guidance training lr to fr

[alecca]

we have a lr pony which we have done well at local level, last season. my 6 year old daughter is now riding her off lr in the menage but can be a bit strong, I know the pony needs more schooling as the pony is only 7 and we have had her since age 5.The pony has a fab temprament is not naughty, doesn't buck, rear, bolt but can be a bit strong, and trot fast but does not go into canter. I have a dilemma as I do not have an older small jockey who can school her or pots of money to send the pony off to a producer. I need some advice - should we sell this pony and look for something else which is a schoolmaster but take risk of finding something which has as good a temperment as my pony, or put pony oiut on loan for a year or continue with her and I long rein her.any advice gratefully recieved!!

[sarahp]

Can you teach the pony transitions into canter on the lunge to your voice and then use your voice to help the pony and child together to get it? I say lunge as I think it might be easier than trying to do it on long reins, but of course you could lunge with two reins and blend the two if you can keep up with her canter running behind!

A borrowed, bigger, more experienced child would be a huge help - maybe asking your local PC or private instructors could bring up someone who would be happy to help and is small enough?

[nici]

In addition to sarahp's suggestions, can you arrange some lessons for your daughter on a schoolmaster pony? If she's never cantered before, it might be helpful for her to build up her experience and confidence on a pony that knows its job, while you focus on teaching her pony to canter on voice commands (if you can't find a jockey).

Not all LR ponies go on to make good FR ponies - they had years of being taught never to canter to overcome after all. But knowing that the pony is so perfect in other ways, I'd certainly want to persevere for a while.

I was lucky enough to have older jockeys around (albeit tiny ones for the 34" ponies!) to help teach them the basics off lead before Cerys was ready. Their help was invaluable!

[tbmare]

Are you thinking of showing as first ridden or for just playing about at home?

My little girl has made that transition last season.. we have had the pony from birth and she has rode him since she was 3 yrs old on the lead rein...about the same age as your little un she was confident to ride of the ld.. in the school she has weekly private lessons and they are invaluble .. some other tips you might find good..
run in front of the pony at a steady pace not the side.. get them following you...in time you can increase the distance...from this we got a pony in front so he learnt to follow the pony.. the same for hacking out.. we used grass reins for hacking out or in the school of he was being strong!
for the canter i suggest you keep her on the lr and get a good runner.. this was how we did some of the work...the same when completely happy do the same as above.. it will take awhile depending on your child.. but you still have many yrs on the lr for now.. it is very competative in the first ridden... my girl was 8 when she first went of the lead at show and went beginner first ridden or first yr first ridden.. where they are only expected to do walk and trot ...canter is not compulsory.. but if you go in the first ridden it is still not compulsory,... but preffered or expected.
best of luck.

[shellywell]

Some thoughts, (assuming you have a menage) I would loose school to begin with, even over jumps, what you're aiming for is your pony to go off your voice, so when you say canter when your daughter is riding, he will just canter. With loose schooling you can "chase" him with the whip to make him canter, you shouldn't need to hit him, just scare him enough so he moves up a gear. When he will canter from your voice, and come back to trot/walk from your voice, then put him on the lunge and ask for the canter, he will probably rush and pull until he finds his balance, boot him up and just let it happen, then when he will go from you voice happily up and down the paces, in balance and in rythem, you can pop your daughter on him for more of the same. If she rides him in the school while you stand in the middle telling the pony to "Kan-terrr". It may take a few weeks to achieve but this pony knows you, so it is worth attempting, just don't expect to do it all from his back.
A friend teaches all her lead reins to canter, by running them in hand, she is very fit and slim, if you needed incentive......

[snowflake]

Lunging. Get your pony to know off the voice. Also get your daughter lessons on a safe pony, & get her riding off the lead as confidently as possible.

[satchmo]

We have a similar dilema with the canter. My daughter is 6 and shows on the lead rein, we bought her a fantastic pony in July which does both l/r and first ridden. He had been at his previous home since the age of 4 (he's 9 this month) and the little girl had learn't everything on him. Their instructor from day one was a listed dressage trainer and he has been taught everything very correctly which on one hand is great but on the other causes some issues especially the canter. The little girl had been taught all the correct aids for the outline, corners, stopping with the seat, ouside leg behind the girth for canter etc and were 2nd nature for her. We did the 4hr round trip to ride him and have lessons with their instructor quite a few times in the 6 weeks we had to wait for him and they were invaluable but at that stage my daughter was not ready to canter. He came home to us and we are not lucky enough to have a school, we keep our horses at my inlaws sheep farm and the only flat bit on the farm is in the middle of a 55 acre field with my schooling letters stuck in and very occasionally we can use one of the sheep sheds which is great but now we're lambing it's not an option! So my daughter is lunged at home but this drives me mad because this gives her a false of security. He lunges extreamly well and goes off total voice command when without a rider. My daughter rides very well alone in a school in walk and trot but canter is a major problem. I taughter the canter aids on the lunge so she can now get him to canter, i did this myself and i'm definatley no instructor but i got so fed up of taking her down to the local riding school with him and them chasing him round with a whip which made him trot so fast he resembled a welsh d stallion in the main ring of the royal welsh! Chasing him was not the answer so he had no idea what they wanted him to do because he needed the canter aid. Now she can get him to canter but she can't steer and sit to it at the same time so she hangs onto the strap veering all over the school and waits for him to stop which he does and she regains control and trots on in a lovely outline. The trouble is she is frightening herself in canter and now not wanting to do it especially as her lack of steering round a corner in the sheep shed caused a flying exit out the front door last week. I'm really struggling with it because the more she lunges the more she depends and doesn't have to steer because it's a constant circle and just don't know where to turn. She has a lesson in every school holiday with my dressage instructor but she is not local and i have been given a number of a freelance instructor who is very good with children so i am hoping to get that into action asap, it's so frustrating because she's desparate to learn to jump but it all seems so far away to her and finding a good instructor for a child is a mind field! Sorry for the very long post!!!

[rubydoo]

if youve got a well mannered pony that your little ones bonded with id hang onto it and try some of the suggestions above

[nici]

Satchmo, why does your little one need to start cantering on the flat bit? With such a well schooled pony maybe she's be better cantering up a longer straighter hill, where she can learn to give the correct aids and not have to worry too much about steering. Do you have another pony you or a friend could ride with her to encourage her pony to follow? We find it much easier to start kids cantering in a straight line in a more open area.

[shellywell]

Hi Satch, sounds like your daughter has a balance and a co-ordination issue, which at the age of six, is no real surprise!!! Stock some jumps up and let her jump from trot, it won't hurt her or the pony and she gets to jump, improving her balance, position and confidence. The pony won't take such a huge leap from trot, your daughter will have something to focus on (the jumps) and so you may find that the steering comes.
I teach kids, and from yoru post I can imagine that she is tightening in canter, causing her to bounce and therefore she has to grip onto her strap and bang goes the steering, patience, cantering straight lines as the above thread suggests will improve her confidence. If she is tightening then singing will ensure she is breathing, which will allow oxygen to to the muscles and keep her relaxed and may stop her from tightening, I use this with my little ones, if they're talking then they are relaxing!
Where are you, steep hills, sheep farm - Wales?