lunging Jim

[cirocco]

My trainer has been lunging him just for half the lesson, getting him to bend, respond to spoken commands and carrying on from the things we do at home. He's really coming on and ive no complaints. But when he's asked to canter the problems start. He's totally happy going left. he always goes on the correct lead, and his left bend is there. change to right, he never ever stikes off on the correct inside 'right' leg lead. He can be asked twenty times without him going on his off fore lead. One thing we have noticed is that when he is asked to canter right he turns his head to the left to the outside. [ridden Ive to really hold him into the outside rein, but asking for right bend.]
If he gets the chance he will turn his head to the outside 'left' and do a flying change back onto the side where he's most comfortable. Or he will canter correct lead fore, wrong lead behind [that is shocking to ride to.]  

He jumps into right canter with the outside leg 'that dishes' being really thrown to the outside.
When I got him it was really obvious and quite pronounced, its gradually got better until now its about half as bad as it was.  But I wonder if this is the reason that he's not happy going right in canter using his right leg.

Im totally stumped. Its not a problem ive ever faced before so if anyone has any ideas id love to know how to progress. He is like a youngster who's not been tought anything.

Ill just add. That when he first came and I trotted him, he seemed lame until I changed diagnal, now he's much better Today he was almost perfect trotting both diagnals. And when I rode him after he had been lunged, and we got some correct canter lead 'front and back' he was great. Perfectly in balance and willing.

[shoveltrash]

imho it's just a lack of balance.  almost all horses are one-sided (mine is!), and have a preferred 'lead' to canter on.  with correct lunge work at the trot, he should develop the muscles to better carry himself at the canter on the right .  it took my boy quite a while for this - but i didn't force the issue, just continued with the trot work and occasionally asked for the canter .

[cirocco]

  He was lunged yesterday, but we had no luck with his 'out of sink' back legs when he was asked to canter, he still went dis united, then he threw a right old paddy.
So I totally agree to let him be for now, and not to rush things. I think ill ride him for his canter training rather than lunging him, 'to teach him leg signals'. But we are progressing with his bending, he is much more relaxed and supple so I suppose canter will come in time.

[Belbe]

It's situations like these that lead me to whant to follow one of the old methods that only asked for canter after everything else was refined (piaffe, passage and all!). I mean, I'm not gonna lie, I ask for canter now and then on free work and out hacking on a straight line, but all I aim for is prompt response to the aids for canter and back to another gait.
Anyway, what I mean is, I'd just focus on suppling exercises at the walk and trot and only worry about canter leads when the horse looks more or less even on all lateral work for both leads in trot.

can you or your trainer do some long reining or in-hand work instead? I find that lungeing doesn't help much in crockedness unless one uses a side rein. On smaller circles I sometimes manage to ask the horse to look at me and the correct bend naturally comes, but on larger ones (over 10 meters) the horse is usually too far away "mentaly" to turn his head in out of a free request.