Instructions
Have your horse thoroughly checked over by your veterinarian. Problems with your horse's back, hips or legs can cause it to cross fire out of pain causing an unwillingness to put pressure on the afflicted joint. Trying to retrain a horse that is misbehaving due to pain can lead to a number of problems. All health and veterinary problems need to be treated before the cross firing is addressed in training.
Check your saddle. Gaited horses like the Tennessee Walker are especially prone to saddle fitting problems because traditional saddles are not designed to accomodate their unique build and movements, often creating sore spots, weight distribution problems and pinching. Notice if your horse is cross firing while playing in the pasture or if it only does it under saddle. Ride in a friend's saddle or a specially constructed gaited horse saddle and see if the problem improves. If necessary, have a certified saddle fitter evaluate your saddle and your horse for comfort and fit.
Work on your horse's balance and strength. Working your horse in the round pen and riding in circles can help improve its balance, strengthening the hind end. Ask for canter transitions on a circle and maintain the canter through both large and small circles. A technique called spiraling can be used, maintaining gaits and changing gaits while making the circle gradually smaller and then larger again. The amount of round pen and circle work you can safely perform with your horse will vary depending on its physical condition but should not exceed 15 minutes without a break. Pay attention to your horse's fitness level and responsiveness while working it.
Trot your horse up and down hills to build muscle in the hind end. Asking for the canter up a hill can also help because there is more pressure on the hind end when you are cuing and the horse is more likely to pick up the correct, matching leads. Work with more emphasis on strengthening the weaker side. The weak side will be the side that the horse does not want to pick up and use. For example, if you ask for the left lead and your horse picks up the left lead in front and the right lead behind, your left hind leg is your weak leg. To strengthen it, work your horse to the left slightly more than the right, making the horse use and engage that leg.
Practice cantering correctly. Ask your horse to canter from the walk or halt with a basic leg cue or verbal cue, depending on how your horse was trained. Most horses are trained to pick up the canter when the rider slides the opposite leg (leg opposite the lead you want picked up) back slightly on the horses girth and squeezes lightly with their heel. This may accompany a verbal cue, such as the word canter or a cluck or kiss.
Reward the horse with praise if it picks up the correct lead both in front and in back. Stop the horse immediately and try again if the horse misses the lead or cross fires. Repeat until the horse performs correctly (even if only for a minute or two). If you can not feel the cross fire with your seat, have your instructor or other knowledgeable person watch you.
Ride consistently and do not let the cross fire slide on occasion. For example, you will confuse the horse and encourage bad behavior if you stop it from cantering incorrectly in the arena but let it canter at a cross fire on the trails.
How to Help a Tennessee Walker That Cross Fires
Cross firing is the term that is used to describe what happens when a cantering horse is on the correct lead with its front legs and on the incorrect lead behind. Regardless of whether you are riding on the arena or the trail, the horse's front and hind end should be on the same lead. Cross firing, also called a cross canter, is almost always due to a problem or weakness in the hind legs of the horse, making it more comfortable and easier for the horse to canter incorrectly than it is for it to maintain a proper gait. Tennesee walkers can be prone to cross firing, especially if an inexperienced rider mistakes the cross fire for the natural gait.