Canter Issues
Hi all, I've been on a brief hiatus from LJ, got hitched and went on a honeymoon-but now that I'm back in the States, Captain and I have really gotten down to work...only to find we have a pretty big issue.
The background:Captain is a just turned 7-year old Haflinger gelding; he was started at 2, and backed at 3; he was used mainly to pull a cart until the age of 5, when he was purchased by another woman. She bought him, rode him a few times, found out she was pregnant, and had him sitting in the field for about a year until I came into the picture. Captain and I have come leaps and bounds-he's always been a great trail horse, but he now has wonderful W-T-C transitions to the left in the ring.....but only a good W-T to the right. He has no problem picking up the canter going to the left, but when asked to the right, he insists on bucking, or picking up the wrong lead. I've tried counter-bending to help him pick up the right lead, or just letting him go to see how uncomfortable the wrong lead is....but he just bucks or carries on. My trainer says that it's just due to that being his weak side, and that I should just free-lounge him often to that side-but when I do, he explodes in the round pen as soon as I ask for a canter to the right.
The problem: Captain and I live out in the boondocks. As I mentioned, I do have a trainer, but she lives in NJ and only comes to visit every other weekend or so, and that's when I get lessons. I'd get the vet out, but it takes a few weeks to get him out for routine shots and whatnot, so I doubt he'd be out even sooner for anything less then a full-blown emergency. Any advice in the meantime?
And here's a picture of the man in question:
The background:Captain is a just turned 7-year old Haflinger gelding; he was started at 2, and backed at 3; he was used mainly to pull a cart until the age of 5, when he was purchased by another woman. She bought him, rode him a few times, found out she was pregnant, and had him sitting in the field for about a year until I came into the picture. Captain and I have come leaps and bounds-he's always been a great trail horse, but he now has wonderful W-T-C transitions to the left in the ring.....but only a good W-T to the right. He has no problem picking up the canter going to the left, but when asked to the right, he insists on bucking, or picking up the wrong lead. I've tried counter-bending to help him pick up the right lead, or just letting him go to see how uncomfortable the wrong lead is....but he just bucks or carries on. My trainer says that it's just due to that being his weak side, and that I should just free-lounge him often to that side-but when I do, he explodes in the round pen as soon as I ask for a canter to the right.
The problem: Captain and I live out in the boondocks. As I mentioned, I do have a trainer, but she lives in NJ and only comes to visit every other weekend or so, and that's when I get lessons. I'd get the vet out, but it takes a few weeks to get him out for routine shots and whatnot, so I doubt he'd be out even sooner for anything less then a full-blown emergency. Any advice in the meantime?
And here's a picture of the man in question: