This week Christine suggests I put Lottie back on the lunge to see if we can get some better canter. Lottie has trouble flexing her pelvis under to bring her hind legs up and forward, so she tends to trail out behind. This is especially evident on the right side, which explains why she has trouble with the left canter lead, because that right hind needs to engage first to strike off to the left.
Lottie is a darling in everything she does, and lunging is no different. She feels light at the end of the lunge line in the same way she is light (sometimes too light) in my hand when I ride her. I can notice the weak hind especially in the trot circle to the right, but I can also improve her movement by directing her quarters with my whip as she brings the hind leg forward.
I canter her first on the right side, the good side, to give her some confidence, before attempting the more difficult left lead. She strikes off incorrectly a few times, and remembering something I learned years ago about letting the horse notice the incorrect balance, I decide to let her canter half a circle on the wrong lead before asking her to come back to trot and trying again. She strikes off on the left lead, though clumsily.
The next time I try she is much smoother, and the more I ask her to engage her right hind the better the left canter becomes. I notice that sometimes on the left circle in trot she lets her right hind swing out, and so I try to use the rail to get her hindquarters straight before asking for left canter. It works. I’m happy with her progress and think that using the lunge to work on her canter is a good plan.
Alex O’Sullivan - Instructor, Blinkbonnie Equestrian Centre
Christine Note: Picture is Tucker not Lottie, Tucker is blessed with a very nice natural canter inherited from his Daddy, plus he likes to practice it in his paddock often! Lottie’s canter is somewhat typical of her purebred Arabian breeding, plus paddock accidents in her youth have contributed to her having a weaker hind end. It is important to treat each horse individually and understand that each one needs different gymnastic exercises to enhance their natural conformation and gaits. The Ecole de Legerete is very appealing for me because it recognises that all horses, irrespective of their natural talents and conformation can become stronger, prouder and more beautiful with correct work.
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