From: Mark
Dear Jessica, I guess I'm just like everybody else, really grateful for this incredible service. I don't send you a lot of questions because you seem to answer most of them before I even ask. Thank you for everything you do.
I need advice about a young horse I'm training right now. She's almost four. I backed her about a month ago, she's easy to steer and she's got a good walk and trot, but I've just started to canter her and I'm having a problem. I've only cantered her about four times, because I wanted to check with you about this. I'm pretty sure she understands my canter cues, but three out of the four times we cantered, she has picked up the wrong lead. I brought her back to a trot right away because I figure she'll learn the wrong thing if I let her canter on the wrong lead. But I don't know what to do now. Is there something that I should be doing with my hands? I've been told that I should pull her head to the outside to free up her inside shoulder. I've also been told that I should pull her head to the inside! I need advice on this. I hope I haven't done something to mess her up. Thanks, Mark
You seem to understand your young mare very well. And don't worry, I'm sure you haven't hurt her. I do think I can help you with this canter business, though!
When horses are just learning to pick up a canter and canter on under saddle, just getting them to step into a canter calmly is a BIG success. You've done that. The biggest mistake would be to run her into a canter from a faster and faster trot, and you haven't done that -- good for you!
You shouldn't worry about her lead just yet, though. You're halfway there -- she understands that you want her to canter. That's actually the most important thing for her to understand right now. If you allow her to canter on for ten or twelve strides at least, and you praise her, she won't get confirmed in the wrong lead -- don't worry about that. She WILL become absolutely certain that your canter cues mean CANTER. This is essential for all of her future work.
There are many reasons for a young horse to take the "wrong" lead when it is first learning to canter under saddle. Your mare is still trying to find her own balance during the trot-canter transition and at the canter. That's absolutely normal -- but it means that she will often give you the "wrong" lead while she is learning. Don't worry unless she is still doing this consistently after at least a month of cantering!
At this early stage, if you bring her back to a trot immediately, there is a danger that she will learn the wrong lesson. Since she doesn't yet understand about specific canter leads, she won't understand that you want her to canter on a different lead -- she may simply receive the impression that she had done the wrong thing by CANTERING. It's all too easy to be a little too demanding, too early, and thus convince a horse that you didn't want a canter at all.
Keep doing what you're doing. As long as your mare is calm and can step into the canter easily, she's doing very well for her stage of training.
Don't do anything with your hands. If you are travelling to the left around the arena, your mare will already be bent very slightly to the left -- you don't need to ask for any more than that. Pulling her head in ANY direction is a bad idea, and you certainly don't want to pull it to the outside. When she picks up her left lead canter, for example, her natural bend will be to the left; there's no sense in asking her to bend to the right to pick up a canter to the left. ;-) As long as your mare's nose is tipped in the direction of movement, that's all you need.
Instead of thinking about your hands and your mare's head, think about your legs and your mare's body and hind legs. This would be an excellent time to teach her to leg-yield. If you haven't already done this, take a week or so and teach her to leg-yield consistently at walk and trot. Once she understands how to move her body away from leg pressure by stepping more deeply underneath herself with her inside hind leg, she will be much easier to put into a canter on either lead.
Try this: when she can leg-yield easily at walk and trot, take her down the short side of your riding arena. BEFORE you reach the long side, turn so that you are a few steps away from the walls. Leg-yield through the corner, and then ask for your canter as you reach the long wall. This will put your mare in the best possible physical position to pick up the correct lead, calmly and comfortably.
Keep her relaxed, and remember that the whole point of leg-yielding is that the horse learns to move away from pressure instead of leaning into it (the first and most natural response). As long as your mare is relaxed, she will remember her lesson and move away from your leg pressure. If she becomes worried and tense, she is likely to revert to what comes naturally and lean against your active leg instead of moving away from it -- and THAT will put her into position to pick up the WRONG lead.
Take your time, be patient, and make it easy for her to do what you want her to do. She'll get there in her own time, and she'll be a better horse for it.
Jessica
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