08/09/2022
Big reason why I don't rush the canter.....
"In a correct canter, the inside hind leg is supposed to carry the horse, whereas the outside hind leg thrusts. If both hind legs stay too close together, either one or the other function will not be performed sufficiently. He will either use both hind legs primarily to carry, in which case he will not be very fast. Or he will use both hind legs primarily to thrust, in which case the balance is lost. No rider can correct this mistake within the canter, even if he canters for years. But once the horse thrusts at the trot with long strides, encouraged by a lively calf, so that the muscles of each hind leg are stretched and strengthened, the underlying cause that prevented the horse from cantering correctly is removed. How foolish would it be to canter a horse, before these things are taken care of. You see, therefore, how the correct trot work forms the canter, whereas merely practicing the canter, which is all the Anglomaniacs do, is entirely without success."
Otto von Monteton 1877
