Step 26 Cantering On Line
Step 26 - Cantering On Line
Before riding your horse for the first time (or the first time after going back to the beginning), you would like to know what they are like cantering under saddle.
Success Tips:
– Ensure you can get a good energetic trot easily before doing this.
Common Problems/Mistakes:
– Not having your horse respond well to energy before starting to attempt this.
– Pushing too much energy toward them.
– Not having the leading/drawing with energy working first before attempting this.
Work on this exercise until you can easily get a canter online both ways (remember you will work on the left side first and get it good before trying and mastering the right) with not having to urge them to and without any type of resistance (head tossing, bucking, ear pinning, etc.)
A reminder how to use this course: click on Mark Complete below and go to the next step when you and your horse are ready.
My mare used to crossfire at the canter to the left. After doing the focus and bend she can now pick up the left lead and keep it on the line and when I ride her. Focus and bend really helped. thanks
I’m not to thisstep yet… working on going around in both directions, and raising my energy to elicit a trot with my mule.
She is six years old.. broke at two in TN, allegedly broke to ride and to drive. Sent to auction. Gentleman who had her ffrom age three till I got her in December just let her be a mule.. he said she was ridden one time, by a woman.. but offered no details other than “Let’s just say she’s better with women than with men” She no longer flees and has become easy to engage and catch, still flees when I get too big with her or take too big a step forward in what we are doing (then when I break it down she’s OK) She no longer acts terrified if I bring out a surcingle or walk towards her with a saddle… so we are making progress… slower on her off side than on her nearside.
How can I work with her to get her better on the right?
Going counterclockwise, right eye on me, she is VERY war and wants to turn and face me.. If I raise my energy a little too much, she wants to flee. She’s good with leading with energy.. IF I am on the left.. Getting better with leading with energy on the right.
She’s very obviously more defensive, more likely to flee if I am to her right.
I know.. STTDP….
But do you have any suggestions to help get her over her ‘concern’ about me being on her right side?
Is she perfectly good with you on her right side, before you ask her to do anything on her right side?
She is now. At first, she did not tolerate me being anywhere other than the area of her head or neck.. if I’d move toward her hind end, she’d either back up to keep me even with her eye, or shift her hind end away.
To move farther back, I had to keep a hand on her, stroking… Now, she’s fine with me being on that side – as long as I’m not asking her to move.
I finally got her leading well from that side by leading her along a fenceline, where she could not swing her behind away from me. A few repetitions of that, and she’ll ‘lead with energy’ MOST of the time, from that side…
still not to this step yet with my Molly, Ruby Jewel… but I’m seeing behaviors in Chance that I see in Ruby. Doing something new kind of scares her.
Today we began trotting on the line, in her good direction – got the energy going and then, once she trotted, just let her go and drew her back in, because I’m pretty sure I was observing that she felt uncomfortable about having trotted. Did three successful tries, and the third time she didn’t get uncomfortable… so, we called it a day. Am I doing it right?
Great work!