Corner canter?

Question

My pony, Twinkles doesnt like to canter corners instead she trots them and starts cantering again when its straight... I've been trying to correct it and i know getting angry is no sollution so yeah can you help me?

Answer 1

If you could refresh you and your pony with your aids, say in a round pen or some enclosed area, it would be great...you wouldn't have to be cantering, just refresh your seat, hands, leg and verbal aids and be consistent.  Stop and back up ofter, keep your pony on her toes, so to speak.  When you do decide that she is listening to you better, and you return to the arena, make sure that you maintain a balanced seat, don't drop your shoulder, don't lean, just maintain a good seat and because you know that she is going to try this, you can anticipate it and use your legs and verbal cues to push her through without dropping out of the canter...when she does that, don't forget to praise her, but keep going...When starting back into the arena, I would cut the corners short for a while until I got her from hesitating at all at the corners, then you can just get closer and closer to the corners ....once she does all four corners, don't wear her into the ground, reward her by stopping, removing tack and have a nice long grooming session.  Just remember, the next time that you ride her, refresh her memory, go back and repeat what you were doing successfully just before you quit the last session.  Once she does it right, go do something else, maybe get out of the arena and on the trail for a while, keep her mind clean and she will work better for you...good luck.

Answer 2

It sounds like you need to pick her up a little bit more in the corners.  This is what I would do:  First, I would use some inderect reign to bend her into the corner.  That means if you are cantering around on the left lead, you would pick your left (inside) hand up a tad and then across the whithers.  Your outside hand can stay level or open and drop a bit. This creates almost like a tunnel for your horse to travel through.  Your horse will hopefully bend around the corner better for you.  As for your seat and legs, as you work your hands, try sitting and driving with your seat a bit to create some impulsion.  Sit up as tall as you can.  The more you lean to the inside, the more your horse is until she is off balanced and trotting.  Pretend that someone is pulling your outside shoulder straight back towards your horses butt with each stride.  It's going to feel real funny at first, but if you have mirrors or someone to watch you, you will realize that all this is is you sitting up straight rather than leaning in the corners.  Then bump or squeeze with your inside leg depending on the responsiveness of your horse.  Leave your outside leg off too.  I hope this helps.  I have ridden many off balanced horses in small arenas and just did a rundown in my head of what works for me!

Good Luck

Answer 3

When ever you come to a corner you should be able to feel Twinkles start to slow down, keep you leg on her, tap tap tap or kick if you have too. Your showing her by letting her not canter in the corner that its ok. Just keep a leg on her and over time she won't do it

Answer 4

You need to keep your legs into Twinkles as you go around these corners.  If leg alone won't do it, then you may want to try a tap with a crop to keep her moving forward and remaining at a canter.  Use the crop on your rail side as you start into that corner to give her the forward momentum so she doesn't drop down to a trot.