Cutting in on the circle at canter

[Casey76]

I never thought I'd bae asking question on schooling the canter 

Anyway... I discovered today that last weeks cutting in on the circle wasn't a one off.  However bearing in mind that Pinto has a spavin on his right hock, I think that the left canter depart might be physically difficult for him, so I'm looking for advice on how I can make things easier for him.

He is keen enough to canter, and will lift well into the canter on the right rein, but on the left rein he will turn away from the track sharply and end up on a 7-10m circle instead of a 20m circle.  Then he becomes very difficult to push back out onto the track without leading his nose in that direction.

Pinto is very sensitive to weight aids, in that he will turn into the weight, so I don't know if some of it is me, weighting too much the inside seatbone, but since I'm trying so hard to keep him on the track, I don't know if I'm now "pushing" him off the track, with too much weight to the outside, even though I don't think I'm leaning.

Any advice would be gratefully received

thanks

[Lee]

It's great that you've got to this stage of wanting to canter rather than suffering it or avoiding it altogether - well done you.

If you were weighting the outside, Pinto would be trying to make the circle larger rather than smaller.  Are you sure you are not weighting the inside stirrup or maybe leaning a little to the inside as this would encourage him to cut in and make the circle smaller? Could you get someone to video you with your spangly new video recorder - quite often that is the quickest way to see what is happening. 

Lee

[Casey76]

Hi Lee, thanks for the reply

Unfortunately I have no one to film me, but I can see what I can do with a static camera.

Depending on what time the farrier finishes tomorrow, I can try to get video tomorrow, after that it'll have to wait until Sunday, unfortunately.

I might be inadvertently leaning, or weighting the inside seatbone too much, but really, the deviation from the track is too great - I would have thought - to be an inadvertent weight aid.

I agree though, getting it on video will probably be best

[intouch]

By any chance, is he drifting towards an exit?  If you know he's planning on taking a short cut, then imagine your circle describing a much larger arc, so if he cuts in, he's actually going where you want him to.  Been there done that.  Sneaky but effective.

[Casey76]

Hi intouch, I don't think he is going for an exit.  We have a completely enclosed indoor school, that he has been ridden in for the past 6 years.

Unfortunately the school is just 40x20, so I can't go larger than I want to, as I am trying to work on a 20m circle.

Lee: I tried to get video yesterday; well actually I did, but it's nothing worth posting as it is out of focus.  So I need to rope a friend in to man the camera for me.  I hope she can come on Sunday.

Having said that, Pinto was much, much better yesterday.  Still scrambling a bit on the left depart, but not cutting in quite so much.  I think I might be hanging on to the inside rein too much in an attempt to have correct bend, and this is what is causing the cutting in/circles getting smaller; but hopefully I'll be able to see it better on Sunday.

But goodness I look awfully fat (despite losing 25lbs  )

[Heather]

Good reply Lee- was about to suggest making sure you are weighting outside, not inside seatbone Katrina, as this is the correction I would use. This is the one time I would advise turning your shoulders to the inside, on a circle or turn. 

[Casey76]

I'm not sure if you can tell anything from these... I really hope to get something better this week

Pinto 19 Jan 2012 canter 1

Pinto 19 Jan 2012 Canter 2

Pinto 19 Jan 2012 Canter right

[Casey76]

One thing I sorted out today... the difficulty with the left depart is almost certainly due to his spavin. 

Today I didn't get to the yard early enough to give him his boswellia before I rode, and there was a marked difference between today and last week, when he did have the anti-inflammatory before riding.

Now I know that I'll make sure he is medicated before I ride.  I think if he can get the transition easier, it will become easier as he becomes more balanced - so hopefully it will be a positive cycle.

I'm still trying to co-ordinate with a friend to get more footage, but I think it will be the weekend at the earliest now, due to manege availability.