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  Discussion on 4 year old prefers canter to trot
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Member:
Jivete

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 29, 2006 - 4:20 pm:

My 4.5 year old Spanish Norman has recently decided that it's easier to canter tracking left than trotting. Trotting counter clockwise is her weaker side and recently I've been working more on establishing proper bend and making her work a little harder.

I don't think she's confused by my inside leg application since she leg yields and doesn't have problems to the right. I think it's just easier physically to canter than trot this direction. I started correcting her by quietly bringer her back to the trot and continuing to work. But after several "I'm starting to canter, okay I'm trotting, now I'm starting to canter again, yes, yes trot, now canter" on a circle, the trot is completely ruined and the whole point of trot and bend is lost anyways. Plus it's really annoying, especially since she only gets about a third of a stride in before I bring her back.

While I'm happy it's so easy for her to transition into the canter, I obviously don't want her to decide to canter anytime she feels like it or use it to get out of working. Recently I've started getting after her more strongly, which seems to be working, but I don't care for that route. I'd rather give her other exercises to keep her in the trot and am looking for suggestions.

Thanks in advance.
Member:
Erika

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 29, 2006 - 4:56 pm:

Carla, I had a horse once that would prefer to canter if he was a little foot sore in front. Maybe you can check with hoof testers and a flexion test to see if anything happens.
If there is soreness, I would suspect it would be on one side since she only does it one direction.
Member:
Christos

Posted on Tuesday, Aug 29, 2006 - 6:50 pm:

Ground poles, Carla.

Arrange six ground poles in a fan shape, on one side the distance between the tips of the poles to be 80cm, on the other side 2m. Ride trot over their middle part.

On the left rein the poles will prevent her from breaking into canter.

On the right rein the fan shape will help her improve her bend, as the outside legs have to take longer steps to negotiate the poles.
Member:
Jivete

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 30, 2006 - 9:14 am:

Hmmm, I hadn't thought of ground poles, at least not on a circle. I'll definitely have to try that.

Erika, I don't think she's foot sore. She's a barefoot girl that can trot comfortably on gravel. However if she doesn't improve with exercises and a little time to get stronger I'll have the vet back out. She was diagnosed last spring with various vertebra subluxations. I've had the chiro out about 4 times and the improvement has been dramatic, but that's a different discussion.
Member:
Mrose

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 30, 2006 - 10:34 am:

Carla, a lot of young horses (even older ones) will prefer to canter instead of trot. It is less work than the trot. The ground poles are a good idea.
Member:
Canderso

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 30, 2006 - 11:44 am:

Carla, is it possible you are actually ASKING for canter (instead of bend) by weighting your inside hip and asking horse to bend around your inside leg with... your outside leg slightly back? (think about it)

Been there....(grin)
Member:
Jivete

Posted on Wednesday, Aug 30, 2006 - 12:39 pm:

I've considered that Cheryl. I'm sure there's some confusion on her part, especially since I have been asking for more bend but it is definitely part evasion since she will do it on a straight line tracking left and she does understand leg means more than go. I think since I started more canter work she just became more balanced at the canter and has decided she'd rather canter then work her weak side.

I personally do not use a lot of outside leg on a bend unless I need to "catch" a horse that falls out or swings it's quarters out. It's there, but it's very passive. Tracking right, she needs a more active outside and passive inside leg. She does not, however, try to break into a canter tracking right, at least not very often and certainly not every three strides. Her canter is much less balanced to the right, which might explain in part why she doesn't attempt to break trot as often tracking that direction.


I quit working on lateral work after all of her back adjustment and just concentrated on long/low for a while (not very fun for an Andalusian, even half) and am just coming back to more lateral work. I'm thinking that will help.

This is the only young horse I've trained with this particular problem. Most are too unbalanced to lift so effortlessly into canter that I can anticipate and correct them before they can coordinate their bodies enough to try to canter. I think this mare is different because she does transition so easily from trot to (left lead) canter that there isn't much if any of an anticipation period. I can bring her back to a trot before she's fully able to canter, she just starts to lift into it and I can correct her.
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