Asking your horse to canter in the corner of the arena will help him because it encourages him to bend in the direction of travel, making it easier for him to pick up the correct lead. Choose a corner and think about doing your preparations on the long side before it.
A canter depart is not asked only with the outside leg. You must also move your outside shoulder back, put a little more weight in your left buttock, lighten the inside shoulder of the horse and move your outside leg back a little or very little.
Your left leg is on the girth, asking the horse to pick up the canter. Your right leg should be slightly behind the girth, asking the horse's right hind leg to strike off into left canter. (Note that the horse must begin the canter stride with his outside hind leg so that he finishes up on the correct lead.)
Bucking into canter isn't uncommon in young horses. This is mostly because they lose their balance when making the transition. They feel unbalanced and insecure, and may buck out of nervousness or self-preservation – after all, bucking is better than falling over.
Sometimes, ear pinning is defensive in nature. Such as when a horse feels threatened. When it's not about anger, resentment, playfulness, or defensiveness, ear pinning is usually related to concentration or physical pain.
In trot, the rider uses his leg aids at the same time and in unison. In canter, it gets a bit more difficult because the legs lie in a different position on the horse's belly and they are used in a different rhythm than in the other gaits: The inner leg stays on the girth and the outside leg goes behind the girth.
Instead of jamming your heels down, let your weight drop into your heels rather than onto the ball of your foot and into the stirrup. You really only want your heel to be slightly below horizontal, not pointing straight down. This is almost impossible to hold for any length of time and can cause muscle fatigue.
If you're going around the arena in the left direction, your horse's front left leg should lead at the canter. If you're going around to the right, your horse's front right leg should lead. To make it simple—your horse's inside foreleg should always be leading at the canter.
This is very frustrating to the horse and is a good reason for him to resist. Reach your hands toward his ears and give him room to move forward. Once you have asked the horse to canter and he does, wait until he is cantering willingly, relaxed and forward before you ask him to stop.
When a horse always resists cantering on a particular lead, it's usually because it's physically difficult or painful to do so. Lead problems may result from discomfort or stiffness anywhere in the legs, body or back.
Bouncing in a canter can be because your stirrups are at the wrong length. When the stirrups are too long, you end up reaching for them which leaves your lower legs less stable. This can cause you to grip with your thighs and knees which makes for the bouncing movement.
When you're cantering, your hips have to swing from the back to the front of the saddle in rhythm with the horse's stride while “plugging in” to the saddle. The key to doing this is to keep your spine in a neutral position, while staying strong in your body (but not stiff!) and not tipping forwards or backwards.
Riding the circle will help her maintain a steady tempo. Once she can maintain a circle, do a circle and then canter several strides down the long side and begin another circle. Always take care not to wait too long before going on a circle so that you don't end up causing her to revert to her previous behavior.
1. Dressage. Originating from the French word for training, dressage is one of the most difficult disciplines in English riding.
How long it takes for you to get to this step depends entirely upon your particular circumstances, but generally you should be cantering in under two months or so. The canter will feel fast at first, and you may bounce because you are tense. Try to relax your hips and sit as deep into your saddle as you can.
According to results of a study conducted by researchers at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, horses do seem to read some signals to indicate whether a nearby person is stressed or afraid, at least in certain circumstances.
Horses stomp to indicate irritation. Usually, it's something minor, such as a fly they're trying to dislodge. However, stomping may also indicate your horse is frustrated with something you are doing, and if you don't address it, he may resort to stronger signals.