My 7 YO paint mare, whom I have owned for 2 years, is unconfident while in the canter.

History: A few months after I bought her (as a 4 YO) she started to not want to canter, the problem elevated over several months untill before I knew it I had a horse that would slam on the brakes at the meer thought of an extended trot much less the lope. She would block up, get stiff put walls up in her mind, & if I hit her with a crop or anything like she would buck BIG. I had the vet out & turns out she had arthritas in her hocks, poor girl. So over a period of time, I would try to work on the canter & within 2 weeks or so of trying to work on it she would pop something out of place (hip, back, shoulder). So I have had the chiropractor out a bizzilion times. Now she is all better, she gets her arthritas medicine & she is not 'out' anywhere. My trainer & I had to work on getting rid of those mental 'blocks' and she is doing great. We have worked on spinning, doing a little bit of cow work, she's doing slide stopps at the trot, all that kind of stuff. But she still get's very upset when I ask for the canter while I'm on her. While lunging her I can just she this aprehensiveness when I ask her. Like when you see a horse that isn't confident over a jump, before the jump you see this look in there eyes like "oh my gosh I just know I'm gonna fall, I just know it," untill they get so overwhelmed by nervouseness that they either refuse or balk. That is the same kind of look I see in her when I ask for the canter while in the round pen, she will go to the canter put it's not a nice fluid 'going' type of lope it's very forced & unenjoyable looking. 

I need to do something to get her confidence back up at the canter, anyone have any suggestions?

Also wanted to know if anyone thought that maybe having hard arena footing (instead of softer dirt) would have anything to do with it?

Is the arena and the round pen the only places you've tried cantering her?  If so, try taking her out and asking for the canter on a long straightaway and up hills.  It could be the circling at the canter is causing her problems at this time and if you work her on straightaways until she gets some muscling built up, she may do better. 

Do you have her on a joint supplement?  I recommend the products from Springtime at http://www.SPRINGTIMEINC.COM .

Good luck.

Spotted Pony

lazy-daze-paint:

...turns out she had arthritas in her hocks, poor girl... Now she is all better, she gets her arthritas medicine & she is not 'out' anywhere...  We have worked on spinning, doing a little bit of cow work, she's doing slide stopps at the trot, all that kind of stuff. But she still get's very upset when I ask for the canter while I'm on her... she will go to the canter put it's not a nice fluid 'going' type of lope it's very forced & unenjoyable looking...  anyone have any suggestions?

Yes. Stop making such athletic demands of your arthritic horse. Spins, slide stops and cutting moves are physically demanding, even on a SOUND horse. Add vigorous exercises under saddle on hard ground to those tasks and the "look" you're seeing from your arthritic horse is self-explanatory. Your mare is not "all better". Arthritis and it's associated pain can be managed if it's not too advanced. But it doesn't go away. Ask a human arthritis patient if their limitations to running, jumping and playing aggressive sports is a "mental block" they can enjoyably work their way through.

Just like a human arthritis patient, your horse will have good days and bad days. Even with consistent medication. Depending upon how far the disease has progressed, she may not be totally lame or unridable. A radiograph of the affected joints should provide better insight into that. But it's clear to me... and it should also be clear to your vet and trainer... this mare is not a sport horse anymore. Don't force it on her. ~FH

 She is currently on MSM & Corti Flex which is what the vet recomended. He had said that it wasn't too far along & that  it should cocmpletely take care of the problem.

I agree with FH and think it's a pain issue rather than a confidence issue. Does she canter at all by herself when she's turned out?

 Be sure to keep up with the arthritis. It may show up at any time. Which means it will be painful for her to do some of the things you are asking. Because HORSES NEVER FORGET anything, she will always, always remember the pain she experienced when asked to canter. SLOW DOWN! Take a year if needed, make sure she is NOT in pain when asking for the canter, then ask for a couple of steps. If she does fine, whoa, and give her lots of praise (and an edible  reward if you use those). If she continues to have pain, then don't ask for that gait. Also consider keeping her on joint supplements to help with the arthritis. Please don't ask your horse for more than she can give. Every refusal is not a "mental block". Horses run from pain, so don't cause her any. Arthritis doesn't disappear after some medication. It is a lifelong condition.

653439:

 Be sure to keep up with the arthritis. It may show up at any time. Which means it will be painful for her to do some of the things you are asking... Also consider keeping her on joint supplements to help with the arthritis. Please don't ask your horse for more than she can give. Every refusal is not a "mental block". Horses run from pain, so don't cause her any. Arthritis doesn't disappear after some medication. It is a lifelong condition.

As I said earlier she gets the medication every day that the vet highly recomended, he said she would be all better as long as she gets it, & she's been getting it.

And you kinda have to know her, she is not in pain & it is a mental block, she is the kind of horse that will use any excuse to get out of work, don't feel sorry for because you think it's a pain thing & she it hurts her to work so that's why she won't do it. She has been through some pain but not any more & there were times imbetween that she was fine, she can just be lazy she is that kind of horse.