my awful lower legs

[cirocco]

Hes not doing shoulder in ,he gets confused and stops if I ask him anything that he doesn't understand.

He does leg yield but not well we have only being doing this for a short while.

Going left in canter he is really good now, he goes into it very well and will keep going now until I ask him for trot. Canter right is awful. Its on canter right that im having all my problems. I try to hold him to stop him falling out, but its exhausting.  Also he feels so wrong, he makes you think that he's dis united, but he sometimes isn't. he just feels as if he is. He was really wide in between his front legs when I got him, and walked like a sea lion, more a waddle keeping his front legs wide apart. he had to walk like that because he was so fat and had to hold himself up by placing his legs so wide as he walked. Now he's lost about 4 - 5" between the front legs so he can walk in a more normal way. When I watch him in the mirror cantering the outside

leg going right is thrown wide. His weight is then on the inside leg

this is what throws me off balance and why im struggling with my lower leg as I try to keep him going right. He feels as if he's on wrong front leg lead but he isnt.

perhaps this should have been in horse training section but were here now

[Lammy]

Everything you are saying sounds exactly like my mare Holly, she injured her near hind badly so tries to take the weight off of it in right canter (she was fab in left canter) and felt just awful.  Its good to say now though she is fine but after a lot of lateral work, rein back and persistence    Oh and also the pessoa once or twice a week that she actually bucked off twice.

But how old is he as you don't want to push him too much too soon.  Can you get walk to canter as this will help immensely?

[cirocco]

He's 7. Done nothing at all for last 2 years.. Was purchased from show ring as a 5 yr old having just been shown in hand.
So Im starting from scratch.

No walk to canter is way off...... hes only just learning trot to canter. I will do walk to canter when he understand the spoken command. Its coming, but ive only had him a few weeks so cant expect much yet.

I wish I knew how to do U tube stuff it would be good to show what I mean.

[Lammy]

Don't rule walk to canter out as two of my horses that I trained from 3 year olds learnt walk to canter first as then you don't get the unbalanced nearly running trot into a not so good canter.  I trained them on the lunge first from voice command and then carried it through to the ridden work, it really gets them to think about taking there weight behind more rather than running heavy on their shoulders 

[cirocco]

Lammy Ill go over to horse training now please

But yes, I do exercises when im hacking to the school, lengthening my legs etc. And I do use the swing of his belly, which has helped both of us. But there are lots of issues ive got to overcome so its not going to be a quick fix.

I did however use the saddle he came with for my lesson today to see if it was actually the saddle that was making my lower leg come back, and it seems it is. I rode him without my heels rising!... trouble is its never going to fit him so it will be sold, ill go look for something else today.

[cirocco]

 :db:Lower legs/ heels have stopped rising now. phewww.

So thats one thing out of the way. Now ive started to ride with my lower legs floppy. I have no idea why im starting to do the most stupid things now.
Watching myself in the school mirrors today I can see that they are wild. There is no other word for the way they jiggle around. Im not kicking pony, so its not that, they are hanging as the always have [ I ride pretty long] and im not putting much weight into the stirrups, could this be the problem??.. GROAN.

[renta]

Hi cirocco
I think your stirrup leathers are too long. Try by shortening 1-2 holes  to get the hip-, knee- and ankle joints flex to correct.

[cirocco]

  :db:Yes thank you I will try them shorter. Perhaps its just adjusting to riding a smaller pony. Ill give it a try thurs and report back.

[cirocco]

Reporting back. Legs sorted.... Two holes shorter, and the flippy flappy legs have gone.

[renta]