Strengthen Canter

[ndirish07]

I’ve recently done two lessons with two BNRs. They were great and educational. The main take away from both lessons was my horse (going novice) needs a stronger canter. I’m doing conditioning but I guess my question is what else should I be doing? I’m going to start taking him to Aquatread soon-ish.

For reference-- this horse has had a what you could call a nontraditional education in a lot of ways. Is 12, but wasn’t broke until 5. Then foxhunted for a season or two, then went to kids and did all the things what to do, but not exactly in a training “program.” I’ve had him for almost 18 months after he had sat for over a year. Horse is fit and sound for current level with no history of lameness or illness. So while he loves his jump he’s still occasionally “WTH are canter poles.”

I’m going to discuss this with my trainer as well, but thought I’d reach out and see what tips, tricks and advice others have. I guess I keep analogizing this to my time in the gym. I can’t do a pull-up. So my coach gives me a scale so I can build up eventually to a pullup. What’s the scale for a horse? While I want to get my horse more cardiovascular fitness as well, I also don’t want to get him so cardio fit that’s above and beyond what we need for our current level.

These lessons have been good because I’m realizing some holes that I didn’t really think were there, in part because he’s brave and bold and tries so hard, and I’m a very adult amateur rider (high-five! )

[GoodTimes]

By strengthening the canter I’m assuming you mean that horsie can canter all day on the forehand but has trouble with more collected work?
If that’s the case then transitions, hills, poles, and lateral work are your friend.

[EventerAJ]

Building a stronger canter can be done without going crazy on the cardio fitness. It’s not about cantering/galloping for minutes or miles at a time; it’s done with transitions, circles, maintaining a balance for a short period of time. Think of it as doing weight training, not running on a treadmill.

Your goal is not to be able to gallop your horse around 4* XC. Your goal is to increase your horse’s carrying power, so he can maintain better self-carriage and respond properly to half-halts. Start at walk and trot, so that he has a full understanding of your aids: go, stop, bend, yield/step under laterally. Then gradually ask for such things at canter… circles, spiral in and out. Trot/canter/trot transitions, crisp and balanced. Walk/canter/walk transitions, without pulling/leaning on your hands. Transitions within gait: lengthen, shorten, from a light leg and seat with minimal hand. Add in poles: bounce strides (9-10ft), related lines (60ft done in 4, 5, 6+ strides), or on curves (Circle of Death). Work on counter canter, starting with shallow loops and progressing to large half-circles. Counter canter is GREAT for developing a quality canter, as it demands straightness, strength, and if the horse leans, he’ll lose balance change leads or break to trot.

Don’t do all these things in a day, or even in a week; go slowly and ask or only what your horse can give comfortably. Don’t expect perfection, but aim for a little improvement each day. It’s not about cantering around and around the arena, but getting 3-4 GOOD strides, and then doing something else (transition). Build on those 3 or 4 good strides as you try the exercises.

[ndirish07]

^Pretty much. We’re finally straight enough to add in lateral work now. Maybe I just have no baseline, but how long does this take? Why is there no magic pill? He was so out of shape when I got him, cantering in general was rough. Now he can cruise along all day on his forehand–he’s got the wind (for novice). But for example, the circle of death. That’s so hard. Tight canter poles on a curve. Also so hard. He just can’t hold the canter he needs long enough.

For poles is that more grids? Or just random poles here and there? For hills is that hillwork at the trot or canter?

I feel like I should grasp this concept and thought I did, but as I recently found it has been evading me. Apologies in advance for sounding so remedial.

[ndirish07]

@EventerAJ

Building a stronger canter can be done without going crazy on the cardio fitness. It’s not about cantering/galloping for minutes or miles at a time; it’s done with transitions, circles, maintaining a balance for a short period of time. Think of it as doing weight training, not running on a treadmill.

Your goal is not to be able to gallop your horse around 4* XC. Your goal is to increase your horse’s carrying power, so he can maintain better self-carriage and respond properly to half-halts. Start at walk and trot, so that he has a full understanding of your aids: go, stop, bend, yield/step under laterally. Then gradually ask for such things at canter… circles, spiral in and out. Trot/canter/trot transitions, crisp and balanced. Walk/canter/walk transitions, without pulling/leaning on your hands. Transitions within gait: lengthen, shorten, from a light leg and seat with minimal hand. Add in poles: bounce strides (9-10ft), related lines (60ft done in 4, 5, 6+ strides), or on curves (Circle of Death). Work on counter canter, starting with shallow loops and progressing to large half-circles. Counter canter is GREAT for developing a quality canter, as it demands straightness, strength, and if the horse leans, he’ll lose balance change leads or break to trot.

Don’t do all these things in a day, or even in a week; go slowly and ask or only what your horse can give comfortably. Don’t expect perfection, but aim for a little improvement each day. It’s not about cantering around and around the arena, but getting 3-4 GOOD strides, and then doing something else (transition). Build on those 3 or 4 good strides as you try the exercises.

OMG YES! Thank you!!! I’ve been conditioning him for cardio but obviously I’ve just blown past the whole “strength” side. Two times now we’ve had to do jumps or poles on a circle and it’s been eye-opening. He tries, but he just cannot hold that canter and then rushes around and the wheels come off the bus. I’m going to do this!!

[EventerAJ]

@ndirish07

^Pretty much. We’re finally straight enough to add in lateral work now. Maybe I just have no baseline, but how long does this take? Why is there no magic pill? He was so out of shape when I got him, cantering in general was rough. Now he can cruise along all day on his forehand–he’s got the wind (for novice). But for example, the circle of death. That’s so hard. Tight canter poles on a curve. Also so hard. He just can’t hold the canter he needs long enough.

How long depends on horse. But think in terms of months, not days. It takes weeks to develop muscles without undue soreness. Plus, you have to take the mental side into account-- this isn’t merely an unfit upper level horse starting back into work…this is a horse who has probably never been asked to travel this way, to carry himself with this degree of balance, and he may struggle a bit to understand what you are asking him to do. Take your time to ensure he doesn’t get confused or frustrated, so he keeps trying to do the right thing even when it’s physically difficult (because, as you say, he’s weak).

When starting on an exercise, such as the Circle of Death, don’t go all-in and ask for the full circle perfectly. Set up a LARGE circle (at least 5-6 normal bending strides between rails). Canter one pole, skip the other 3. Then canter 2 poles (at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock). Then try to canter two poles closer together (12 o’clock and 3 o’clock). You may not even try to canter the full circle on the first day. I wouldn’t even try this exercise until the horse was able to maintain a good rhythm on two poles on a straight line and expand/compress his canter a little bit. There is no magic exercise to cure all…simply time, patience, and consistently asking him to try a little more each day.

[theresak]

Start doing shoulder-fore and working up to shoulder-in at all gaits.

Work on having multiple trots and canters. You should have at least: a warm up canter, working canter, “medium” canter, and “collected” canter. The quotes are because they won’t be true medium and collected for a while, but it helps me to think in those terms.

You need to spend time in all of those canters, and be able to work easily between the different canters. If you are struggling with one of them, use figures and lateral work to help - i.e., square corners or spiraling in for the collected canter, 10 meter circle at the end of a medium canter to help re-balance.

Lots of transitions that are quick from the leg going up and off the forehand going down. Counter canter loops working towards counter canter circles. Cantering uphill.

[DunByMistake]

My horse has a similar life story. I got him at 9 basically untrained. He was broke to tack up and could turn and trot but that was the limit of his knowledge. He had no muscle and is a bit difficult to keep in good shape. His canter when I first got him was hideous! It felt like all 4 legs were going separate directions. I refused to even think about cantering jumps for several months because I did not think he was organized enough to actually pick his feet up.

We are currently working on improving adjustability in canter - big, faster canter to shorter, bouncier canter. Just a few strides back and forth. He used to just trot as soon as you’d half halt. I would like to introduce counter canter as it’s great for strength building but he’s just figured out how to get right lead consistently and I don’t want to confuse him.

Lots of pole work to improve canter quality but also help my eye in learning to adjust him.

LOTS of trot jumps in my future. I had a clinic this last weekend and my coach and I determined that when cantering jumps, if I don’t get to perfect spot (which is difficult due to lack of adjustability in canter), then my horse lurches over fences with his front end rather than pushing off correctly. This pulls me forward and then we’re struggling to get organized to do next thing. Trotting fences improves his form but also strengthens hind end. The stronger that gets, the better the canter gets. I don’t think trotting jumps is that fun but until his strength increases, I’m basically just letting him jump badly. And there’s too many risks for both of us, plus he’s just too nice to continue down that path.

I also do a lot of hill conditioning. It can be rocky where I live so don’t get as much trotting/cantering in as I’d like but personally, I think almost nothing works as well to build back/hind end strength as a good marching walk up and down hills.

[ndirish07]

@DunByMistake

His canter when I first got him was hideous! It felt like all 4 legs were going separate directions.

We are currently working on improving adjustability in canter - big, faster canter to shorter, bouncier canter. Just a few strides back and forth. He used to just trot as soon as you’d half halt. I would like to introduce counter canter as it’s great for strength building but he’s just figured out how to get right lead consistently and I don’t want to confuse him.

LOTS of trot jumps in my future. I had a clinic this last weekend and my coach and I determined that when cantering jumps, if I don’t get to perfect spot (which is difficult due to lack of adjustability in canter), then my horse lurches over fences with his front end rather than pushing off correctly. This pulls me forward and then we’re struggling to get organized to do next thing. Trotting fences improves his form but also strengthens hind end.

I think we have the same horse. He still occasionally feels like all the body parts are going different direcions at the canter. Thankfully, that’s more of the rarity now vs. when I first got him. I ask him to slow up and actually use himself and he’s like “walk?” Ask for canter, “oh faster canter?” Somewhere in between there big guy. I still do trot fences! He actually jumps better out of a trot than a canter sometimes.

Lots of great ideas! Thank you!! I’m going to print this out.

[BigMick]

@EventerAJ

When starting on an exercise, such as the Circle of Death, don’t go all-in and ask for the full circle perfectly. Set up a LARGE circle (at least 5-6 normal bending strides between rails). Canter one pole, skip the other 3. Then canter 2 poles (at 12 o’clock and 6 o’clock). Then try to canter two poles closer together (12 o’clock and 3 o’clock). You may not even try to canter the full circle on the first day. I wouldn’t even try this exercise until the horse was able to maintain a good rhythm on two poles on a straight line and expand/compress his canter a little bit. There is no magic exercise to cure all…simply time, patience, and consistently asking him to try a little more each day.

Great advice! @ndirish07 and I board together and in the clinic with the BNR, she did tell us to work on the Wheel of Death, but set the poles much further apart as you wisely suggest.

When I practiced this at home, I ended up doing the WoD as you mention above, opting to only tackle 1-2 of the poles at a time, and I think it was the right choice for my horse and me - especially mentally.

Hard, so hard!

[subk]

I don’t think I can give any better advice than EventerAJ’s. Just remember you start by trying to get one or two strides at a time. Start slow with baby step expectations the build very slowly. Do not underestimate how physically demanding this work is!

[purplnurpl]

Bounce gymnastics.
not one or two bounces…but 6 or 7 bounces.

And depending on your level and your horse’s level you can get some height in after butt building has begun.
I had a rather athletic but lazy horse who I used bounce gymnastics on often. I knew he wouldn’t give up when pushed. I knew I would ruin his confidence.
I’d get him going a little too forward and then bury his butt at the base of the first bounce. As then hold the buckle and let him dig himself out over 6 (3’ to 3’6") bounces.
hehehe. Fun.