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Post by milliecocospencer on Aug 21, 2014 11:33:42 GMT
I was wondering weather anybody could give me a few tips in how to make my pony's canter more graceful and bouncy, his canter at the moment is very flat and sometimes speedy I am also finding it really hard to keep him cantering it a full circle as he goes back to trot and does a fast trot, it is also taking me quite long to get him into canter as he just goes into a very speedy trot which is making me uneven, also when I am cantering I always have to keep kicking him on I try squeezing but he doesn't respond to it If anyone has any tips to keep him forward and to improve his canter then j would be very great full Thanks
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Post by CarolineNelson on Aug 21, 2014 15:21:51 GMT
Hi! The answer is fairly simple, to be honest.
Stop making the poor pony go round in circles until he/she is ready for balancing. Get out and about, preferably with other people on other ponies. Let the pony learn to enjoy 3rd gear (cantering) which is USUALLY a pony's favourite pace.
Only once he/she has sussed that 3rd gear not only exists when carrying a human but is FUN, can you start to 'train' the balance required.
Hopefully, you BOTH will enjoy the learning.
As far as "training" a canter 'strike-off', this is down to you (as the 'leader') to stipulate where and when to do this. He/she (your pony) cannot do this for you. You are the trainer and YOU are the leader here.
I would add. A fit pony is a happy pony and one more keen to do stuff. So, carefully build up your pony's fitness programme but, it MUST include fun times and relaxing turn out times for your pony.
Wouldn't you get bored, being asked to run round in silly circles with no aim? Train yourself to teach your pony to learn proper new 'tricks' and reward the pony when it happens.
Both of you, ENJOY!!
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Post by pipandflo on Aug 21, 2014 16:07:27 GMT
Gosh that's a bit tough Caroline, I didn't read it like you. Pony could be a welsh D ten year old thug and she's only asking for help! Millie , it's difficult to give you advice without seeing you ride but I suspect your position is not strong enough to help you both, my advice would be to get a good instructor to give you some help.
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Post by milliecocospencer on Aug 21, 2014 22:23:59 GMT
I do not go round in circles I ride in our fields, secondly I'm a farmers daughter and have no one to go out riding g with and can't go by myself as it's to dangerous and when I meen I can get him to do a full lap of canter that includes in the school I can ensure you that my pony is fit and well i am just asking for some tips. We have both just got back from camp and we are BOTH having fun I just want some tips that can help us in the future in our dressage.
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Post by milliecocospencer on Aug 21, 2014 22:24:32 GMT
Thank you pip
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Post by CarolineNelson on Aug 22, 2014 6:43:19 GMT
I do not go round in circles I ride in our fields, secondly I'm a farmers daughter and have no one to go out riding g with and can't go by myself as it's to dangerous and when I meen I can get him to do a full lap of canter that includes in the school I can ensure you that my pony is fit and well i am just asking for some tips. We have both just got back from camp and we are BOTH having fun I just want some tips that can help us in the future in our dressage. Millie, like you I was a farmer's daughter and I was an only child. So didn't have anyone to ride out with, either. In that case, you and your pony need to be best mates and 'play' together. But, you must be the 'boss'- by which I mean, if you wish for canter strike-off at a certain place (this can be a tree, a fence-post, a weed on the ground, it doesn't have to be a posh marker!) then you must get that strike-off when you ask for it. Not a number of strides later. And on the correct lead you want. Don't settle for second best. Does Dad (or a friendly neighbour) bale in round bales? This time of year, with bales on stubble, is super for asking a pony to bend ROUND as the bales are there as a safe big thing to make turning obvious - and fun. You can get lots of turns in the two directions without it seeming boring to a pony. Make sure your leg aids are there to help the pony balance and not 'fall out' on the outer circle. Also, don't get too hung up' about third gear (canter). If you make sure that your other transitions (both up and down the paces) are accurate then you are re-inforcing your authority over your pony in a gentle way, so when it comes to asking for the sticking point, canter, it should happen just the same. You are so lucky that you have fields to ride in. You can hack around, lobbing along at a decent pace (I mean in canter here) aiming for ? that wood / that tree-stump / by that gate / etc as a 'we will trot when we get to that point' - establish the fun in the 'three-time' canter 'gear' in your pony before you start worrying about 'collection'. If the field is a bit rough then so what. That will make your pony teach himself to be careful. As long as you are also careful and look out for things like rabbit holes (if you've walked the headland (next to the hedge or fence) then you will have spotted any 'dangers'. I didn't have a school. Ever. Only when I worked for other people. Coped very well on farmland without one. I know for a fact it helped to keep the horses and ponies fresh and happy. So, you are actually very lucky! Finally, if, when in canter, your pony breaks back into a fast trot from canter, then IMMEDIATELY slow him down to a steady trot - almost a walk (that's seat,leg, hand almost all at once, applying sort of a 'half halt' - which will make him think. At the same time, turn him OFF the straight line and on a suitable sized circle, when the balance and speed of trot is regulated again and the place is right, such as going towards the fence, keep 'round' and tell him again by giving your aid that it's canter you want. Then go on on up the field again, telling him - with your voice - that he's good. Every time - and I mean every time, he falls out of canter repeat this excercise and eventually he'll learn that you mean business. He'll also learn that canter is less of an effort if you use your fields to best advantage, such as I suggested with the bales.You can also use gradients (little slopes, sometimes bigger banks if you have them) to canter up and that too will help him to learn to engage and use his 'engine' - his hind quarters and hind legs. You mustn't feel that you have to keep kicking or squeezing though. You will get worn out and he will get bored and not listen, as he's heard / felt it all before. Give the aid - hold the relevant leg on to help him (eg. your inside leg to support him and your outside leg to drive him in the direction of your large circle that you want to be on). Pipandflo, I don't think it was harsh, to be honest. Just straightforward, factual. Hopefully, re-iterating the same sort of message that she must have been advised to do at camp. With fields at her disposal, Millie is actually VERY lucky; many people simply don't have an option and have to ride in schools. Wheras she has the chance to make 'working at improving' really much easier for both her and the pony, with things to see and do along the way.
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Post by milliecocospencer on Aug 22, 2014 10:53:17 GMT
Thank you for this advice but it was harsh if you had read my post correctly then you would know what tips I am asking for, how to get a more slow and bouncy canter, you do not no me and my pony therefore please do not tell me that I am not being fair on my pony, if you do not have anything nice to say please don't say it at all this includes sly comments.
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Post by connie on Aug 22, 2014 12:03:43 GMT
I actually thought Caroline's advice was very helpful and reading your first post it didn't indicate that he is well schooled and had just spent a week at camp. If you had included the information from your 2nd post in the original then maybe the response would have been different. The advice that she gives is still very helpful and for someone with no school I will be using the stubble fields and taking some of Caroline's advice and using it to help my youngster.
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Post by viking on Aug 22, 2014 12:24:55 GMT
Helpful advice from Caroline, and well worth following. Always useful to give the fuller picture when asking for tips and advice. Good luck. I hope you get him going sweetly, it often takes a little while.
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Aug 24, 2014 15:39:34 GMT
Caroline is very experienced and really knows her stuff so worth taking note of what she says. I must admit I too thought from your post that your pony was far less schooled than you now suggest, it lead me to believe the main problem was that he/she is not yet balanced enough to canter as you want. I had that problem with my first ridden Welsh D (and I've met Ds that would FAR rather go into their terrific extended trot than to canter!), solved by my instructor of the time teaching us walk to canter, leaving no chance for either of us to panic about the transition which we were both doing.
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Post by robrocks on Aug 24, 2014 19:15:33 GMT
On a large circle, loads of walk/trot then halt trots. Then trot a few strides and up to canter for 5 or 6 strides. Keep repeating this. You will get quite a punchy uphill canter. Come back to trot before it goes flat. I learned it years ago- it's called "the bump" lol. Walk canters and rein back canters also good as are leg yield in walk or trot and into canter. Cavaletis on the corners help with canter as does most jumping. Come down a transition before it goes flat.
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Post by cariad on Aug 25, 2014 12:12:51 GMT
Trotting up hill!! Make him work from behind and this will help his canter.
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dis
Junior Member
Posts: 82
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Post by dis on Aug 25, 2014 21:01:05 GMT
Walk to canter will improve the strike off and build strength. Mske sure he goes forward into the contact Leg yield in canter will help as will shoulder in. Riding a square or diamond will help, focus on the turn being balanced and sitting on the quarters and then forwards out the turn.you can start by doing a trotor walk in each corner so he naturally starts to want to sit in the corners. dont worry if he lifts his head at first he probably needs to for balanceuntil hes stronger. also in canter up a slope practice sending the canter on with a bigger stride then bringing it back onto the hind leg with a stride more round and covering less ground....if you listen to music it helps keep the horses rhythm the samein the on and back.
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Aug 28, 2014 15:09:28 GMT
I'd forgotten the leg yield one - I did it in the school so as to arrive on the outside track at the beginning of the bend which helps the transition, as well as making the rider think hard about switching the aids very clearly from leg yield say to the right into canter on the left lead round the end of the school.
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Post by CarolineNelson on Aug 28, 2014 15:46:05 GMT
I'd forgotten the leg yield one - I did it in the school so as to arrive on the outside track at the beginning of the bend which helps the transition, as well as making the rider think hard about switching the aids very clearly from leg yield say to the right into canter on the left lead round the end of the school. SarahP - I'm going to pinch your words here - - - "as well as making the rider think hard about" . . . . SO many supposed "pony" problems are actually 'rider' problems. The poor pony or horse is not born with "Sat Nav" and, until a real partnership is formed, it must be difficult for any neddy, however intelligent, to second-guess it's rider's (sometimes confusing) commands. To create this takes time - and it IS a BOND. Formed by careful, thorough training at home by a rider with experience. The best riders can and do, pick up 'spare' rides. Race Jockeys have to do it on a daily basis. So do "Judge Riders". The essence of this is the 'thorough' training at home. All the rest should fall into place. As for the OP. You asked for advice. You've been given some very helpful tips. One would hope that, in time, both you and your pony will benefit - for all that you have been quite condemning along the way. This is a great time of year and the weather is with us. Work in the field and through the woods is such fun and a pony will far prefer that to the 'tedious' stuff in a small arena which, appreciably, those (who are lucky enough to have an available 'school') have to settle for in winter.
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sarahp
Happy to help
Posts: 9,510
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Post by sarahp on Aug 28, 2014 15:53:30 GMT
In retrospect I suspect my mare was stiff in the back, this was before the days of physios and she was 10yo before being schooled although was backed, but much was also my own mental problems as her difficulty in canter became mine in the form of tension about the transition. I was also told to think "LIFT into canter" which helped too. We did RC level dressage, and I found by experience that if I tried to canter her in the warm up it ruined the test as she got unsettled and anxious, but just doing it in the context of a test worked much better. All in my head I expect!
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Post by dave05 on Aug 29, 2014 7:40:54 GMT
Well I don’t know about the OP but can I just say thank you for all these helpful tips and suggestions. I’m certainly going to enjoy my schooling a little more now and will hopefully see some good results. Also going to give the school a rest and enjoy training in the fields. thanks everyone for the great feed-back.
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