My Horse won't canter circles.?

Question

My 11yr old mustang mare will walk, trot, canter, gallop, and stop! But when i ask her to canter in a circle or when i try to canter around barrels, she just slows to a trot. She'll canter inbetween the barrels and any other time i ask her to but she just wont canter in circles! I use spurs and I move my outside leg back and everything but it just doesn't work. She doesn't even canter when I ask her to canter a big circle or in the round pen or when i lunge.(anytime she's going in a circle)Please help!

Answer 1

Is it only one direction she wont canter in??? some horses are one sided like that it just takes work...start in a walk (in a circle) then move to trot then canter.

Answer 2

check her feet, teeth, and saddle

Answer 3

First, just walk a circle. Then Trot a circle. Keep that up.

If she wont walk her in a circle.

DONT LET HER GET AWAY WITH THIS

Make her do this.

Canter around the ring.

Then do half ring

Then do a quater ring.

Start off big and then start smaller.

Answer 4

Thats because she has obviously been taught not too. Not by you but by someone else. You have to break her of that. Make HER DO IT. I just bought a 5yr old QH, and she tries to get away with everything. Make your horse do it. She will eventually learn that your the boss and that she has to do it when you want her to.

Answer 5

odds are she isn't strong enough to do a small circle. It sounds stupid and all and even if they weren't strong they can still gallop and stuff but its harder for them to stay balanced. It might not help if your leaning in or doing something wrong(not that i'm saying you are). I would try puttin her on a longer lunge line canter so she has to do it without a person. After a while her backend and balance will be better to were you can do it on her. if she decides she doesn't want to canter she is controlling you and your not controlling her. Use a lunge whip and crack it to make a "scary noise" don't use it on her though. THere is a nice and a cruel way to make a horse do something and you will never win the cruel way bc. they way a ton more than you! If she still isn't phased kind of follow her with it and rub it on her butt. you don't  actually need to hit her just rub it then tap tap if she won't go. Nothing hard just some encouragment. If she still won't go clap your hand make funny noises that might convince her to go. No luck with that? Call in a professional...Sorry but that is all the help I can give you.

Answer 6

She may be unsure of her balance or else she may have some pain in her back or legs that makes her unwilling to turn while cantering.  Have you had a vet check, and do you know of any past injuries?

As for her balance, a horse that does not have a collected canter will not be able to canter in a small circle.  How big is your round pen?  It should be at least 50-60 feet in diameter if you expect her to canter in it.  The same goes for the lunge line.  Horses that have been taught to collect themselves can canter in much smaller spaces, but if you take just any old horse in from the pasture and ask them to gallop, they naturally have much longer strides and they will not know how to canter collected.  So that could be the reason.  Try galloping her in a VERY large circle, such as in an arena or pasture.  If she still can't turn even the slightest curve without slowing to a trot, it might be a different problem.

As for the barrels, it's pretty normal for a horse just starting out to want to slow to a trot to turn them.  The fact that she'll canter in between the barrels is good...just keep practicing slow.  Don't expect a lot of speed out of her until she is more comfortable with the pattern.  If she does not have the agility and conformation necessary, she will not want to turn tight barrel patterns anyway...she may not be cut out for it.

I had a horse that could canter to the left, but the right always made him goof up.  I really think he had something wrong with his back or hips, though I had him checked for pain issues.  He just would never take the right lead, and would actually buck or stop altogether if you asked him to turn right on the canter.  

So listen to your horse and try to find out why it is uncomfortable for her.  Good luck.

Answer 7

my gelding did something like this. she probally has lead problems like horses that will turn right but not left. in ur round pen walk your mare towards a pannel. make sure shes right up next to it. then slowly take ur right leg (spur less) and begin bumbing her slow and soft at first then fast and harder while doing this lift the left rein and lightly pull out and up point where your going. keeping bumbing and pull on the reins. but dont pull ur mares face out just pull and relase pull relase and so on. hope this helps break ur mare.

Answer 8

Moving your leg back wont help your horse. So keep your leg on the girth and only squeeze her for a couple seconds then release then apply pressure again. Make sure you dont kick all it will do is get her tense. Try also doing diagonals the bend in the beginning will get her used to it. Then when you move back to circles keep an equal reign and dont pull on the inside one all you will accomplish doing that is getting her off balance again which will slow her to a trot. Keep your upper body equal and straight. Insynch with her. I hope this helps!! :)

Answer 9

When you go around the barrels make sure you don't lean in toward the barrel stay in the middle of the saddle. Otherwise you though your horse off balance. You might need to sit back a little and drive her on with your seat and legs. Is it on only one lead? You can email me for questions! Hope I helped!

Answer 10

She probably feels unbalanced when you ask her to canter circles. You should start by making BIG circles and slowly work towards making them smaller.

When you ask her to canter a circle pick up your inside and an bring it across your body (kinda towards your outside hip) and pick your outside hand above her withers and use your inside leg to keep her circling (by putting pressure with your heel behind your girth). This should help balance her out and make her more comfortable to canter a circle.

I don't know what kind of bit you're using but I'd use a snaffle because it helps to have your reins short for this.

I hope I helped and good luck with your mare (:

Answer 11

She is perfectly capable of cantering around them...   encourage her.. does she know voice commands? Does she know leg commands? She needs to know both before starting her on barrels. She also has to like it. If you want to run in the big time you have to have a horse that loves to work for you and enjoys the sport.. if not they will definitely give you problems..   Make her do it you are in control..   barrel racing is the hardest sport on horses it requires  some much from them and stresses their legs intensely.

Good Luck

Answer 12

Well it really depends on the horse and so on. But maybe she is feeling unbalanced doing a circle in the canter. Remember that a circle takes all the balance a horse has to preform. Or it could be that she was never taught properly to canter circles. I would definitly get a trainer to adress this issue, and I would not push her or get mad at her.

Answer 13

i would guess that she doesn't think she can, so she doesn't.

i also would guess that YOU need to support her through it, don't put your leg back and ask once, ask and KEEP asking, lift your body, sit up straight, and hold your reins just a TAD taller (two handed for this.. if you don't usually) .  You need to "hold" her up a bit through the turns so you might even put some inside leg on to push her through your legs.

Also, if she speeds up through all this, just go with it, don't aim for an kind of special canter, you just want her to make it through one circle.  And if she gets a half circle, let her walk and chill, and then ask again and try to get 3/4 of a circle, or a whole circle.

It won't come super quick but if you can get her conditioned through it then you'll be cantering around barrels in no time!

good luck!

Answer 14

well u can try training her by lunging. when ur lunging and she won't canter, fling the whip in circles behind her. remember that if she startes running, stop her.  and when u ask her to canter, say "ca" until she starts, then end with ther "nter" so if your riding, asll u have to say is canter and shell start.(itll also help with eq)