Trainer Tuesday: How Do You Work With a Horse That Lands Cross-Cantering?
Welcome to Trainer Tuesday! Each week, we ask trainers a question and gather their answers for you. These trainers have a range of experience, backgrounds, and focus points of their programs, so the answers have as much variation as you would expect, and also probably much more similarity.
This week’s question posed is: How do you work with a horse that lands cross-cantering?
Here are their answers:
“If a horse consistently lands cross-cantering, my first step is always to rule out any physical cause by having the horse evaluated by a veterinarian. It’s important to make sure discomfort or pain isn’t contributing to the issue before addressing it as a training problem.
If no physical issues are found and the horse lands split frequently, I would go back to the fundamentals. Focus on strengthening and developing the horse’s balance and musculature through flatwork, then introduce poles on circles while reinforcing the correct lead over the poles. From there, progress to cavaletti before gradually reintroducing jumping exercises.
If the issue only occurs occasionally, it’s often less about the horse and more about communication. Many horses land cross-cantering because they’re uncertain which direction they’re expected to go after the jump. In those cases, I like to spend a few weeks working with the horse-and-rider combination over fences on circles. This helps the rider become more consistent with their aids and gives the horse clearer direction, improving communication and reducing confusion after landing.” – Eliza Hay
“If a horse is landing cross-cantering, to me that says it could be a strength or a straightness issue…If all medical checks seem to be clear, I would want to focus a lot on upward and downward transitions to work on improving hind end strength. Not allowing the haunch to lose straightness on take-off is helpful too; practicing over poles on a circle and keeping the haunch in can help protect the hind end from falling off the lead. Gradually increase the height of the fence as the horse learns to manage the hind end a bit more. Muscle memory is key!” – Danielle Clark
“I like to ask myself, is it something that I’m doing? Am I twisting or shifting that may be contributing? I start by really thinking about my body position over the jump. Grids and landing rails are also very beneficial to get the horse to think about all parts of their body on take-off, over the jump, and landing, especially. Strengthening the hind end with hill work and flatwork will help improve awareness. Lots of haunches in at the walk, trot, and canter to keep the horse engaged in the correct shape to hold the lead. A vet check might also be necessary. There may be something inside causing pain or discomfort to make the horse land split. It could be as simple as adding a shot of estrone on show week or possibly injections. It also never hurts to keep up with therapies such as PEMF or BEMER. Each horse is different, and it could be a simple fix with one exercise or treatment or something that needs to be monitored, trained on, or treated regularly.” – Celia Cram
“I always like to make sure they are feeling their best from a vet. Once ruling any pain out, I have my students work on good flat work with straight and forward upward and downward transitions along with haunches in. Then, we work on cantering a pole on a circle. Slowly, I add 9-foot poles on the circle and slowly approach while holding a haunches-in position. Once the horse has mastered that, I will work on straight line gymnastics with placement rails to help keep their brains thinking. Every horse is different, and figuring out how to help them land balanced and straight is certainly not a one-size-fits-all program! It’s always important to listen to your horse and see what exercises seem to help them and determine what they need help strengthening.” – Elizabeth Lillian Solomon
“When a horse lands cross-cantering after a jump, we need to ask some questions as to why. First we need to understand the mechanics of the landing and departure phases of the jump. In natural motion, a horse lands on one front foot before all others. In turn, the hind end lands united, connected on the lead dictated by that leading front leg. The canter departure should be even and consistent. When a horse lands cross cantering, it is disunited, with the front end cantering on one lead and the hind end on the other lead. This creates an unbalanced, unstable gait difficult to adjust. When this happens, we need to ask why.
Some answers to these questions include the following:
1. Is it in pain?
A horse suffering from injury may be prone to cross cantering as a way of compensating in an effort to relieve discomfort. Consultation with a veterinarian specializing in lameness is advisable. This can identify and confirm issues, offer possible treatments, and help explain and remedy the problem
2. Is it weakness?
Conformation and structural flaws often contribute to hind end weakness. A good quality canter is created by the reserve energy of the haunches. Horses built with a compromised hind end will struggle more to stay united and connected than one with superior athletic conformation. Even so, a well-executed training program can help develop a strong hind end…or at least make the most of a lesser athlete. A mindful, realistic program includes interval training (ideally over uneven terrain) to optimize strength and stamina. Much of this can be done at the walk. Short periods of work multiple times a day are often more effective than long, tedious, and taxing drill sessions. The goal of training is to encourage a powerful, well-balanced canter which travels forward and straight.
3. Is it rider interference?
In my experience, this is the primary cause for the issue and is related in several ways. Understand that the rider’s goal should be to cooperate with the horse’s efforts and support forward and lateral movement with an active lower leg. However, more often than not, cross cantering is due to rider error. Jumping ahead or behind the motion has tremendous influence over the horse’s balance. This is due to position flaws. Remaining in the center of the horse’s balance and following the natural gestures is crucial.
A weak, ineffective lower leg offers no support off the ground to help the horse remain forward, straight, and connected in a united canter upon landing. The rider must create a “chute” with the legs and encourage the horse’s energy to move forward in front of the leg. As such, the energy can be directed, the hind end supported and controlled, and thus maintain the correct lead upon landing.
Uneven distribution of weight also contributes to this poor performance. In this situation, the horse often moves into a “state of self-preservation” to compensate for forced imbalance. Of note, in the case of a greener horse, mixed signals from conflicting aids can also contribute to cross cantering. Mixed messages for the green horse create mental confusion. This can lead to lack of stabilization, fear, and anxiety. Concentration is lost, and body control and coordination can be disrupted, especially over jumps. Cross cantering can be an unfortunate result.
There are some exercises that can help correct the problems associated with question #3.
First address the rider’s position flaws. Correct position yields correct use and sequence of the aids. This keeps communication with the educated horse clear and honest. Go back to basics. Riders cannot spend enough time on the longe line. Work without stirrups must be a regular part of training. When a problem arises, go back to the last place where horse and rider had success. Start over from there to find the gaps and reestablish clear communication.
Helpful exercises:
Placement poles (8’) in front of, and (8’) behind a small obstacle ( 2’-2’6”) can help the horse maintain its balance before, during, and after the jump. The poles help the horse maintain a consistent step and rhythm. Rider awareness of the phases of the jump is essential for timing.
Another use of rails on the ground includes placement poles perpendicular to the jump. They guide the horse to centered straightness and subsequently a connected canter. This encourages a united landing on the backside.
Jumping a small obstacle on a large circle can also promote a connected landing. The rider slightly exaggerates the opening inside rein with an active outside leg to help the horse maintain the canter on the correct lead during take-off, flight, and landing. This is a precursor to asking for the lead in the air, another skill to help “fix” the cross cantering upon landing.
In all of these exercises, rider eye control and sense of track cannot be overemphasized.
In consideration of cross cantering upon landing after a jump, one is wise to remember: The horses never do the “wrong” thing on purpose. They forever try to understand the foreign language we’ve taught them. And more often than not, they tolerate our miscommunications, our physical limitations, and our misguided emotions.
Most importantly, be mindful that horses don’t cross-canter when running free in the pasture.” – Susan Sjolund
“One important component of a successful hunter trip is the rider staying centered and still. When the rider moves unnecessarily it unbalances the horse, causing them to land cross cantering. Simple, right?” – Carole O’Brien
