Hello! In all fairness the horse doing this I ride western. However I do ride dressage! and I don’t think what’s happening and fixing will have much to do with discipline. My current horse I had to rehab a bit, but is now good to go. We have been doing fabulous other than one issue I would like to get some advice on. He has trouble with right lead, and rightly so as the rehab I did was part of the issue. I can get lead with extreme push of the hip to the inside and tilt of the head to the outside. However he tells me he is not super comfortable on that lead so throws head once or twice and speeds way up. *Note- he does this on the lunge line some also Also the cue to lope the bad direction causes him become nervous and he continually tries to lope off if the leg is applied when he thinks it’s time to lope. I have tried - doing other things so lope is not predictable. However as an Arabian he reads my mind…LOL. I have tried loping off repeatedly, loping a short small bit and relaxing. (this only the last six rides). He is more anxious when I wear spurs it seems. I suspect previous trainer spurred hard and really got after him for missing this lead. Poor guy. Do I just need to be patient and continue with loping and relaxing for months? Or however long it takes? Any other suggestions?
Could you provide a bit more context about why and how he was rehabbed? That would be helpful to guide advice. Are you currently cantering/loping around a field or ring? Circles or straight? What sized circles?
Splint- but never lame and horrid feet. He has high low feet, which are now very close in balance. Also long long toe. Also fixed. Loping in my arena, probably a 60X70 oblong. With smaller circle at times, half that.
I was thinking smaller circles may help some to balance?
60 feet? Meters?
Just relax, he will get better with strength. Exercises in trot will help. As he gets stronger the canter transitions will improve.
When a horse gets quick or bouncy in the transition to canter, riders often hold the inside rein for their own balance, which braces against and limits the ability of the horse to step through into the new gait. And, understandably, that makes the horse more anxious.
Try putting and leaving slack in your right rein and let him canter for a few strides before taking contact back. At first, he may still resist because he will be anticipating the old way. I find most very quickly and happily start to canter forward quietly after they realize they have the freedom.
Are you using a snaffle and two hands, or a western bit and one hand.
What aids are you using for the canter ,/lope transition?
It can make a difference.
20 meter circles are better than a smaller circle at this point in his training. Imo.
I would ask for the canter /lope transition from the walk as opposed to the trot.
Get a nice working walk going.
it is usual in dressage to ask for the canter /lope depart with the riders inside leg on the girth and the outside leg behind the girth.
And then ask for the canter.
If your horse picks up the incorrect lead, dont try to make him switch. Instead, change your direction so that he will be on the correct lead.
You can also use the diagonal line to practice canter or lope as you say.
Dont drill and drill on this. Once he gets it go on and do something else.
I wouldnt try to keep forcing him onto the correct lead. It just escalates the tension.
Unless he is a lazy horse I wouldnt wear spurs.
Some horses do need them but it doesn’t appear that your horse does.
It may be physical difficult for him to lope on the correct lead, so do some exercises to build the correct muscles and some suppling work to relax him.
Also, remember to relax and breathe when asking him to lope.
A lot of times riders tense up when it’s time to lope , especially if you are anticipating trouble.
Do you have a trainer or someone with some experience in training young horses who could show you?
It is not weakness or a lack of ability to ask for help. Especially if what you doing is not getting the results you want.
Good luck. Hope this helps.
In addition to the great advice you’ve gotten, you can fix a lope…by loping the horse. Most horses have a good and bad side, and if your horse is sound and you are reasonably even in the saddle with your aids, your horse needs time being comfy loping in both directions and that means loping in both directions. You must build strength in you and your horse - I’m sorry if I’m underestimating either of you.
A good trainer can pinpoint and separate any problems of yours and his, and help you both find a path to success.
Good luck!!
It sounds like it’s primarily a weakness or imbalance problem, a physical issue. I would canter on trails on whatever lead he prefers. It will get him more fit. Cantering circles in the arena is much harder work.
Doing transitions will improve transitions. His weakness is in the L hind, The L hind is the initiating leg for a R lead canter. Turning his head and neck into L flexion is counter productive. He needs to be bent in the direction of the lead.
A smaller circle will help, but only if it is a correct circle. If his hind in is swinging out, it is not a correct circle. Cantering on the L lead will not strengthen the R hind.
If you can ride a proper R lead S/I it will help, also.
I am riding in a snaffle with two hands. I do have a trainer, but this moment will not trailer out for lessons. And I do fine with her watching as she catches it immediately and we fix it. I need to figure out I think how to do this at home.
I think I hear you all and this is partly my problem. I am guessing I tense and aggravating the problem.
I have been doing his transitions on the lunge line to build him up as part of the rehab, I noticed now he will take the correct lead 99% of the time. I think I need to be patient.
Yes, this! I feel like it is a weakness in his left hind. He had hardly anything in correct muscle. I believe the trainer he had sacrificed movement for slowness. So we are going back to drawing board. I think from what you are saying I am just on the correct path. Do transitions from walk to lop and flex in direction of lead (that will be new). I always ask by pushing his hip to the inside with my left leg behind the girth. But can also improve that.
Feet, it’s about a sixty foot wide by 70 long arena/round pen area.
Yikes, no wonder he’s anxious. Go outside or at least to a real arena. That’s way too small for a horse having balance or rehab issues.
Going to check that, its very possible I am doing that without realizing.
I’d work in a much larger space. A round pen with the weight of a rider is a big ask for a horse that is coming back into work.
The rider’s inside leg, in this case the R leg stays at the girth for impulsion, the outside rider’s L leg slides back, to encourage the L hind to reach under for the strike off. That puts your body in correct canter position, and remember you ride every stride as if it were an upward transition.
