Cantering to fast off balance, just let them go and figure it out?

[Cavesson]

I'm having some cantering to fast problems. Was walking and trotting to fast but have made great progress:) He is the nervous go go type horse. The more you pull the faster he goes but you can't just let me go either but this is my question. I've been reading and one thing I've come across is just to let him canter very lose reins and let him figure out how to balance himself not leaning forward or back just up tall. May work because it seems like the more I do with him at the canter to get him to "use" himself the faster and more messed up he gets? Half the problem I'm sure is because I'm busy and can't get out to ride as much as I would like.

Does it work? It would most likely be fast and crazy for a while but would a light come on eventually?

Open to other suggestion too!
The circle thing doesn't work he just gets more excited. He is great at the walk trot after some "calming exercises" but it all goes out the window when we start cantering and it take me a while to get the nice trot/walk back.

[TheGrayMare]

I've had some of the same issues with my mare as you are describing. My mare can be very anxious and has always anticipated the canter from the moment we walked into the area, or onto the track (especially on the track).

In the first lesson with my new trainer she had me really focus on slow, forget collection and looking pretty the slow even pace was all that mattered. We never canter unless we have a nice slow trot, if I never got the trot I want no canter for that day. When I would canter at first with this new trainer it was a circle maybe two then using mostly my body ask for a slower and slower canter until we were trotting. Canter then transition down, canter then transition down, over and over. After 2 or 3 rides like that the canter started to became a non-issue as my horse was expecting the downward transition. We built up to more and more time spent at the canter and if she ever got fast or rushy we went back down to the trot and walk.

Most of our ride consists of dozens of up and down transitions, we start with walk/halt/soft feel/walk, then walk/trot/walk/halt, walk/trot/walk, trot/walk/trot, I think you get the idea. I don't really let her have the chance to anticipate and get anxious and I've found that this kind of riding has really helped her focus on me more. If I skimp on the walk halts for the day I can really feel it when we do get to the canter work...

[Brydelle Farm]

How old is this horse? How long has he/she been u/s?

What is his/her turnout like? Diet?

Do you lunge beforehand? Is he/she fast at the canter on the lunge?

I would not just go round and round, half turns, half turns in reverse, figure of eight, serpentines, etc with this horse and not do too much of anything for too long, keep her/him guessing. Also, be sure to educate him/her on the half-halt at the walk and trot, and introduce some collection/lengthening work at these gaits, as well as cavelitti work.

[boosma47]

Ditto what Brydelle said, plus some basic and easy up and down transitions -walk, halt, walk, trot, walk, halt...you get the picture. Your horse, being out of balance, needs rebalancing at w/t, thus the 1/2 halts, but begin them with full halts. Be sure you are patient as you encourage him to carry more weight on his hind end. Rein backs are also good, but, unless he does them well u/s, start them on the ground.
I would discourage your letting him just figure it out. Unless you are an extremely balanced and feeling rider, he would not be getting more balanced by being out of balance!
Circles at canter not a good idea, yet.

Instead, add a very short canter to your basic work above. So, trot, canter (on straightaway for just a few strides), trot, walk, etc.

Canter won't be a big deal, just part of the routine. As he gets stronger and learns to balance, canter can go on a bit longer.

Not being too clear, but essentially, he has to learn to respond to your body, NOT your hands.

[mrsbradbury]

Can your horse trot well on a circle softly?

I like the thinking of TheGreyMare's trainer. I think you need transitions as stated.

I would incorporate lunge work. Not lunge work to get your horse quiet, but honest balance work. I suspect your horse may not lunge well either, and work with 2 lines will help with his balance and focus, and later on you can use side-reins for a bit. This doesn't need to be done to death, but it does help round out your program and the horses learn from it. If you can connect with a dressage trainer, or find a good book that shows you how to work a horse "in-hand", those excercises can be useful as well.

[enjoytheride]

In my experience letting a fast off balance horse go ends up with lots of careening about really fast out of control