My horses hate picking up there leads!?

Question

Ok well im probably getting really anoying but any way...
My horses hates picking up there leads. Im in pony club and there trying to teach me how to make them pick up there leads. Its works after about 8 tries. But I need somthing a little quicker then that. Like in the dressage ring! Please Help!!!!!!

Answer 1

I went through this on my friends horse and on my own.
My trainer told me to try it from the corner so that the horse is pointed towards the inside and then ask. If you have tried that, try lifting the inside hand just a little then ask. That last one worked on my horse but not on my friend's horse. He was trained western which meant that you had to do everything opposite like lifting the outside hand and asking with the inside leg or something crazy like that. Also for him i had to lean so far back i thought i was going to fall off his butt :)
I know it takes a while. But just keep trying. It will work. Also another thing that i did was if the horse would pick up the wrong lead i would stop him make a circle and then ask again still on a circle.
I know it takes time but just keep working at it.
Good Luck!

Answer 2

How long have you been trying it? It make take a lot of time. My sister is still working with her QH (He is 8yrs old and was never told to pick up the right lead, though has a beautiful left). She rides 3 times a week and works on cantering leads at least once a week. After 3 months, she has finally gotten it from an hour down to about 15 minutes.
Do you have a set cue for canter? I use outside leg back, but pressure with both legs. If I use inside leg back, she will counter canter. Having a clear defined cue may help her- she may just be confused.
Other things I have tried with success- at a trot, do a small 10m circle and as you are coming out of it, ask for the canter and do a 20 meter circle. I would not ask her to canter on the straight until she gets it on a circle, because it is easier for them to pick it up in a curve than on a straight line.
Also try both having her head slightly pulled to the inside or slightly to the outside when you ask. I don't know why it is either side, but some horses (my sisters) needs it to be turned out when she asks, while mine would pick up the wrong lead if I did that.
It is hard to give more advice without knowing exactly what she is doing. Is she doing it to be bad or does she honestly not get it? Is she tensing up? How does her trot look before it? Are you asking at the right time?

Good luck and give it some time- give it at least a couple months unless you have an experienced rider on her.

Answer 3

It is most often rider error when horses will not pick up leads. You say you need them quicker. You may need to be more patient and clearer in what you are asking your horses to do.

Start from a balanced steady trot.
Make your cues clear and consistent. Sit deep in the saddle (do not lean forward), and move your outside leg back several inches. It is important to maintain contact on the outside rein. Try to thrust the pelvis to the inside when asking the horse to canter on the inside lead. Then time the aid of the outer leg to just before the horse's outside hind hits the ground (you may want one of your instructors to help you with this timing).
These more specific aids help clarify to the horse what you are asking and result in the horse picking up the correct lead.

Ask in a corner as when a horse is moving around a corner or on a circle, the natural bend of the body will usually make the horse pick up the correct lead automatically. After becoming proficient to picking up the correct lead on a corner, begin asking for the canter as you approach a corner, and then gradually begin asking on straightaways.

To teach a stubborn or one-sided horse to pick up the correct lead you could try to 'jump into the canter'.
Set a jump at a height that the horse will take a small jump over, not trot, usually 18 to 24". Put the jump several strides from the
corner of a fenced arena, trot towards the jump, and the horse will naturally land in a canter. Praise the horse if they land and canter the corner on the correct lead. Over a course of a few weeks, the jump can be removed and replaced with a single groundpole, and eventually the pole can be removed.

Use lots of praise and the best way to tell a horse they've done soemthing well is to immediately let them quit work. With confused horses this is a good way to tell them they've done right to pick up the correct lead, and motivate them to pick it up correctly in the future.

Sorry this is so long but I have run into this problem in the past and this advice stood me well.

Answer 4

I had a horse that had a bit of an issue sometimes picking up the correct lead, so in training, I would aim her somewhat angled off towards the fence when asking her to canter forcing her to pick up the correct lead. They will usually at that point be forced to extend the leg away from the fence due to a spacing issue and it causes them to get the right lead. I would try that for a while and see if it improves them all around. Eventually I would not have to do this, but it took a while

Answer 5

It sounds like a lot of what it is is your lack of experience- which is nto a bad thing- every good rider has been there. When they dont pick up their leads on the first try, bring them back down to the trot. Make sure that the trot is a well established balanced trot. A bad trot will do nothing for your canter. The second time if they dont pick it up, use a crop at the same time that you are using your seat, legs and hands to pick up the correct lead. Eventually they will get it and you will get it faster. Practice practice practice at home and during meetings. They will get it. I promise.

Answer 6

You've got to just stick with it. Maybe you could try having someone else ride your horse to see if its you or them. If it's you, maybe invest in a few lessons on a different horse. If it's your horse, I would suggest doing some ground work to allow him to pick up the lead without having to worry about you on his/her back. After that, work on picking up the lead off of a corner, or after going over a single trot pole. The mare I showed this summer had a similar problem. Before a show, I would do a minimal warm up, with at least half of it spent going from trot to canter. Once she got the correct lead, I stopped and walked around, just to let her know she got it correct. In lessons we would take a break and do something completely different. If they get it and you keep schooling and schooling after that, they don't know that they answered correctly by getting the correct lead. In the arena, we didn't always get the right lead, but when she did, I made a big deal of it. I've found that if you're showing schooling shows, or in the Training level classes, most judges admire a rider who praises their horse when they do something good. I've never been scored down for it. One thing I wouldn't recommend is resorting to "tricks" to get them to pick it up. If you do it can undermine your future training goals. It is best to stick it out, and if you can't show in a W-T-C class, or a training level test because of it, so be it. Your horse will be better for it in the long run, and you can always move up levels later. Best of luck.

Answer 7

Canter leads are tricky... Look at what you're doing to get them to canter. Is your position wrong? (I personally have a problem with wanting to post instead of sitting to the trot or wanting to lean forward.)I don't know what your teacher says (some do it differently), but here's what mine says:

Get your horse in a nice, even sitting trot that's a good speed. Move your outside leg behind the girth and keep your inside leg where it is. Have your outside rein just a bit shorter, just to keep the horse in a decent circle. Kick (or squeeze) with both legs and sort of "skip," or push your pelvis forward on the outside side. It may help to do a half-halt right before.

I have a lot of trouble with cantering as well, but I'm getting better, basically through practice. I hope this helps!

Answer 8

Canter the other way first for a long time (not very long just about 7 minutes) then reverse and canter the hard way. Then they are already tired of cantering on their good side so they should pick up the other side easier. Sqweeze with your outside leg and tilt the horses head to the rail. If they still refuse to pick up the correct lead let them canter on the other one. It's very uncomfortible for a horse to canter on the wrong lead the wrong way. Let them keep cantering until they break to a trot from being tired and ask for the correct lead again. Repeat this until the horse finally picks up the corect lead. Let them canter for a few strides and then let them walk with LOTS of praise. After a while your horse will figure out it's way easier to pick up the correct lead. It will take training and it won't come over night.

Answer 9

Let me just say how impressed I am by the answers to your question - knowledgable, thoughtful answers by people that have been in your spot. No cut and paste from Wikipedia for a change or some one saying ' just practice.
I have nothing to add as anything I would suggest has been well covered (I even learned something - 'jump' into the canter). Kudos to everyone that answered. Good luck picking a best answer as they are all so good.

Answer 10

the only thing i can tell ya is keep trying. after awhile they will get quicker at picking up their leads, until they do it the first time you ask for it. try doing this: keep asking for their leads, and as soon as they get it go in a circle on the correct lead for a couple of times and then do something totally different from leads. and then go back to working on the leads. just keep trying and you'll get there, just don't give up. hope this helps.