This message is from: Amy Goodloe <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
At 6:12 PM -0500 3/11/05, Genie Dethloff wrote:
Anyone have feedback for me on when to start the canter training.
I don't have any general advice, just a personal experience. I don't honestly know if my Fjord mare had ever cantered under saddle before I asked her to, but I suspect she had, just probably out on the trails and not in an arena setting. Her canter is comfortable but fast. At times it can be really fast, despite my best efforts to rebalance her, so that tells me that we probably need to keep working getting off the forehand at the trot (with only occasional short bits of canter work on a circle). A friend told me she could swear Belle was wearing a big ole grin as she cantered around, but that's not my impression of what's going on. I think she thinks she's supposed to fast, so I'm having to patiently explain the new rules around here.
I can see the point about going ahead and cantering under saddle, just to show the horse what it feels like, but only if the situation is such that it will be good experience for the horse. And then you could go back to focusing on the trot. It seems like it takes a long time before they can build up the condition and balance to really work on the canter.
--Amy -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Camairyn Farm ~*~ Loveland, CO http://www.goodhorse.com/camairyn ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
