When do you introduce the naturally gaited horse to canter? What are the canter cues? How do you correct a cross canter, lateral canter or four beat canter?

This post offers some tips and videos.

Introducing Canter with the Naturally Gaited Horse

By Jennifer Klitzke

How do you start a gaited horse in canter? Lots of naturally gaited horses cross canter, take the wrong lead, or have a lateral pace canter. They blast off into a rough gallop to find balance. I can understand why many people avoid canter and stick with the smooth gait.

I began teaching canter on cue with my four-year-old naturally gaited Tennessee Walking Horse, Makana after her flat walk was established. Developing one gait before introducing another seemed best. The round pen provided a great space to introduce canter. I tacked her up with saddle and bridle and began with free lunging. No side reins or lunge line. This helped her learn verbal cues to canter while also reinforcing a three-beat canter on the correct lead.

After a couple weeks, I introduced canter with a rider in the round pen. Since the rider changes the horse’s balance, many get faster as they learn this new balance. Knowing this, I used the round pen for my safety and prevent her from running off. Plus, the round pen rail keeps the horse on a continual bend which helps the horse take the correct canter lead.

Canter departs cues

To begin with, I applied the canter cue on a counter bend with the verbal cue, “canter” while drawing my outside leg behind the girth. We cantered a few strides and transitioned to a walk and halt. This rewards the horse and lets them think about the canter.

After a few successful canter rides in the round pen, we moved to the large arena. I applied the same cues along the rail at the moment we were turning the corner towards the direction of the barn.

The counter bend is a common way to start the canter with a rider.

Another method with canter departs

After my naturally gaited TWH grasped the concept of cantering with a rider, I changed my canter depart cues. On a 20-meter circle, I applied my inside leg at the girth with my outside leg slightly behind the girth. My inside leg helps the inside bend and the outside leg helps my horse to hold her outside hind leg from falling out. Then I slightly raise and lower my inside rein to soften her lower jaw. Then I use my outside leg behind the girth to ask for the canter depart while also saying the word “canter.”

This canter cue approach produces the correct lead in a bending position to the arc of the circle. It also produces a rounder and softer canter.

After cantering a few circles, we transition to a flat walk. The canter clearly produces a quality flat walk with a longer stride length because the hind leg steps deeper under my horse’s belly.

It is common for a horse to favor one lead over the other. For Makana, the left canter depart was easier to achieve than the right canter depart. For the right canter depart, it seemed to help when I switched my dressage whip to the outside and tapped her while using the outside leg and saying “canter.”

Challenges with Canter and the Gaited Horse

If you have a gaited horse that pace canters or cross canters, you don’t practice improving the pace or cross canter, right? No! We want to replace these rough gaits with a true three-beat canter.

So, we start with relaxation, balance, rhythm and forward movement without rushing at the walk, trot on cue, and canter using ground rails.

Watch: Starting the Gaited Horse in Canter under Saddle

If want to give canter a try with your gaited horse, the video above offers some tips and describes the process I took with Lady, my naturally gaited fox-trotting mare. Our progress has paid off. Lady is taking both canter leads without cross cantering or taking the counter lead.

Watch: How to Break Pace and Cross Canter using Trot Rails

If your naturally gaited horse pace canters or cross canters, the video above offers ways I used trot on cue and ground rails to aid with Lady in achieving a three-beat canter.

Watch: How to Break a Pace Canter or 4 Beat Canter

The video above offers tips to break a pace canter and lazy four-beat canter with your naturally gaited horse. Plus, it is a fun exercise!

Watch: How to Start a Gaited Horse over Jumps

Wondering how to start a gaited horse over jumps? Join me and my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse on our first jumping lesson. Rails and small jumps are a fun and wonderful way to improve canter.

Videos: Canter

Counter Canter

Canter Transitions

Rein back canter halt transitions are great for the gaited horse to improved balance, lightness, and canter quality.

Canter Rollbacks

Riding dressage, I focus on relaxation, rhythm, connection, impulsion, straightness and collection. Quickness isn’t something I practice on a regular basis, and it really shows when we sort cows. Rollbacks have been a great exercise for warming up my naturally gaited Tennessee walking horse, engaging her hindquarters, and getting her thinking about quickness and responsiveness to keep up with fresh cows.

Ground Rails at a Canter

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