Why you might be struggling with your canter leads, and what you can do to fix it.
Getting the correct strike off in your canter lead might seem simple, but fixing the chronically recurring incorrect lead can become frustrating for many us.
So what is actually happening and how can you correct it?
Nail the correct canter lead EVERY TIME
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If you've ever struggled with getting the correct canter lead with your horse, you will know how frustrating it is and how nerve wracking it can be when you're at a competition!
Over the last 20 years of riding hundreds of different horses and training hundreds of different students, I've learnt a thing or 2 about perfecting it and here are my best tips:
Your seat aid and riding the canter strike off from your seat isn't everything.
When it comes to refining the canter lead strike off we certainly focus a lot on how we use our seat so that we can keep balance, engagement and impulsion into the strike off, but if we have a problem with our canter leads this is not where we focus for 3 reasons:
If you haven't established a light, soft seat you can be hollowing and disengaging your horses back away from you making it harder for them to get the correct canter lead and use their back
The flick of your hip into the canter for the strike off doesn't clearly communicate to your horse what lead you want when you're teaching them. They have to figure it out for themselves.
It is hard to use your seat exactly the same every time. Nailing that flick of the hip exactly the same way every single time you ride is nearly impossible and so also fudges your communication with your horse.
Bonus tip
If someone else rides your horse you can GUARANTEE they won't use their seat the same way your horse will so your horse will be confused about canter leads all over again.
If you are a cuing genius and you still aren't getting the canter lead - in particular there is a lead your horse prefers - there's a good chance your horse is working with crookedness.
If your horse favours loading one shoulder over another or engaging one hind over another, you will have a horse that is developing crooked.
END RESULT: Your horse will favour one lead over the other!
This is part of our responsibility for our horse. Essentially we are our horses physical therapist and we need to ensure our horses muscle building happens evenly.
A common theme with a number of riders is that they also practice the lead that is easy because they don't want to do the work either!! Or the want the rewarding feeling of getting the correct strike off which leads to the horses muscle development becoming more and more uneven.
Aside from this creating issues in accuracy and quality in the way our horse works, it also has long term impacts on our horses soundness.
Working crooked results in behavioural problems and painful back problems that leads to bucking, rearing and bolting. But the tricky part is that it isn’t necessarily easy to identify if your horse is working crooked when you are riding.
If you are wondering if your horse is developing crooked but aren’t sure how to find out or how to correct it, check out our Virtual Gait Analysis service.
The Virtual Gait Analysis service provides you with Katie’s detailed overview of where your horse is “cheating” out of the effort required to develop their body correctly, and then provides you with 2 lesson plans as your next best steps in developing your horse for straightness and soundness.
How saddle fit can interfere with your canter lead
Why Your Horse Wont Canter
Are you struggling to get your canter established?
The canter is considered by a number of horse riders as one of the most fun strides to ride. Yet many other riders find it very hard to get their horse into a canter. So let’s have a review on why the canter might not be working for you.
Your horse isn’t fit enough to hold you in a canter
Like any athlete, horses require training to develop and hold riders in their chosen sport. It involves them coordinating 4 legs, balancing a human on their back, engaging their core, and trying to listen to what you are telling them. Imagine trying to hold 3 plates, walk in high heels, suck in your belly and smiling at the same time – then up that walk to a run! While it doesn’t look pretty, and probably isn’t feasible, with practice it becomes easier.
Same for our horse. We can help them build it up by ensuring they have their core engaged, a working pace and balance in the lower paces before introducing it in the canter. We can also help them by working on their canter transitions on the lunge.
You are getting in the way of your horse’s canter
If you lack balance, or lack confidence, you may be clenching down on your horse with your knees, and/or gripping the mouth to tight, and essentially providing a set of mixed signals for your horse.
If your canter isn’t established, you can’t help your horse coordinate theirs under saddle. Hop off, work on some canter on the lunge, and look for a riding school horse with a balanced canter to help you learn.
The working area is too small for the horse to canter
If you are trying to canter in 15 meter circles and your horse is unable to do so, the area is too small. The horse lacks the capability of maintaining that amount of bend at the canter pace, regardless if it can while at the lower paces.
The advice here is to go big! Bigger circles, bigger arena! Allow your horse to build up their ability to bend in the canter before trying to work in smaller circles or corners.
The horse just goes into a faster trot, and doesn’t pop into a canter
This may happen for several reasons:
Your horse can physically hold you in the canter
Your horse doesn’t understand the aids
You are giving your horse the wrong instructions
Your horse is trying but isn’t quite there yet
Your horse is purposely avoiding the canter
Firstly, make sure you are providing the correct cues to pop them into canter. You may need to hire an instructor to get you through this phase. I would also suggest reading the 4 reasons why a horse evades to establish what to do in the case of the other reasons.
Do you have a riding question? Pop it in the comments below and we will respond!
Using Your Seat In Canter And Sit Trot
The missing tips for learning your seat
Want to work on improving your canter and sit trot?
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You could ride for years and not recognise that your horse is off balance, not engaging their postural muscle, or even has a gap in their training… until you get stuck.
Getting stuck could mean you stop progressing. Perhaps your horse can’t hold a canter stride or struggles with the correct canter lead. Perhaps you can’t progress up through the dressage levels. Getting stuck could also mean you start seeing issues associated with lameness
The Virtual Gait Analysis with Equestrian Movement will uncover the gaps, and provide you with your next steps, so you can avoid shortening your horse’s riding career.
View now to get the exclusive package at $17aud!