Eq.photographer, I've been working with him in the outdoor arena. I rode him in the roundpen once, but I decided we needed more room since it was even harder for me to get him to canter in there. I don't entirely blame him since that round pen was set up for breaking TB babies. Its a 60' pen, but its DEEP. I make sure we always end on a good note, and he get's brushed for like an hour after we're done and he LOVES every second of it. He also gets a cookie when I let him go back into the paddock so its not like he's hard done by either.

I was taught basically the same system as you were moose, but we called it "ask, tell, demand". It works good for me, he's just more stubborn than the other horses I've worked with.

There's no doubt in my mind he's off balance when he goes into the canter erika.... when I push him he starts trotting like a mad man, tries to duck sideways and starts cutting the corners in the arena and I have to try and correct those things AND get him to canter.

Would the hat thing be a good idea for his being distracted issues or would it just be cheating? I'm not going to get one if it's not a good idea because my boyfriend is going to call him names and laugh at me, :'( lol.