BALANCED CANTER

[frankyboy]

WE HAVE A PONY WHO KNOWS SHOW INSIDE OUT ,HAS BEEN OFF THE ROAD FOR A YEAR AND BRINGING HIM BACK INTO WORK HE FINDS CANTER DIFFICULT,KEEPS BREAKING AND VERY UNBALANCED ,RUSHES ,JUST NOT CORRECT.

CAN ANYONE SUGGEST WHAT MIGHT HELP,

THANKS

[gillwales]

pole work
riding to music
20 m circles as it is easier to keep balanced on a circle
lots of transition work gradually increasing the number of strides of canter
lots of praise when he improves
little and often, be patient, he will improve with fitness
ALWAYS finish on a good note

good luck

[frankyboy]

thanks will try your tips and see how we get on

[gillwales]

yw, lets us know how things go, yell if you get a glitch

[sarahp]

Full vet/physio check to make sure there isn't a physical reason for his difficulty.

[reachforthestars]

Lots of transitions to get him working properly, then start off by asking for canter and doing a few strides- that way they can't run off and become balanced. As he/she becomes balanced in that start to ask for a bit more etc canter uphill can help as well, and I found that cantering along a straight line- on a hack really helps because they don't have to worry about balancing themselves for the bend and can work on balancing themselves on the straight also sometimes a bit of work on the Pessoa can help. Just remember to be patient and praise all good things, it takes time but you will eventually get there! Good luck!!

[gillwales]

why was the pony off work for a year?

[frankyboy]

injury

[gillwales]

it could be that he has lost confidence through the pain of his injury, I have often found that horses / ponies can loose some of their range of movement after injury. Take this into account, it is important to work on fitness prior to schooling

[fanfarefan]

how long has he been back in work , and what sort of work has he been doing to get back to fitness , also what sort of injury was he off for ?