My horse has a really fast canter! help!?

Question

ok, when i want my horse to canter, she goes into a really fast trot, then a really fast canter?! what am i doing wrong? and how can i get her to go into a slow and easy to controll canter?

i rise trot, then sit and kick, to ask her to canter, but she trots really fast! also, i have to have tight reigns or she'll just keep going faster!

please, and usefull tips to help me get her under contoll.

Answer 1

Pull on the reins to slow her down to  walk. then go back to canter. Do this intill she gets it right.

Answer 2

Sit back and relax and make sure your feet and hands are in the right places. Keep a good contact. If she goes into a really fast trot check her repeatedly until she slows down then ask again. Repeat this until she calms down. Also apply some Bach flower rescue remedies which will help with lots of things. Massage and feed them to her. They an approved food as well as drug.

Don't pull hard on the reins only do little but strong checks to tell her what you want or she will only get more agitated and go faster!

I hope i helped, and you can find the remedies(38) on the Internet!

Alice L

Answer 3

Lots of times trotting really fast and then running into a fast canter has to do with balance. Your horse is not comfortable carrying your weight and figuring out how to balance himself so moving faster helps him. You need to teach your horse some flexing exercises. Flexing at the poll, neck, shoulders, back and rear-end engagement. giving to the bit, ie, =collection. Alot of this can be taught with proper ground work training.

Answer 4

what i do is teach my horse to go into the canter from a slow and controlled trot.  when she goes into the canter from a fast trot i stop her and make her back up a couple steps.  when she goes into the canter from a slow collected trot i praise her but still make sure my canter is controlable. Once she gets into a slow and collected canter only canter for a few strides then try to get into your slow and collected canter again the same way you did before.  you do this so she gets it planted in her mind that that is the way she should go into the canter all of the time.

good luck!!

Answer 5

Get nice and collected at the trot first in both direcions, while their body is turned in a corner sit and ask for the canter with a big squeeze and make sure your legs are far back enough while you kick becuase the further back your leg is, the more sensitive the horse is. Try that a few times transitioning from the trot to the canter and back to trot for half of the arena then back to canter and so on until she is clear what you are asking of her and praise her like crazy when she gets the canter. I suggest using sugar cubes occasionally because horses love it and will strive to please you, and you can give them to your horses while your still on them, and you can use them while they have the bit. Second thing you need to try is to use a crop at least 28 inches long, and while you ask for the canter just reach back and give her a quick sting right on the side of her rump and she'll jump right into the canter. I had the same problem with my horse and no i dont even need a crop and the second i sit she jumps into the canter thanks to the crop. Good luck and happy riding!

Answer 6

Before your transition, get a nice springy relaxed trot. Not rushing or pulling. Use half-halts and your seat to get the trot where it needs to be. Then sit for a couple steps and give a squeeze with your outside leg behind the girth (with some horses all you have to do is stretch to the outside and think canter). If she just starts going faster then bring her back and start again. Once you are in the canter use half-halts again to slow her down. Be sure you are not clinging to her face or driving with your seat/legs to hang on. Good Luck

Answer 7

Get a collected trot in both directions then when you ask for canter dont EVER kick her. Squeeze your legs and turn her to the outside. Once you pick up your canter, canter a 20m circle and keep your hands and body straight and equal to her. Once you get a balanced circle halt or walk her. Take a few breathers and pick up your canter from the walk. Get a couple strides that are good using half halts and leg squeezes to keep her going but collected. The walk and pat her. I used to have a little Arab pony who did the same thing.

Answer 8

well you're doing it differently then I do, I ride english hunt seat and to canter i shorten my inside reign then kick with my outside leg.  you can try saying woahhh or easy to slow it down

Answer 9

maybe you are kicking to hard at the spur of the second when preparing to canter you need to also prep your horse by tightening your tummy muscles and squeezing a little more then tap with your outside leg!

Answer 10

When you ask her to lope from the trot, don't let her get fast keep her collected, and when you ask she needs to go right into it. Try using a whip, kick if she gets going collect them smack her , it doesn't take much.  Get her to go into the lope from a walk, she will go into it a lot slower Good luck

Answer 11

Don't let her rush into the canter first of all :) As others have said, before you ask for the canter, make sure you are at a consistent, relaxed but active trot. When you do ask for your canter, if she tries to 'run' into it, pull her back down with a half halt and ask again.

I'm not sure if it will do too much, but maybe attempt to ask on the circle as it seems that horses don't carry pace very well on the circle.

If she's still fast once you get her into the canter (without having her rush into it) try a series of half halts and make sure your weight is back, sitting deep in the saddle,

Answer 12

Take release with the reins dont hold a death grip, nice contact yes no to death grip. This will not work. and your horse wont even respond to the bit, what kind of bit do you have her in now?

if she takes off in the trot, trot her in a sprial circle ( starting off big and getting smaller until you can no longer trot) do this on either side of the ring... then do some figure eights. at the trot.

after the trot excersizes pick up the canter with a squeeze and release  not a kick and if your horse knows leg yeilds and can pick the canter up on the right lead then by all means use the rail leg to pick up the canter, when at the canter canter 3 strides, stop wait a sec then ask for her to back up and back your horse up nicely not all panicy an frustrated.  then pick up the canter again 3 strides stop and back. give and take with the reins snaffle bits use a sea saw method.  after you do the 3 strides in the canter stop let your horse breathe and pick the canter up again and circle.

make sure you have someone there watching you, a trainer is very helpful in guiding you with problems you maybe having, especially if it's the rider that is just not insync with the horse. your horses tell you how your riding them.  they're your greatest teacher.

These are tips, and Im not a trainer these are just some methods i have used. and because Im not there to see what is going on it is best you have an instructor. good luck! happy riding.

Answer 13

warm her up alot. my horse is the same way and he lopes slower after hes been warmed up. first walk lots of long relaxed circles, then trot lots of big circles until she slow down. then slowly ease into a canter and wen she starts cantering use your outside rein to 'bump' her in to the bit and she will slow and collect. wen i say bump i mean keep the rein u are turning with - your inside rein - loose and lightly tug the outside rein to adjust her speed.

she may just naturally have fast lope but its also common for horses to not be condition enough to preform such a slow motion. stretch her b4 u ride and may practice on the lunge line. and wen u ease into the lope let her just kinda flow into it then use your rein to push her into the bit.

this is wat i did and my gelding has improved.

Answer 14

When you are riding around the arena and are planning to canter in say, the next corner, don't tense up or she may sense it and anticipate you by speeding up.

Keep the trot nice and relaxed, springy, all calm.  Then firmly suddenly sit down fore she can anticipate you, cluck and urge her into it.  If she does rush, slow her down and re-try.  Ride a half halt to rebalance her.

She is rushing perhaps because she isn't balanced yet.  Work on LOTS of transitions.  If she is a young horse balance will come with muscle toning.  

1)Hill work, hacking out and cantering in straight lines is easier for an unbalanced horse

2) loads of transitions

3) lunge her regularly to work on balance and transitions.

IT WILL COME GOOD LUCK!

Answer 15

This is a common problem.

The best way to resolve this issue is through ground work.  This mean lounging, long lining under saddle -- without and with the rider.   It is best to get professional help that can see what it going on, but here's a start.

I would bring your horse back to the basics.  

           Lounging her -- working on the walk, trot, and canter (on the correct lead)  This will help her understand what you want, build a successful working relationship, help you develop and become consistant with your verbal commands and builds what is called muscle memory in your horse and in you (which is moving without thinking, just doing out of habit, a first response to a command)

It may help you to understand "muscle memory in a response to a commands"   if I put it in human terms.

Take for example a race:  

Ready -- Set -- Go   ----------  Now your running and someone says Stop!  BEFORE you can think about it your body is already stopping.  It is because you have been trained what "Stop" means  -- and your body does it, without you thinking about it.  

This is one way you can train your horse to go from a walk to trot -- walk to canter -- canter to walk -- canter to trot -- trot to canter -- trot to walk.  and any other combination you can think of.

Start simple -- Get your horse going around on the lounge line.  You are only interested in walking and trotting at first.  Remember that she must also stop when you ask her!!  Do it everyday for two weeks (don't ride her yet).  

Now -- warm her up on the lounge line (walk / trot 5 min a side) and then push her in a canter and let her do nothing else -- 10min one way and 10min the other way.  Stopping  each time to change direction.  Hand walk her to cool her out.  Do this everyday for at least two weeks (she needs to do it without protest) Make sure she canter on the correct lead!!!  With Both her front and back legs -- no counter cantering!!

Next Go back to the walk and trot for a week.  Remember to practice stopping.  YOU must be consistant with what ever verbal commands you choose!!!!!

   You can call it walk, trot and canter

   One kissing sound for walk, 2 for trot and a long one for canter.

     One clucking sound for walk, 2 for trot and a kissing sound for canter.  (The clucking is a common sound made in one side of the mouth using the tougue -- hard to describe)

I can tell you are smart and you get the idea.

Now ask her to go from a walk to a canter -- and back down to a walk -- nothing else -- remember to pratice stopping.  Do this for 1 week. (don't ride yet!!! be patient, it will be worth it)

Next -- saddle your horse no bridle yet.  --  Do the walk and trot for 3 or 4 days

Then walk to canter and back to the walk for 3 or 4 days.

Then add the bridle without riens-- loung line is attached to the halter (which is put on over the bridle).  Do this for 3 to 4 days.

Now with the saddle and the bridle (no riens) put your horse through her paces on the lounge line.

                        walk to trot

                        trot to walk

                        walk to canter

                         canter to walk

If she does fine and response she is ready for a human.  First warm her up on the lounge line --  10 min both sides running her through her paces -- then immediately get on her and only walk and trot -- do this for one week.

Now it comes time to ask for the canter -- Lounge her -- walk to canter and canter to a walk -- then immediately get on her and ask for it the same way  -- do not accept a trot -- bring her back down and ask  again -- if she doesn't get it -  get off lounge her -- walk to canter and canter to walk until she does it without protest  -- then try again -- YOU must be clear and FIRM -- if she manages to do it once -- tell her good girl -- walk her cool and do something she likes.

Repeat variations on the above theme.  If you are patient, she will learn it!

I would suggest finding a trainer in the area that might help you through some of the ground work.  They would also be able to help you be clear when you communicate with your horse whether or not you are in or out of the saddle.

EDIT:  I agree with those who said to squeeze her into the canter instead of kick.  Kicking can sometimes make the horse more determined not to canter.  It can also set you and your horse off balance.  

I also agree that you need to have her collected.  Collecting your horse helps her balance so that she can slow down.  It is easier to teach her collection in ground work first -- where she only has to deal with herself --  then add you to the mix.

EDIT:  Tip on asking for the lead:  If you want her to do a left lead -- use your right heal just behind the girth  - for some horses you can tip the nose slightly to the right as you squeeze with the legs and indicate with your heal and give her, her verbal cue.  Combine this with the procedure outlined above will help set you and her up for success.

I hope this helps.  Don't rush her it will pay off in the end!!!

Answer 16

well.

first is she a standard bred. if so she is pacing when u ask her to go into canter. i use 2 ride a standard bred like that,

just sit back and half holt.

u may need a harsher bit if u cant control her.

Answer 17

Well first thing I'd do is teach her to trot slower, you say she trots faster when you ask for a canter, so try asking for a canter, and if she doesn't canter straight away, and starts the fast trot, ask her to slow down to a normal trot, so she gets that trotting is at 1 speed, and not a fast one!

Also, when you ask her to canter, don't kick immediately. Give her a squeeze, then a tap with your heel, then a kick if necessary. A kick may mean to her "GO!" in the gait she is in, meaning a fast trot.

Once she is cantering, try half halts, if they don't work, go back to a normal trot and do that for a while, then try cantering again.

Another thing, does she respond with voice commands? If she does, you could, while you are asking for a canter during your normal trot, ask her to "Canter" or "Canter on". If she doesn't know voice commands while riding, teach her them, as in, once she breaks into a canter, say "canter on", and she will associate the term with the gait and will then hopefully respond in future, and then, once she learns how to canter when asked and stay at a nice speed, you could start to stop and then eventually completely stop voice commands.

Same with the trotting, if she starts trotting fast, do a half halt and say "trotting" and she'll then associate the normal speed with the term.

Hope these help. I know many people don't use voice commands but they can be quite useful, well, it can't hurt to try.

Good luck with your horse! : )

Answer 18

before the canter make your horse get into a nice comfortable trot preferably a slow or medium trot than give a nice kick but not to hard to make the horse take off and leave the reins a little loose but if your horse tries to speed up into a pace that's unconfortable pull the reins tighter, show your horse who's boss and won't get away with anything you don't want them to. also try lounging your horse before the ride so she gets some of her extra energy out so she will be more concentrated during the ride