Canter Question

[Erin]

It will be a miracle if anyone even reads this, but I figured it was worth a shot!!

Dustin has finally started settling down. He isn't quite as crazy, and while he still spooks, he doesn't spook nearly as often. He has developed a nice flat walk, even though he still gets racky and trotty from time-to-time (He's a Tennessee Walker, if you guys forgot). Sadly he doesn't really have a running walk -- if you push him faster while he's in a flat walk he pretty much just racks, trots, or does something funky... but sometimes he'll do it right

Anyway, my question is his canter. Sometimes he has a beautiful canter, but he is still far from where he should be. Most of the time he does something so crazy and we can't figure out what it is. We think he's cantering in the front and either flat-walking or trotting in the back. Sometimes he just has a 4-beat canter without the funk.

Does anyone know how to correct a 4-beat canter? I know lifting his front end and engaging his back-end will help, but I am looking for techniques to do this, and other techniques that can help correct this problem. Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

I'm throwing in some recent canter pictures. They were taken about a week ago. (Just in case anyone notices the missing throatlatch, it is a little small for him and our leather-punch is stuck so we can't punch a hole small enough. And rather than choke him, especially since we're working on bringing his head in, I took it off until I can punch a hole... ha)




^ pretty flat walk, other than his head being strung out.









^ proof he CAN canter.












^ I think that was just taken at a transition.



^ That might have been another transition, but still. His back end is way too high.....

[Erin]

PS: I know my equitation isn't amazing... i know I need to bend my elbows, among other things. If you want to critique me as well, that's fine because I know equitation effects the horse, but be nice

[jennaj]

you look HORRIBEL!

just kidding Your looking good.

But really, i agree...he kinda does have a goofy lookin' canter lol. The middle ones arent bad. To be honest, i have NO clue. I've never really dealt with such a goofy canter. lol...
But when you want to correct something, you usually send them forward. Obviously he knows how to canter....he is being a butt and won't give it to you!

Have you checked if he his soar any where?? sometimes when horses are soar in the back they tend to act up at the canter.

[gaby]

Hey guys!

Erin, try bending Dustin's body into a "banana" type of shape, tipping his nose into the center of the arena, bending his barrel around your leg so his hip is also in- you do this by putting your outside leg back and inside leg on. Practice having him hold this position at the walk, trot, and canter. This will engage is back end.

As for the walk, couldn't tell yah. I'm not too familiar with Tennessee Walking Horse.

Hope you guys are all doing well.

[jess]

i have no idea about TWH's but good luck
maybe lunging

my main critique is to bend your elbows and hold them there, especially if you are trying to get him to bring his head in. Imagine your arms as side reins you need the elascticity aswel as the fixation as sidereins but in your arms instead
i've just been through this with bella and we are still working on it!

but good luck!!
hes looking good
x

[Erin]

Jenna: I don't think he's sore. I think he's just being a butt. I've been trying to find a balance between pushing him forward to get into the gait, but holding him back to keep him collected. He usually goes on one extreme or the other.... too slow and he gets trotty/racky... too fast and he does his 4-beat crazy canter! We've definitely been working on that, though.

Gaby: Thank you so much! That helped A LOT. He bent very well going one direction, mostly at a walk, and I felt the shift when he started engaging his back end. It's more difficult to get him to do that at a flat walk, and I struggled getting him to bend going the other direction because he kept wanting to come in (again, he's got a delicate "fine line"), but we're working on it... we're both learning!

His right lead canter was great today. By no means was it perfect, but I felt like he was lifted more than normal in the front end & using his back end more, and it was slow and collected. His left lead was a different story... Disaster at first... he kept trying to run into it, which is unacceptable, and then once he started cantering the more I tried to push him into it, the worse he got. Finally, I felt led to try bending him to the outside instead of the inside, and it made a world's difference. I guess it set him "off balance" (ha) enough for him to find the correct balance. I need to do some roundpen work with that, because his owner does not want him to canter the whole ring until he learns it in smaller circles, and you can only bend to the outside when you have a rail. Otherwise circles don't work... although I could clear out the ring for figure 8's....hmm.

Jess: Thank you so much for the tip! I tend to straighten my elbows a lot, and I've been working on that. The way you explained it helps a lot.


Thank you so much for the advice, guys! Dustin is so frustrating at times... he's 9 years old and still can't canter properly... he's always had gait issues. lol. At least he's a sweetheart...