It is usual for riders to experience difficulties with horses over canter leads. I give some exercises below that ought to help you get your horse to pick up on the lead correctly every time!

You ought to be on the walk for the first exercise. Every couple of steps, you must switch between leads on either side, right and left, to practice with your horse’s position.

Start with the left lead.

Get all your weight onto the left seat. Turn your left wrist like you would when you open a round door handle to flex the pony leftward. When you begin, your thumb should be the top part of the hand. Twist the thumb to your left, and take your small finger close to the withers, without crossing them. Right now, your nails or your knuckles should be pointing at your face. Move your hand back to its starting position with your thumb still at the top.

Gradually compensate with the right rein to make certain your horse does not twist his neck too far leftward. Your horse’s face must be about an inch away from neutral (neutral pertains to a horse’s posture when its neck and head are aligned straight in front, so that his chin is directly out from the middle of his chest).

Your left side leg should be on the horse’s girth as a strategy of saying, “Move to a canter”, while your right side leg should be sited about 2 inches behind the horse’s girth, so that he gets the cue to move into the canter with a left lead (he should set off with his outside rear leg so that he will be able to get on the correct lead).

For some strides, stick to this ‘left lead’ position for the canter before switching aids like you are asking for a canter on the right lead (if you remember, you ought to be on the walk thru all this), which means:

– Your weight rests on your right butt bone;

– The right side rein is flexing your horse’s head an inch to his right;.

– The left rein functions to like it was a side rein: it inhibits excessive bend in your horse’s neck.

– Right side leg on the horse’s girth.

– Left leg to the back of the girth.

Act as follows when it’s time to ask the horse to depart.

– As you did earlier, keep your pony on the inside;

– When asking for a canter depart, move the inner seat bone out toward the horse’s interior shoulder.

– Squeeze the girth gently with the inside leg to ask the horse to canter.

– Move the outer leg like a windscreen wiper to tell the pony to get its outside hind into the canter.

Verify that the lead is correct by:

– Peeking down at your horse’s front legs without moving your head. If the lead is correct, the front leg on the inside should be reaching more ahead than the front leg on the outside.

– Making a circle. If the lead is correct, you will have a well balanced canter.

If the lead turns out to be wrong, it is in all probability because you didn’t keep the horse bending through the body and flexing inwards during transition. The pony will naturally pick up whatever lead the bending and flexing causes him towards.

These 2 things should assist you with the horse’s bend:

1. Walking in a smaller circle will force the horse to bend more. A touch before you finish a circle, apply aids for the canter without letting go the bend. When the horse starts cantering, arc him out into a bigger circle.

2. Trot or walk in small circles. Leg yield (meaning push) the horse to the circle that is larger. With the inside leg on the horse’s girth, yield with your leg to help. When circling rightwards, try to imagine pushing the horse’s rib cage leftward while leaving his neck and hindquarters at the right.

Horses are Heather Tomspassion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers read more

It is usual for riders to experience difficulties with horses over canter leads. I give some exercises below that ought to help you get your horse to pick up on the lead correctly every time!

You ought to be on the walk for the first exercise. Every couple of steps, you must switch between leads on either side, right and left, to practice with your horse’s position.

Start with the left lead.

Get all your weight onto the left seat. Turn your left wrist like you would when you open a round door handle to flex the pony leftward. When you begin, your thumb should be the top part of the hand. Twist the thumb to your left, and take your small finger close to the withers, without crossing them. Right now, your nails or your knuckles should be pointing at your face. Move your hand back to its starting position with your thumb still at the top.

Gradually compensate with the right rein to make certain your horse does not twist his neck too far leftward. Your horse’s face must be about an inch away from neutral (neutral pertains to a horse’s posture when its neck and head are aligned straight in front, so that his chin is directly out from the middle of his chest).

Your left side leg should be on the horse’s girth as a strategy of saying, “Move to a canter”, while your right side leg should be sited about 2 inches behind the horse’s girth, so that he gets the cue to move into the canter with a left lead (he should set off with his outside rear leg so that he will be able to get on the correct lead).

For some strides, stick to this ‘left lead’ position for the canter before switching aids like you are asking for a canter on the right lead (if you remember, you ought to be on the walk thru all this), which means:

– Your weight rests on your right butt bone;

– The right side rein is flexing your horse’s head an inch to his right;.

– The left rein functions to like it was a side rein: it inhibits excessive bend in your horse’s neck.

– Right side leg on the horse’s girth.

– Left leg to the back of the girth.

Act as follows when it’s time to ask the horse to depart.

– As you did earlier, keep your pony on the inside;

– When asking for a canter depart, move the inner seat bone out toward the horse’s interior ear.

– Squeeze the girth gently with the inside leg to ask the horse to canter.

– Move the outer leg like a windscreen wiper to tell the pony to get its outside hind into the canter.

Verify that the lead is correct by:

– Peeking down at your horse’s front legs without moving your head. If the lead is correct, the front leg on the inside should be reaching more ahead than the front leg on the outside.

– Making a circle. If the lead is correct, you will have a well balanced canter.

If the lead turns out to be wrong, it is in all probability because you didn’t keep the horse bending through the body and flexing inwards during transition. The pony will naturally pick up whatever lead the bending and flexing causes him towards.

These 2 things should assist you with the horse’s bend:

1. Walking in a smaller circle will force the horse to bend more. A touch before you finish a circle, apply aids for the canter without letting go the bend. When the horse starts cantering, arc him out into a bigger circle.

2. Trot or walk in small circles. Leg yield (meaning push) the horse to the circle that is larger. With the inside leg on the horse’s girth, yield with your leg to help. When circling rightwards, try to imagine pushing the horse’s rib cage leftward while leaving his neck and hindquarters at the right.

Horses are Heather Tomspassion and she enjoys sharing her extensive knowledge through her 100s of articles with other horse lovers read more