Hi aussieb - the difference in position is due to the different style of riding. Monty is riding Western style which is similar to our stock work riding in Australia which I was initially trained in. The staight to slightly back positioon with long legs is the English dressage position which is taught in most pony clubs. I guess you will need to choose which style suits you and your horse best. He maybe used to western riding and then the straight back weight down position is the halt position so this just could be what is confusing him. Check out Monty on Crome. Another difference is that western riding has relatively loose reins while in dressage we are meant to keep soft contact with the horses mouth. Good luck with it! It is confusing and I am still trying to master dressage after many years of trying.

Plus you may care to check out Monty's lesson on moving forward.

Yet another comment - try not to let him just trot faster when you ask for a canter as if he does then canter it will all be a bit out of control. Bring his trot under control with some half halts then ask for canter - more pressure on the outside leg which should be behind the girth as you ask inside leg on the girth.

I ride western so I always lean slightly forward and the horse knows immediately to go, sometimes you need to bring your energy up that says go faster, click with your tongue to stimulate the horse to move faster. If this doesn't work I would consider a giddy up rope and use it to get him going and keep him going. If he tries to trot use the giddy up rope again.
Hope this helps.

Wish I had tried western, Klienne, when I first returned to riding years ago. It would have fitted in with my childhood country riding for stock work so much better than dressage. Dressage has been so hard for me to learn. Similarly for a horse trained western. I have been trying to teach my Nicky dressage this year as Tricka's back is still questionable. Nicky is 20 years old now so it has been a big ask. She tries so hard but she is still happiest when we just go out for a ride on the roads western style. Aussieb try to find out what training your horse has had in the past. If he canters OK trial riding it does sound as if he has some confusion with circle work which is not done in western riding. He may also have just been trial ridden before. It is hard work training them to dressage. Good luck with it.

I bought him as an 18month old unbroken baby and had him started naturally and i only ever ride him in a rope hackamore. I put an Arabian mare to L3 Parelli and was working on L4 with her however i ended up selling her. I never had trouble asking her to canter in our arena but my big teddy bare Fjord horse gets annoyed when I ask him to go faster from his steady trot. He does pick up speed (much faster trot) however his ears go back and he does not feel soft, rather impulsive I guess. On a trail ride I just sit back and lift up my rein and he will pop into a canter just not in our arena. It is so frustrating as I don't want to keep pushing him and make the arena a bad place :(

The faster speed is his way to escape a demand he either can't comply or understands.
The canter that finally ensues happens because he has reached a point in his rhythm where he *has* to canter.
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Will he canter (balanced) on the long lines/lunge line? If so, you can start from there in the arena and work in the voice command from the ground and then start to apply it from the saddle. Once the voice command works, you work on getting him to start the canter without running into it.
You can also use poles or very small fences to help him start the canter.
Good luck!

thankyou, as i only ride in a rope hackamore I have not yet done long lines, however this maybe something I need to do. on a single line long line i have had him canter however he is not balanced and finds it hard.

I've had that same problem!

I was in a lesson once and I tried to get the horse that I was riding to canter, usually, if that horse is more used to doing walk and trot lessons, asking for the canter can be a bit of a challenge! Well, her front legs were cantering and the back ones were trotting LOL!

*on a single line long line i have had him canter however he is not balanced and finds it hard.*
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Do you have side reins? They can be a help for the horse to find his balance. If he isn't used to them you need to start with the reins loosely attached (to a girth or surcingle), but they usually respond quite well if you keep a proper drive from behind.
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LOVE fjordhorses, but they can be a handful to train since they aren't originally meant for dressage but trekking and pulling. Modern breeding has produced a different conformation, though.

If he is a big fellow he may be finding it hard cantering in the arena as he is still quite young and therefore probably a bit unsure of his body and balance with you on top too. Try to give him as big an area as you can for his canters - perhaps try in a paddock/field where you can do a really big circle and then overtime slowly bring it smaller until it fits your arena and then take him back to the arena. It sounds as if his reluctance is due to the circle work and smallness of the area if he canters fine when trial riding.

Thankyou everyone for your great help, i will go over everthing and put all ideas into action to see what works best, i think possibly he is unsure of his balance hence why he won't attempt the canter comfortably in an aren. He is still rather green so i am going to get him out and about more to let him stretch into a nice flowing canter and see what happens :)

It is very hard for them to learn to canter with us on there backs when they are green or young. Yes just let him get out and enjoy nice straight canters for awhile. Good luck with it

Love this thread; what great advice and feedback :)
I have only read through quickly, so applogise if this question has already been raised....
You mentioned Aussieb, that your boy puts his ears back when being asked to canter in the arena. Considering that he is green, perhaps he has soreness somewhere that might be making him reluctant to want to canter in a smaller area, because he perceives it will hurt more.
As Maggie previously mentioned, because your fjord is green, he is still working out how to balance a rider. A rider's weight obivously asks a horse to move and balance himself differently. So perhaps in addition to him seeing cantering in a smaller space to be more difficult due to balance, it could be causing him pain as well. Pain that he can avoid when cantering is big straight lines on a trail.
Does he pin his ears back when moving into the canter on trails too or does the pinning just happen in the arena?

Hi, just a thought, but presuming he is physically sound backwise and that GOOD professional checks have been done, then I am wondering if he may be understanding that he needs to go faster and faster in trot ad when he then canters the pressure is released (so to speak). In the arena he may then feel that he doesn't have the space to do this. I would go back to long lining, ask lightly firstly, give him a chance to respond and then if nothing happens then immediately ask LOTS, ie., increase ENERGY AND INTENT to the extent that he WILL canter. As soon as you have the THOUGHT from him along with a stride of canter then stop asking/release all pressure and energy and REWARD/PRAISE him like he had won the Grand National! Cease work and let him soak up how well he has done. Repeat again following day and then gradually extend the length of time/strides before praise. HE HAS TO FIND THE VALUE IN STRIKING OFF IMMEDIATELY. Work incrementally and always avoid any temptations to be greedy with what he is offering which is so easy to fall into especially when everything is going so well!
Once achieved in long lining apply same procedure in the saddle, but have a GOOD knowledgable and trusting person on the ground to add extra impulsion if needed after you have asked LIGHTLY first. Good luck and have lots of fun! He will be very willing if he understands exactly what you want and finds value in doing it. Best wishes, Gill xx (from a very wet and windy South Wales, in the UK - great for umbrella desensitisation and puddle work though :) )