omg thank you for showing us that even with a professional like you, a young or inexperienced horse will still pickup the wrong lead with all the right cues. Makes me feel so much more normal in the training of my youngster. I often worry that the problem is me.
Great tutorial on picking the correct lead. I have a 3 year old appendix being ridden 10 months now and I know which he prefers as far as a natural lead and I am green myself so sometimes we’re a big, hot mess. This video was almost tailored just for me with the four year old and the whole balance issue and not being strong enough yet. Thank you.
Wow! This was so helpful! It’s so clear why horses aren’t mature athletes until their teens…they have so much to learn about balance and rhythm - which isn’t always apparent when you first observe them. Thank you for the additional information about weekly work load.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! That is exactly how my pony acts, anticipating and arguing if I think he's not ready, and picking up the wrong right canter lead most of the time. Practice, practice, practice. I do have him picking up canter from a walk now. I will go back to trot, then canter, and see if I can get him to always pick up the right lead.
This is fantastic Amelia! Would love to see how you work young horses on the lunge / long line to strengthen and improve their understanding. Thanks 👍😁
Thank you so much for sharing your reactions when things do not work right away! I easily get frustrated and watching you dealing with those situations really helps!
Very helpful. Very. Thank you so much, Amelia. I have a 4-year-old Oldenburg gelding and I am experiencing many of the things you described in this video.
This is a very helpful video. I am struggling with picking up the correct lead right now. If you have access to a Go Pro, it would be helpful to see the trot canter transition from the riders perspective. It might help us to see which lead is leading in the trot.
Great video and perfect timing as I’m working on this with my mare! One thing I’m struggling with is her right lead balance. She’s amazing to the left. Her head stays nice, she’s nice and balanced. Then.... right lead becomes all panicked, she’ll pick up the correct lead BUT, her head pops up, right shoulder drops to the inside and she canters with her hind end more to the inside when going down the long side. Basically, her right lead is a MESS! If you have any young horses (or older) horses with this sort of problem, OR if you have any tips, I’d love to see them! We are in lockdown here in Ontario, 🇨🇦 Canada which means “No Lessons”. I’m just trying to figure things out on my own which is a struggle! Thank you!
Great video so nice to see how you ride a young horse. And thank you so much for al the info lovely to hear how you keep training and riding fun for the horse
I ride a new young horse and it has the same problem with this horse in the video. When the horse eventually canters the canter is so weird and not balanced and the horse goes fast and not in the corners (it turns inside on its own). I want the horse to go slower but when I try to do that even just a little bit the horse stops. It only goes to the corners when I have my spur on him all the time but I lose balance. I want for the horse to be better rather than just have a lot of pressure from the inside leg so I will try to support more (that's why I'm here anyways). We are improving though. First time he bolted, second time we cantered for only 2 seconds and then he turned inside and other times he picked the right leg but was running although last time I just wanted him to go to the corners and had a lot of balance because I knew how he was going to canter fast(he also canters in small strides). I found a spot where he starts with the correct lead tho so that's good but now we have a big road ahead of us. He is also really sensitive to the canter, in that horse u have to stay still in the canter cuz even if u push your seat a little bit he will think that u want to run.
How old would you suggest to start increasing the work-load the younger horses . Thanks Amelia, your so wonderful at breaking it all down, so easy to see and understand everything you are doing. Thank you - very grateful I found you on here!
These things work in training when the exercise can be interrupted to correct her getting strong but she has the advantage of knowing when i am riding a test that she can get away with avoiding my half halts. Mainly the problem is after medium canter. I have decided to work only on collected canter.
Absolutely brilliant gunna try this tomorrow love your vids there awesome I've got a Havana cob which is so hard to go on the right leg on the left rein can't wait have a go. X
I've had a trainer teach me to turn on the quarter line and push the haunches to the outside prior to canter transitions to teach them. I think the theory was to get the weight on the outside hind leg to strike off first. Do you have any opinion on that? Lovely video as always!
Great video. I am just dealing with this problem... One of the horses I began to ride choses the correct lead only when he canters to the left... However he is asked to canter to the right he choses the wrong leg :( I hope I will fix it...
Hi Amelia, thanks for your videos! I have a question if I can... when you talk about trot leads in this video, in order to pick up the correct canter lead, you say that (at the trot) the inside front foot must reach more that the outside front foot. But what do you mean? Reaching more forward or reaching more inside of the circle? Can you help me with an advice on this topic? because I have an hard time with my buddy to pick up the correct canter lead... Thank you very much anyway! Marco
This horse is exactly like my new one! Same lead issue but my horse fully shuts down when asked, he was an ex racehorse and had a fall on that lead and we believe it’s scared him a bit. I’ve tried everything and he gets super stressed when asked and always runs away from half the circle and outs his head out, that is when he can get the lead but it’s not neat and it’s stressing. Don’t know if that makes sense
I heard gaited horses cannot canter because they are too thin to balance in a canter. Carsom James said this. I wonder if that is the problem or part of it. I saw another reason for a horse not picking up the correct lead but cannot remember it.
My ottb has a very disunity canter when I ask for the right lead he’s very green and everything I’ve tried even other riders I can’t seem to find a way to help him understand the canter lead and not to just run on my hand and counter canter
I'm pretty much teaching myself and following @josephnewcomb 's suggestions on training with the internet. I love this idea but how do you get them to fling the inside front leg? I noticed that you do a lot of tapping with your inside leg very methodically and looks good. My mare is older BUT she's green. She gets her correct left lead easily and will go to a counter canter as a go to when frustrated or too unbalanced when I ask for the right lead. She's slowly getting the hang of it, but if there is something I can do, like what you are doing, I'm sure it will help. I'm also trying to teach her to stretch long and low. Can you do a video on how to teach that? My mare likes to hold herself too tight. Thanks and love ❤️ of your videos! @amelianewcombdressage
Yes, that is the hard part. Really it is just getting to where you are feeling better your horse to when they are "trotting on the correct lead"! You have to be able to feel which lead they are going to pick up and if it is not the correct lead, then try to get them thinking of the other lead. Sometimes I slow them down a little in the trot, then speed back up and also play around with turning more or less steep on a circle when you do...
Oh okay! That makes sense. I'll definitely work on that. My mare is quite unbalanced to the right but she is getting better every day. Of course we've been having heat warnings this past week so no riding has been taking place. 45c with the humidity is just too hot for the horses. Thank you so much for your response! I actually feel like my mare and I have come a long way with learning via internet. It's taken A LOT longer as she and I are both green. Not the best combination, but I'm stubborn and set out to prove everyone wrong when they said it cannot be done and now she IS doing a lot! I'm just starting an older horse back after he has been a "pasture puff" for many months. He has lost muscle from sitting around, 20 and has the vets okay for regular work. I'm wondering if you've ever done a video on a workout plan for an older or younger horse after they e been off for an extended period of time?
I had a baby horse when I was younger. Whe she was 3 or 4 I started longe lining. I used a dressage stick to point to the leg extension I needed. Then when Instarted her under saddle she knew the correct lead. I never rode her until she was 5 deliberately. I wanted soundness.
I have a green horse, she is very intelligent and all and super well behaved. She will always do her best to listen and knows a fair bit. But im also a little green, i can canter, trot, jump hold on and i know all my ground stuff but when its comes to leads and all that im clueless Because i dont know what to do i cant teach my horse, and because of this i cant turn while cantering otherwise she looses her balance. I don't know how to change leads or figure out what lead im on, it's really the only thing i have trouble with but this is really affecting our performance and im worried to ask for help from people i know as the horse community can be a bit toxic and i have been told a few times to sell her.. i dont see selling her as an option because she is family and im not gonna give up when things get hard but i do need guidance. Is there anything i can do to get through this problem? I feel like just watching videos isn't going to help but i also dont wamt someone the berade me and tell me i need to sell her because this is her forever home where i know she will be safe
I have a free mini course that might also help you out, I'll post the link here, please let me know how you get on with it! amelianewcombdressage.com/canter-with-confidence-o/?UA-cam&Canter+PDF+2024
When he looses balance I use my seat and position to try to get him re-organized. Also quick half halts. He has a big engine and sometimes it overpowers him!
Would you mind sharing how long this horse has been under saddle? I have two, 3 year olds at the moment and just trying to gauge where in the process this video is. Thank you!
omg thank you for showing us that even with a professional like you, a young or inexperienced horse will still pickup the wrong lead with all the right cues. Makes me feel so much more normal in the training of my youngster. I often worry that the problem is me.
Great tutorial on picking the correct lead. I have a 3 year old appendix being ridden 10 months now and I know which he prefers as far as a natural lead and I am green myself so sometimes we’re a big, hot mess. This video was almost tailored just for me with the four year old and the whole balance issue and not being strong enough yet. Thank you.
Always enjoy watching your clear lessons. That was so informative and clear.
Glad to hear it!
Wow! This was so helpful! It’s so clear why horses aren’t mature athletes until their teens…they have so much to learn about balance and rhythm - which isn’t always apparent when you first observe them. Thank you for the additional information about weekly work load.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! That is exactly how my pony acts, anticipating and arguing if I think he's not ready, and picking up the wrong right canter lead most of the time. Practice, practice, practice. I do have him picking up canter from a walk now. I will go back to trot, then canter, and see if I can get him to always pick up the right lead.
Let me know how it goes!
This is fantastic Amelia! Would love to see how you work young horses on the lunge / long line to strengthen and improve their understanding. Thanks 👍😁
Thank you so much for sharing your reactions when things do not work right away! I easily get frustrated and watching you dealing with those situations really helps!
Your videos Are very helpful. They help me visualize what I need to do in the ring when I work with my instructor. Thank you.
Very helpful. Very. Thank you so much, Amelia. I have a 4-year-old Oldenburg gelding and I am experiencing many of the things you described in this video.
This is a very helpful video. I am struggling with picking up the correct lead right now. If you have access to a Go Pro, it would be helpful to see the trot canter transition from the riders perspective. It might help us to see which lead is leading in the trot.
Agreed! Great idea!
This is exactly what I'm dealing with on my 4yo and makes me feel so much better because it's easy to expect too much from yourself/your horse.
Great video and perfect timing as I’m working on this with my mare! One thing I’m struggling with is her right lead balance. She’s amazing to the left. Her head stays nice, she’s nice and balanced. Then.... right lead becomes all panicked, she’ll pick up the correct lead BUT, her head pops up, right shoulder drops to the inside and she canters with her hind end more to the inside when going down the long side. Basically, her right lead is a MESS! If you have any young horses (or older) horses with this sort of problem, OR if you have any tips, I’d love to see them! We are in lockdown here in Ontario, 🇨🇦 Canada which means “No Lessons”. I’m just trying to figure things out on my own which is a struggle! Thank you!
I love your riding. I struggle with my upper body but you just take elegant riding to the next level 🥰
Great video so nice to see how you ride a young horse. And thank you so much for al the info lovely to hear how you keep training and riding fun for the horse
Your amazing, so helpful in my riding
This was extremely helpful Thankyou for explaining it so well!
You're so welcome!
I ride a new young horse and it has the same problem with this horse in the video. When the horse eventually canters the canter is so weird and not balanced and the horse goes fast and not in the corners (it turns inside on its own). I want the horse to go slower but when I try to do that even just a little bit the horse stops. It only goes to the corners when I have my spur on him all the time but I lose balance. I want for the horse to be better rather than just have a lot of pressure from the inside leg so I will try to support more (that's why I'm here anyways). We are improving though. First time he bolted, second time we cantered for only 2 seconds and then he turned inside and other times he picked the right leg but was running although last time I just wanted him to go to the corners and had a lot of balance because I knew how he was going to canter fast(he also canters in small strides). I found a spot where he starts with the correct lead tho so that's good but now we have a big road ahead of us. He is also really sensitive to the canter, in that horse u have to stay still in the canter cuz even if u push your seat a little bit he will think that u want to run.
With so much inside bend and weight on the inside leg, does the horse find it easy or difficult to pick up the correct lead.
The cowboys have good techniques.
How old would you suggest to start increasing the work-load the younger horses . Thanks Amelia, your so wonderful at breaking it all down, so easy to see and understand everything you are doing. Thank you - very grateful I found you on here!
These things work in training when the exercise can be interrupted to correct her getting strong but she has the advantage of knowing when i am riding a test that she can get away with avoiding my half halts. Mainly the problem is after medium canter. I have decided to work only on collected canter.
Try working on medium canter and use a small 10 meter circle to re collect
Absolutely brilliant gunna try this tomorrow love your vids there awesome I've got a Havana cob which is so hard to go on the right leg on the left rein can't wait have a go. X
What is a Havana cob??
They are traditional very hairy cob with load of feathers. X
that was a great video Amelia thank you
I've had a trainer teach me to turn on the quarter line and push the haunches to the outside prior to canter transitions to teach them. I think the theory was to get the weight on the outside hind leg to strike off first. Do you have any opinion on that? Lovely video as always!
Great video like always. Which is the weak (hollow) side of this horse? Is it left, and therefore he more easily picks up the left canter?
Nice lesson.
Great video. I am just dealing with this problem... One of the horses I began to ride choses the correct lead only when he canters to the left... However he is asked to canter to the right he choses the wrong leg :( I hope I will fix it...
How do a correct trot for the dressage
What breed is this horse, and how big is he? He’s quite nice! I’m enjoying your videos. Thank you.
Very helpful Thank you!
Thanks so much I always wondered how to do this!
Hi Amelia, thanks for your videos! I have a question if I can... when you talk about trot leads in this video, in order to pick up the correct canter lead, you say that (at the trot) the inside front foot must reach more that the outside front foot. But what do you mean? Reaching more forward or reaching more inside of the circle? Can you help me with an advice on this topic? because I have an hard time with my buddy to pick up the correct canter lead...
Thank you very much anyway!
Marco
This horse is exactly like my new one! Same lead issue but my horse fully shuts down when asked, he was an ex racehorse and had a fall on that lead and we believe it’s scared him a bit. I’ve tried everything and he gets super stressed when asked and always runs away from half the circle and outs his head out, that is when he can get the lead but it’s not neat and it’s stressing. Don’t know if that makes sense
My horse only even picks up the left lead
I heard gaited horses cannot canter because they are too thin to balance in a canter. Carsom James said this. I wonder if that is the problem or part of it. I saw another reason for a horse not picking up the correct lead but cannot remember it.
My ottb has a very disunity canter when I ask for the right lead he’s very green and everything I’ve tried even other riders I can’t seem to find a way to help him understand the canter lead and not to just run on my hand and counter canter
I'm pretty much teaching myself and following @josephnewcomb 's suggestions on training with the internet. I love this idea but how do you get them to fling the inside front leg? I noticed that you do a lot of tapping with your inside leg very methodically and looks good. My mare is older BUT she's green. She gets her correct left lead easily and will go to a counter canter as a go to when frustrated or too unbalanced when I ask for the right lead. She's slowly getting the hang of it, but if there is something I can do, like what you are doing, I'm sure it will help. I'm also trying to teach her to stretch long and low. Can you do a video on how to teach that? My mare likes to hold herself too tight. Thanks and love ❤️ of your videos! @amelianewcombdressage
Yes, that is the hard part. Really it is just getting to where you are feeling better your horse to when they are "trotting on the correct lead"! You have to be able to feel which lead they are going to pick up and if it is not the correct lead, then try to get them thinking of the other lead. Sometimes I slow them down a little in the trot, then speed back up and also play around with turning more or less steep on a circle when you do...
Oh okay! That makes sense. I'll definitely work on that. My mare is quite unbalanced to the right but she is getting better every day. Of course we've been having heat warnings this past week so no riding has been taking place. 45c with the humidity is just too hot for the horses.
Thank you so much for your response! I actually feel like my mare and I have come a long way with learning via internet. It's taken A LOT longer as she and I are both green. Not the best combination, but I'm stubborn and set out to prove everyone wrong when they said it cannot be done and now she IS doing a lot!
I'm just starting an older horse back after he has been a "pasture puff" for many months. He has lost muscle from sitting around, 20 and has the vets okay for regular work. I'm wondering if you've ever done a video on a workout plan for an older or younger horse after they e been off for an extended period of time?
I had a baby horse when I was younger. Whe she was 3 or 4 I started longe lining. I used a dressage stick to point to the leg extension I needed. Then when Instarted her under saddle she knew the correct lead. I never rode her until she was 5 deliberately. I wanted soundness.
I have a green horse, she is very intelligent and all and super well behaved. She will always do her best to listen and knows a fair bit. But im also a little green, i can canter, trot, jump hold on and i know all my ground stuff but when its comes to leads and all that im clueless
Because i dont know what to do i cant teach my horse, and because of this i cant turn while cantering otherwise she looses her balance. I don't know how to change leads or figure out what lead im on, it's really the only thing i have trouble with but this is really affecting our performance and im worried to ask for help from people i know as the horse community can be a bit toxic and i have been told a few times to sell her.. i dont see selling her as an option because she is family and im not gonna give up when things get hard but i do need guidance.
Is there anything i can do to get through this problem? I feel like just watching videos isn't going to help but i also dont wamt someone the berade me and tell me i need to sell her because this is her forever home where i know she will be safe
I have a free mini course that might also help you out, I'll post the link here, please let me know how you get on with it! amelianewcombdressage.com/canter-with-confidence-o/?UA-cam&Canter+PDF+2024
Could you describe your process for "supporting" them when they are unbalanced...thanks.
When he looses balance I use my seat and position to try to get him re-organized. Also quick half halts. He has a big engine and sometimes it overpowers him!
Would you mind sharing how long this horse has been under saddle? I have two, 3 year olds at the moment and just trying to gauge where in the process this video is. Thank you!
He has been under saddle about 4 months
Thank you!