on Monday, May 17, 1999 - 11:30 am:

You can learn to "feel" the lead, too.

It helps to have a ground person who can tell you until you learn to check yourself with the inside shoulder position ... with concentration, you can learn to feel it in your seat.

Practicing picking up the "correct" lead is also good. You can work on a circle (about 20 m) and canter a few strides, trot a few strides, canter, etc. To make it more interesting, count strides - 5 canters - 5 trots for example. This helps with your preparation.

Until you are very good at choosing which lead you want and the horse takes it, you might want to then start asking for a canter in the corner of your ring. The horse will be more biased to choose the correct lead as he will feel more balanced.

Hope this gives you some ideas to try.

Posted on Thursday, May 20, 1999 - 6:06 am:

Hi there, You may not be able to fell it as well on a very smooth gaited horse but I have found (and it helps some of my students) to try to feel which of your own hips is leading. Your left hip will be leading slightly in the left lead etc... It also helps if you are confident enough to ride in a confined area and really concentrate on your body position by riding very quietly with your eyes closed for a few strides. Sounds scary but it really enhances your body awareness!

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 8, 2000 - 2:30 pm:

I just bought a 15 year old Morab Mare. She has only been trained basic things (Walk, Trot, Canter, slow down when you sit back, speed up when you lean forward, etc.) When my trainer rode her, she said that she doesn't canter on the correct lead. Is there any way we can train her to?
Home Page | Top of Page | Join Us!
Horseadvice.com is a BBB Accredited Business. Click for the BBB Business Review of this Horse Training in Stokesdale NC