Cantering a circle on an Icelandic horse

Cantering a small circle can sometimes be tricky on an Icelandic horse, particularly a five-gaited one, because it asks for good self-carriage and balance. Five-gaited horses tend to slip into four beats and need a bit more pace to hold the rhythm. So you may have to take it in stages and build up the self-carriage and balance. Start by picking up canter out of the corner onto the long side of the school. In time, aim to keep the canter through a short side, and once that is working well, begin riding large circles. There can of course be other reasons why your particular horse will not canter a circle, but this is fairly common.

Good luck!