How do I cue my horse to pick up the right lead when I ask her to canter?

Answer 1

To get the correct leads involves alot of suppleness on your horses part. Lots of shoulders in and out at a trot. Lots of moving the hip to the inside and out side. Lots of flexing the neck at a walk/trot. Lots of sidepassing etc. I want this mule to be so supple and soft and actually responding to moving his hip/body/shoulder over with leg pressure. I also use the kiss cue to move them up into a lope. You can use spurs if your horse doesn't respond, I use a riding crop to back up my legs only if they aren't listening.

To start a greenie, I will trot with my mules neck flexed to the inside of the circle once he is going good in all the above I mentioned. Then i will bring his head to the outside and trot circles. I will then move my outside leg to move his hip inside and I will kiss. They typically will pick up the correct leg and then i just push push to keep them in it and reward them immediately, usually by ending on that note. Some ppl like to repeat, its all what you prefer.

My mule's cues to lope are, my moving my outside leg back, asking for his hip to move in, once I feel he is set up properly, I kiss for the departure.

Answer 2

It's funny how I came upon this question.

At my barn today, I was giving pointers to a woman who is having a hard time getting her horse to pick up the right lead (to the right). He favors the left constantly and she cannot differentiate between left and right leads without looking down at the leading leg. I advised her to circle the horse and ask for the canter on the correct lead while in the circle. He did pick up the right lead, as his balance is more toward the inside and forces him to pick it up. Once she had the lead, I told her to circle once more and then move him out down the rail on the straight away and keep leg on him. He moved out fine from this method.

If you let your leg off, the horse may break and cause swapping of leads, especially if your horse is favoring one lead over the other. I have found circling is a good foundating for teaching correct leads and once the horse has a good understanding, a circle will be a thing of the past and they will pick it up automatically as time goes on.

Answer 3

For your horse to pick up the right lead, I hope you mean "right" as in correct, move into a steady trot. As you reach a corner or approach the fence on a circle, half halt (pull-release-pull on the outside rein, while using leg) and use your inside leg on the girth to provide impulsion and ask with your outside leg behind the girth. You can also try working in a round pen, which encourages the correct lead.

Answer 4

Well first get a good active trot which you feel asif you're goin some where, once in a corner go into a sitting trot and move your outside leg slightly back and kick on in2 a canter, make sure that youre deep into the corner and you should of picked up the right canter o0xX

Answer 5

When you ask her to canter, put your left foot (or which ever foot is inside) in front of ur girth, and the right (or which ever is on the outside) behind and squeeze. If she picks up the wrong, pull back on the reins, trot a step, then squeeze her up/ do the same thing i told b4, and she should pick it up. It always help to bend their head to the inside too (shorten outside rein, pull on inside), Just so you kno, horses have easier and harder leads to pick up. One way might b easier to pick up and smoother. The other may b harder and bumpy. Dont worry...tho. Its just like...hehe if u gallop around like a horse, (always putting the inside foot a little bit a head of the other) and then u change directions, you might find that you like one way better. its the same with horses. it just feels weird for them if its not the lead theyre used to.

Answer 6

First see if your horse will respond to a feel (tightening, or closing of the fingers) or slight pull on the inside rein while leaning your body to the right, driving with your pelvis; while you use your outside leg and heel behind the girth to urge him to switch leads behind, so he will jump out on the asked for lead. If he is very reluctant- just before asking for a lead (right or left) cant his head to the opposite side (away from the direction you want) this disengages the shoulder you want him to lead out from. Good luck!

Answer 7

You need to pull your horses head into the left and use your left leg to spurr him/her into a canter. When you are pulling there head in to the left it forces them to step out on the right. This usually works with most horses for the stubborn ones just keep on trying the more you force them to use that lead the more muscle will build up and the more comfortable they will feel in taking it

Answer 8

On a well schooled horse you press with the opposite leg to get the other lead. EX - to get your right lead press your left leg into his side & vice versa. It helps to kiss to them as well. Some horses you have to kick to get going or hold quite a bit to keep them from trotting off.

Answer 9

Inside rein outside leg

Answer 10

Use your left leg to nudge while reining his head towards the right. Unfortunate about this question is that, some horses are trained differently like, right leg, right rein for right lead so if my first advice doesn't work, use the 'all righty'.