Hi there. I actually have a question. I see that you list the "paces" as walk, trot, & canter. Where do "gallop" and "run" fit in? Or is that not the correct terminology? I would really appreciate a quick description of the difference! Thanks.
-Jennifer-

I would like to know how to get on that correct lead if your going to canter. Thanks

HI Kate
To get your horse on the left lead (& vis versa) sit into the saddle and put your left leg on the girth and your right leg behind the girth.

Basically, outside leg behind the girth, and inside leg on the girth and squeeze!

Hey
I just started riding about 1 month ago and I love it!!! When I was riding at my friends house the horse I was riding took off cantering down a steep hill and I fell and she stepped on my arm and broke it. I am ok now but I am really scared to canter.
I am still taking lessons but in the back of my mind I keep thinking the horse will take off again. I have not cantered in lessons yet but my riding instructor said I will have to soon. Should I tell the instructor that I would like to wait util Im ready or should I just try it? Any tips on how to stay on?
Or is this a sign that riding just is not for me? Please help!!

Hi everybody!
I started to ride 3 months ago but I haven't started cantering yet,as the horse I am riding and which was a gift from my parents is a huge warmblood(capable of jumping 1,80m or more!)As you can understand I am quite terrified as my trainer said that next week we will try to do some canter!So please, anyone who has tried to canter,give some advice and maybe some tips in order to fill more comfortable next week!I need it!

hi,
I resently got chucked off my horse while I was doing a canter, and tried another canter on a different horse but when it went into a fast trot I was terrified that it might happen again can you give me any advice on trying to canter.

Hi Olivia.I've been riding for 10 years now and I've broken my arm and my leg since I started riding.Like you I too was scared to canter after my accident but the only way you'll get over your fear is to get back on.Like people say, the more times you fall off, the better rider you are.Good luck.

Hi horse lovers!
I've done a few riding lessons before and now I'm thinking of doing lessons as my main activity!
I'm really quite scared of falling off and being trodden on like some of you guys have been saying!
Please help me on this one! THANKS

how do i get my horse to canter without doing a buck.

I started riding about two months ago. I have two problems. The first is actually knowing how to get the horse to go from trot to canter quickly and smoothly i.e. not just quickening his trotting pace. The second is when actually cantering how to keep my feet from moving too far into the stirrups or coming out of the stirrups altogether when trying to maintain contact with the horse's sides. Any advice appreciated.

what are the aids for canter and how do i sit deep in the saddle while i am cantering

Hi! I hope I can help. For Lauren, to get your horses to canter just squeeze like in the pics at the top of the page, and don't lean forward. For Caitriona, starting in a rising trot, then sit three or four paces, then put your legs to the right place and squeeze with all your legs. My instructor usually tells me to push down with my heels, and keep my legs in contact with the horse. I find if you rock back and forth you don't bounce so much so your feet don't come out of the sturups. Good luck

I,ve just started to actually enjoy canter. The best way I find is to try and push all your weight into the saddle and ride with the horse (GO WITH THE FLOW. Its so much more comfortable and you feel more in control.

Catriona-
To keep your feet from moving, make sure that your heels are down- this will also tighten your legs and make keeping contact easier. When I canter, I always start from a walk, and ask for the canter right away.If the horse starts to trot, I bring him back to a walk and start over. Also, try carrying a crop in your outside him to reinforce your stronger outside leg (you should ask for a canter by slightly raising your inside hand and tipping his nose slightly to the inside, squeeze with both legs but squeeze tighter with your outside leg.)

Karen-
I totally agree with you. Also- try not to pump your upper body- it looks bad and is uncomfortable and keep your shoulders up. I jump 3ft and if your shoulders are down it will push your body forward and cause you to be thrown off balance. Instead of pushing your weight into the saddle, rest lightly with your weight slightly back(but not leaning back).

Catriona-
Also, make sure that you don't post when you ask your horse to canter.

Dear Catriona
When changing paces, you may want to consider using a half halt first as it prepares the horse to expect something different to happen. Get your instructor to explain. When giving the aid to move to canter you will find that as your riding muscles develop over time, you will be able to make that brief squeeze a more action rather than the more subtle aid required to ask a horse to extend his stride while staying at the same pace. As to losing your sturrups, ask your balance improves and the muscles around your pelvis stretch, you will sit deaper and seat will become more stable. As you wobble less your legs will become more still, your confidence will grow, you will feel more in control (of yourself and the horse) and you will lose the instinct to curl up in to a ball when you feel yourself 'losing it' (Mary Wanless explains this very well in her book "Ride With Your Mind"). Work without stirrups will help all of this but give body time to mould and strengthen and don't worry if it doesn't happen overnight. Good luck!

I have a hard time keeping my horse in the canter
when riding. Any advice? Thank's

Kathleen, Danielle and Sweetleaf
Many thanks for your helpful advice. Will try to put it all into practice starting tomorrow.

Hi there fellow horse lovers. I have just started riding again after a break of 7 years and am feeling a little rusty in the saddle!!! Is it right to rock in canter or should you follow the horses movement with you hips and keep the upper body straight/stiff???

I am having big problems sitting to the trot, which I know I need to do for a few paces prior to going into canter. I have picked it up successfully riding without stirrups previously (but seem to have lost it), but I have pulled a muscle in my inner thigh and can't ride without stirrups right now as a result. I can sit for a few paces, but tend to bounce. I think the pulled muscle will be a problem for some time and I am going on a road trip around the South West USA at beginning of April on which I planned to ride at various locations. I really want to learn to canter before I go - is it essential to have a good sitting trot to safely try canter?

Hi My 4 year old horse used to be a pacer, and she trots very fast before going into a canter. I am working on that. However once she goes into a canter, she bucks once or twice, and I have found no way to stop it. She also breathes hard after one short short canter. I have worked with her shaping her up. She looks great, moves great, and is a sweet heart. Just breathes hard and bucks when she canters! Can you help? My teacher said she doesn't have any breathing problems, she just needs shaping up. Thank you a lot.

I am a beginner rider and am terrified to canter. The few times I have tried it I feel like I am sitting on a rocket that was just launched. I will canter down one side of the arena and start to loose my balance. I think I would be more comfortable if I knew I could stop the horse as soon as I loose my balance, but I think I panic and forget all logic. The horse then starts to run toward the center. It seems that I have trouble cantering and steering the horse. I know what I am suppose to do, but once the horse starts to canter my brain stops working.

Sharon
Steering when you canter is- I think - the most difficult part. Ask your instructor to take you out of the school, and try cantering in an open area, such as a field. It certainly worked for me. You have more space to move and don't feel as panicky when you know that you can more or less turn when you like!!

Well,I did lessons 1 1/2 years ago and now I starting over, I forgat everything. Anyways, soon I going to start to canter and I asked my friends one question:"if the horse is cantering then what am I supposed to do?" And I got three diffent opinions like, "you should sit tight, deep in saddle, and squeeze horse with you knees" then "you should squeeze horse with you knees and put your buttom up" and "you should slide from back to the front of the saddle while cantering". Ok, but which one is right? Help...

Rita
None of those sound like very good advice. Have a read through the Kinder Way to Ride section which has helpful tips on the trot and canter.

I am a real novice (age 32), but I was lucky enough to have lessons with Sue down at Heather Moffet's stable last year, and which was just brilliant. I therefore have to agree that the kinder way to ride section is worth a look. Heather's video is very good too (as is the seatbone saver, which makes everything a lot more comfortable). After a long break over the winter I have started lessons again, and I had a good lunge lesson last week when I finally got into a long canter without stirrups which was really satisfying. I tend to curl into a ball, but being on the lunge left with me so little to worry about (horse running off, losing control that people are mentioning above) that I was able to work really hard in the lower paces on my (and thus the horse's)balance, and position, which meant that in the end getting into (and staying in) canter was much easier. I think a lunge lesson with a good teacher is worth about three off the lunge with an average teacher.

I have only been riding about 8 months and have been cantering for 6 months, its my favourite gait. I find its so much more enjoyable if you sit up in the saddle and allow your hips to move with the horse, although it feels odd at first eventually you will feel secure and it will not look so ungainly.

Hey Scott
I've only been riding for 3 years, so you can't count me a as a horse expert, but having lessons is the best thing imaginable. Don't be afraid of falling off, cos i've done it a hundred times. Remember what everyone says: you're not a rider unless you've fallen of 7 times!!

Ive, been riding for about 4 years and have had trouble with canter since I started. I am better at it now but I still need to keep correcting myself now and again. My main problem was that I leant forward every time i asked for canter, I saw a lot of people doing this and so I followed suit. I know now that it was wrong because i was leaning forward and putting weight on his fore hand(front legs), right when he wanted to use them to jump into the canter.
I hope this can help with many other riders problems with their canter transitions.

How do I get my pony to trot and canter sraight away
not like after a few seconds after i've told her too

Hi Lauren
It might help to be a bit firmer with your aids when asking your pony to trot or canter, if this still doesn't work then you could try enforcing your aids by tapping her with a whip to get her attention. You'd only need to do this a few times for her to get the hang of it and she should start paying more attention to you when you ask for trot or canter the first time.

I am i 32 year old woman who considered herself a rider..until I learnt that just sitting on a horseand pulling on the reins is not being horse rider, I have so much to learn. Jus to get the leg movements right ..not to mention the hand signals..believe me I hope that you can teach an old dog new tricks.
If i can try anyone can.

This is for all of the people concerned with falling at canter. I am not a riding expert, starting over as a novice after 35 years out of the saddle, having taken lessons as a teenager. I'm 48 now, and have the unique perspective of comparing my fears or concerns now to those I had as a youngster. Oddly, I find I am less concerned now than I was then. One thing that has helped was learning to fall properly. Over the years I have done a little martial arts training and played quite a bit of volleyball starting at age 35. Both of these sports involve falling or diving, and the idea of repeating these motions with a positive outcome helps one to stay relaxed and avoid injury. Perhaps you could practice some basic tumbling moves to get used to the feeling of meeting the ground with something other than your feet. If you feel like getting some instruction, meet with a martial arts instructor for a few sessions just to learn to fall more safely.
Second, it has been helpful to take individual lessons instead of group lessons. Knowing that I have the full attention of the instructor helps me feel like things are being kept more in control, and customized to match my abilities or lack thereof.
Third, you need to have confidence in your horse and your instructor. If the horse has not been properly schooled, or is unsuitable for new riders, you need a different horse, and probably a different instructor because a good instructor would not push you into a dangerous situation. Here again, individual lessons are better because the instructor can customize the lesson to your needs instead of you having to fit the class schedule. My instructor has spent quite a bit of time with me on learning side passing, backing, ground training, and just doing some walking trail rides to get a sense of balance and comfort. When I had my first canter lesson last week in a round pen, it seemed effortless except for keeping track of the proper leg and hand inputs.
The bottom line is to get your body used to being on a horse, practice some controlled falling to get comfortable with the idea, take individual lessons from an instructor who understands your fear and will patiently work with you and provide you with a trustworthy horse. Finally, be sure you are using the proper safety stirrups, helmet, the right boots, and it doesn't hurt to wear a little extra clothing for protection (don't overdo it or you'll look like Bib the Michelin man). Ride on soft ground rather than pavement, or frozen or rocky ground.
If a previous fall has caused a level of fear that prevents you from riding, even though you loved to ride and would love to ride again, schedule some time with a psychologist who can help you to get back to a reasonable apprehension level and a healthy respect for the inherent risks in riding. You don't need to be fearless to enjoy riding, just be able to ride at a level you're comfortable with and feel that the rewards outweigh the risks.

I have taken up riding again after a break of 8 years. I have settled back into walk and trot ok and am learning to canter, which is great fun. However, I am really struggling with my aids and feel that the horse is responding to the instructor and not me. Firstly, in my lessons my horse tends to be very slow and I am told to get more energy. They never seem to understand my squeezes and I end up feeling like I am kicking much more than I should. Also, should you be sqeezing your legs the whole time or just resting them against the horse? These are real basics, but I just don't seem to be getting it. Oh, and how do to keep momentum in canter when you are bumping around and don't want to take your legs away to 'nudge'... blimey there's a lot there.
Can anyone recommend a good video of hints and tips?

Please can you tell me when your in canter and you go off on the wrong leg how to get back on the correct leg instead of stopping and starting again.

Thank you

Hayley

Hiya! I would like to know how you can tell if the horse is on the wrong leg in canter, also when I ride a pony i'm looking after and I ask for a canter he always trots really fast then goes into canter, but the ponies I ride at my riding school never do this, do you have any tips on how I could stop him doing this. It is improving a bit but it scares me when he does this and I have to keep him well excercised for a few weeks so I don't want to become afraid of him, please help!
luv Lucy+++

Hello! I am having real problems with cantering. I've had countless lessons on cantering and I just cannot seem to do it. I ALWAYS freeze up and feel as though I'm gonna come right off. Is there something I should be doing with my body to ride a canter properly? I'm training my own 3-year old (I know this is a bad idea, but I'm doing it anyway and up until this point it has gone fairly well). My colt keeps shying at a tree and a certain section of fence and he always loses me. I just acquired a western saddle to help me stay in. What can I do and/or what am I supposed to be doing??? Thank you for any wisdom you can give me besides selling the horse.

Cantering looks and feels very scary when you are having your very first goes. If you can, try to get a friend to lead you in canter (if they can run fast enough) then all you have to do is grip onto the front of the saddle (pommel) and go with the movement and whenever you feel unsafe you can pull yourself down into the saddle by the pommel.
If your getting ready to canter by yourself then instead of kicking the horse very hard (which will annoy and hurt him) all you have to do is place your inside leg ON the girth and your outside leg just BEHIND the girth and keep tapping gently with your outside leg.
To change the leading leg in canter all you have to do is switch your legs around (if your right leg was on the girth, put it behind etc)
you should feel the horse go very bouncy but grip onto the saddle if you feel unsafe. This transition is called the 'flying change' (where the horse changes its leading leg) It is quite bumpy but the horse will soon settle down to canter once it has changed its leading leg (this can take upto 5 strides on a young horse, as they can get confused) Don't worry thats the main thing!

I had a bad start to cantering after falling off several time, but I have now settled into it and it is my favourite pace. I wonder if anyone can give me some advice though, I am confident cantering within the school, but when we are out on hacks, the canter is obviously faster, my question is, should I sit up and try to sit to the canter as I do in the school or should I lean forward slightly so that I am standing slightly out of the saddle? I would really appreciate some help because I am getting really nervous about going out on hacks and just don't enjoy them as much as I'm sure I can.
Thanks

One element in canter is widely over looked -

BREATH BREATH BREATH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Breathing is one thing most people forget to do in canter. Brething as you did in walk and trot tells your horse to keep on going - giving him better rhythm.

It works for everyone I know!! TRY IT!!!

Hiya,
I am in desperate need of advice!
I have just been to my horse riding lesson, and i have been cantering over jumps. It sounds fun, but it certainly wasn't! What happened was i was going over the jumps, and each time i did, somthing went wrong. The first 3 times i jumped, i didn't go at the jumps fast enough, this caused me to be thrown back over the saddle (i luckily didn't get thrown off). The 4th time i jumped i couldn't get into canter, but i went at the jump anyway (as silly as it may sound, i was in a fast enough trot to go over the jump.) and as i was about to go over, i dropped my crop by accident and it flew back and hit the horse on the bum and he went into a wild canter over the jump.As he landed he galloped up the hill.I have galloped before so at first i was not scared, but then it took me all my might to halt. He was bucking alot but suprisingly i still stayed on(through pure luck!).
I am begging for someone to give me advice on how to get into canter and go over a jump without losing control or having to use the crop, and mabye some advice on shops that sell good quality second hand riding gear.(this must be around the Harrogate area.
I thank you for any advice you might give me, i will send in another omment to tell you how it is going!
Nicky

:¬)

I have taken lessons since last sept.and have owned my own horse since march.I had felt pretty comfortable at the walk/jog and had loped a couple times before.At the end of march my horse spooked and broke into a fast trot.I circled her and told her to whoa.She did on a dime but I was sitting too far forward and did a tuck and roll over the left side of her neck.I broke my shoulder in half and was out of work for 6 weeks.I am better but Im not allowed to ride without a lead for another 3 mos.I love riding but am very apprehensiveabout getting on.I understand my balance is the problem and ned sugestions on how to improve.I have started to take lessons again on how to improve this.Im 35 and this was my first fall.Any suggestions on how to improve my balance and feel more at ease would be appreciated!!!!!

Hello.
I am in desesperate need of help. I started to ride well over 10 years ago (I was passed my thirties then) and although I was never a very bold or confident rider I was doing well until a horse bolted cantering. Ever since then I feard cantering, in particular in the wide open space. I tried every so often to restart riding but soon gave up. Now, after 7/8 years I decided to have my last go. I desperately want to stop this creepling fear, which amounts to canter and trekking. I started to ride in two different schools; in one I can canter in an easy-going horse (just in the lunge), and in the second one, soon as the instructors started to force me to canter I got in a panic. I know I can canter, after all I do not feel as just a novice, but I am AFRAID! Can anyone help?

Hi horse lovers,
I've started riding for almost a year now and stuggled pretty badly on the sitting and rising trot(bumping around).I managed to do it finally and then my instructor asked me to do a canter.I fell off the horse as I was not used to the pace and never dared to canter again until this month(June).I spent alot of time on the internet trying to learn about the speed of the canter.I went back to try again and managed to pick up the gait.I can now canter smoothly.
Some tips:
1.Try to keep a relaxed but straight back.It must be able to rock easily.
2.NEVER stiffen your knee,just let your leg rock back and forth.
3.Lean back slightly and don't pull on the reins,
just follow the horse's head movement.
4.If you feel yourself bumping around,relax your knee immediately(your knee stiffening causes you to bump.
5.And finally,maintain your balance and rock your lower back with the movement of the horse.

Good Luck!!!

Sue,
I have been on many hacks and the best thing to when cantering on a hack is to lean slightly forward.......but only slightly.........if anyone needs any advice you cam contact me on my e-mail address...rachaellovessassy@hotmail.com

Hi its me again - cantreing for the first time was sooooo scary - until I actually rode it for a few strides and it was really fun!!!

You havre to remember that riding is for FUN and that every pace you do for the first time is different and that everybody masters the paces at different rates.

It took me a LONG time to canter without bouncing and grabbing on to the pommel.

I also fell off. It was fine and all I came out with was a bruised bottom!!! Falling always comes unexpectedly and It is important to ALWAYS get back on. I've had worst injuries from falling over!!!

So Cantering is very fun bassically!!! :

TOP TIPS:

* If starting or are a bit nervous or insecure , grab a bit of mane or hold on to the front of the saddle.

* Smile and like I said in my last advice - BREATH!!!

I hope these snippits of advice helped you in your quest to canter

p.s. HAppy riding!!!!

i think that after starting at 50 years old, and riding 2 times a week for two years is really not enough to get the seat, balance, comfortability and ability that this sport requires. there are some exceptions, one being that you started very young and laid off for a period of time and picked it up again. i have been in schooling shows both dressage and hunt seat and done quite well, but only at walk trot. i too fear cantering because i had a horse take off inside arena witha huge canter and not stop for literally 5 minutes. i didnt fall off but was so frightened that i guess i was gripping with my legs and urged him on instead to stopping him. my advice is the following: if you love the sport you should have your own horse, or access to one that you can ride at least three times a week or more even secondly get a centered riding instructor and do at least one lunge lesson per week to get your balance. i have ridden 30 different horses in the past two years at four different places and it hasnt made my riding any greater because each one feel so different and i have to change the way i ride them. if you have your own horse or at least one that you ride all the time it makes a big difference. the combination of more frequent riding, the right horse, and good secure seat will build the confidence and ability that we all need.

Hi, I am a relatively new rider. I started last January at the age of 48. I never rode at a child. I enjoyed it until I too had a horse run off with me at canter. I was just starting to get the hang of cantering when this happened . Now I'm very nervous about it. In fact today at my lesson I was so nervous I had to stop riding in anticipation of cantering. I know once I get past this fear I will be ok. But how to get past it??? I feel rather reassured that so many people have the same problem that I do. Nice to know that I"m not alone. My instructor is really great and very very patient. But I'm frustrated. I know that she won't let me get hurt if she can help it. Any suggestions other than just do it??

Patti,
I have been practising cantering on the lunge {still needs lots of work on it} You are able to concentrate on how you're riding then without worrying about steering with your reins or the horse taking off! I can thoroughly recommend it as a confidence booster too!

I have a problem sometimes when I am cantering with my new horse he tends to get fast and doesn't want to stop, any suggestions, please help me!!!!!

Hi,
I have been riding for quite a long time now but I still don't know how to find out whether my horse is cantering on the right lead or the wrong one. I would appreciate it if anyone gives me an answer at haleh4472@yahoo.com.

Hi,
To canter on the left rein sit deep in the saddle put your left leg on the girth and put your right leg behind the girth and nudge the horse on he will soon break into a canter with the left leg leading. For canter on the right rein do the opposite (right leg on girth, right leg behind).
Also you can tell which leg your horse is cantering on because you can feel the push from the hind legs or another way is to go into the forward seat (stand in the stirrups and rest on the pommel of the saddle) and look down quickly, you will be able to see the horses leg come forward then you will know which leg is leading.

After riding when i was young on a friends horse never in lessons. I took up again 20 years later just as i was learning to canter i too got throw badly knocked myself out and ripped the ligaments in the inside of my thigh and suffered a lot of back ache finally after a year i have just managed to get back on although i was extremly nervous i did a lot of lessons in one week!! 3 a day and after spending about nine lessons in walk and trot getting my confidence on a horse back, finally went for it just hung on and hoped although i'm still a nervous person it is so worth it and a piece of advice my instructor gave was sing a nursery rhyme as it has a 3 beat so you can get the rhythm it also helps you to remember to breath and will take your mind off your fear. remember smile your paying to enjoy this not torture yourself!!

I started riding last year. I started learning to canter in Jan, and hacked out in the Summer and all seemed to be going well.

But I've been going just for lessons again since September and the cantering is awful - I'm even more confused now. Then I hacked last week-end on an ex racehorse, and the people I was with told me to do it completely differently - hunting seat, not dressage (apparently :-)).

My point is though - I want lessons so I can ride out (hopefully fast but safe) - so why am I being taught the wrong seat? Everyone seemed to think that was to be expected - but leaves me more frustrated!

Also - 11 months seems a long time to be learning and still rubbish... - I'm 35 and go for at least 1/2 hr once a week: am I just expecting too much? - I still have problems getting the horse into canter (no problem if the other horses canter when out - but I want to be the one deciding the pace!). How long will it probably take me to 'get' this bit?

Any advice? Thanks,
Siobhan

I have been reading all the comments on being afraid to canter in fact on of them is mine. I finally went to a new instructor and she put me on a small, old mare that had a nice smooth canter. Since she was small the ground was not that far away in case I fell. She had such a nice smooth canter that allowd me to relax and get the feel for the movement. I also found that by shortening my stirrups one hole my foot did not slip out of the stirrups.

I have been riding for many years, and every Winter the horses get very frisky, bucking and bolting round the school. I just freeze and always seem to lose my balance. Can anyone advise me how to keep my balance, what aids to use etc.

I've been riding for 3 months and managed to canter on my own last week. It was so scary at first but I'm beginning to enjoy it now, especially when I can ask the horse to go from trot to canter by myself. (an impossible task in the beginning) A few things I've picked up:
1) being thrown off balance doesn't mean you'll fall. I've not fallen off yet (touch wood) and I feel pretty in control most of the time. The important thing is to go with the horse's rhythm and not trying to balance ON the horse
2) look far ahead when cantering. It's easy to look at the horse but that only makes you more nervous. Also it makes the horse aware of where you want him/her to go.

Hi everyone!
I have been instructing for two years now and riding for over 15yrs. I can relate to many of your cantering concerns. First, in response to the riders who are not sure if they should lean forward at the canter in my opinion that is a big NO!! Especially if you are not in an enclosed area. Shifting your body into any kind of forward seat position is an indication to the horse to move forward QUICKLY! You may find yourself in a full out gallop because the horse thinks you are asking to go faster. You must keep your weight and shoulders back. The key I have found to achieving a canter is the down and forward push you give in the saddle along with the outside leg slightly back, inside leg on the girth. This must be a "one shot deal", it is very important, if you are not sucessful the first time to pull the horse back and try again. Do not let your horse "run" at a fast trot trying constantly to achive a canter. This can quickly develop into a bad habit for both the horse and rider. Particularily the horse however, especially if he/she is younge and learning. This is an incorrect way for them to learn and very hard to break. The rocking motion in the saddle, AKA the deep seat is the most crutial element to getting a canter and then more importantly working with your horse when the canter is achieved. I think alot of riders feel very uneasy when a canter is achieved because they feel the speed of the gait and do not feel in control. Once the canter is achived the rider must sit deep in the saddle and work work work with your horse pushing down and forward in complete synchronisity with your animal. It is also important to try and relax your legs and allow yourself to fall into the saddle while pushing your impulsion into the stirrups. Losing stirrups is a common occurance in my lessons and I am now encouraging my students to stretch and loosen those muscles before and while on the horse. This does not mean the legs are'nt working overtime to squeeze and keep the horse moving, however tight muscles can push your seat right out of the saddle by gripping where you should'nt be gripping. As far as falling off, riding is not for the faint of heart, every rider will face this and not enjoy it, yet it is imparative to get back on if you are able so you do not develop a phobia of your own. Best advice if a horse is running or doing something you are not comforturable with, sit back and heavy in your saddle, put all your weight into your stirrups, because that is your balance up there, and have confidence in your riding ability. Try not to panic as this will be conveyed to your horse and may send him/her into more of a panic. They will stop so hang on.
Hope I was some help.
Good luck and stick with it, it will come.

I am amazed to see so many people share a phobia about cantering. I agree with the comment one person made about enjoying the riding and not feeling like you're being tortured - the most important thing when deciding to move onto another pace is to make sure you feel entirely comfortable with the one you are already doing. I have experienced all the same problems as everyone else and am just about to return to riding after a five year break (even used to be terrified of horses). Have been bitten, kicked, bucked off (broke my arm), slammed against a fence (think it hurt the horse too, but he wanted me off!). Somehow, it just made me love them all the more. Everyone has an off day now and then (even the horse), so sit comfortably, keep smiling and do it because you enjoy it and you want to be at one with your mount.

Happy riding!

Ihave really learned alot reading your questions and answers. I have owned a horse for four months now and she is my first horse. She was previously used for breeding and has not been ridden for awhile.I have been doing alot of ground work and walk trot half halts circling backing anything could do to build her muscles back. She did at one time do English riding. When I first got her she was fast and I have managed to slow her down a little because what I like is the jog and that will take awhile. For the first time I asked her for a canter she went into a race and bucked so possibly this is the only way she knew how. By the way she is seventeen now and I do not know how long it has been since she was ridden.This is a real workout for me and her . ijust hope I dont get seriously hurt from this an we have many years together.

Sylvia Loch has provided me with the best description of your seat and what you should be feeling at the canter in her audio. It's like having a private lesson with her. (She has great books and video's as well.) I too took a bad fall two years ago which resulted in a broken arm and dislocated shoulder. It took me a while to get up the nerve to canter. When I did, I tried Syvia Loch's method and was amazed at how balanced and relaxed I was. She has you weight your inside seat bone by dropping your inside thigh/knee down, which brings your right hip forward. She asks for the canter depart with the outside leg brought back and has you following the horse's motion by having you "skip" with the horse. "Push off with your outside leg and push down with your inside leg". SKIP! IT WORKS!

I was in total agreeance with Emily's comments until the line 'they will stop so hang on'. I was hacking a few months ago and decided to canter down a long straight narrow bridlepath when my horse decided he wanted to go in full gallop. I couldnt stop him but decided this was as good a time as any to overcome my galloping fear (I broke my pelvis 10 years ago galloping and every time I have tried it since I cant bear the feeling of being out of control so slip my stirrups and fall off). This time I decided to be calm and safe in the knowledge that he would stop eventually. It's a bridlepath he knows well and knows to stop at the end. But he didnt in fact he went faster and faster. At the end of the bridlepath there is a locked double gate where you dismount and cross a railway line so again I am telling myself not to panic as he knows to stop. No! Jumped the gate (5ft) and landed on the lines. I too now have a phobia of cantering!!! Its such an awful state of mind to have because you know you need to get past it but you cant. My horse has a tendancy to lean on the bit and I have worked really hard getting him in to an outline at trot which is now perfect but as soon as we begin to canter he's pulling down again. I'm trying draw reins at the moment which is a terrible short cut I know but unless I can canter safely I can't work on his outline in canter. I have no advice for anyone. I lay in bed at night thinking how easy it is and how silly I am but then think of any excuse not to canter when I'm out.

hello to all horse lovers!
I have not rode a horse in 8yrs, but am hopefully aiming to sart again in a months time. I was 10 yrs old when I last had lessons and like many others, I fell off a couple of times. I was a terrible rider, only thinking and worrying about myself, and how I didnt want to get back on. Canter was the scaryest, I agree, but what I had to remember, and this goes for all of you...the horse went through it aswell and they are probably scared of you getting back on them! So keep this in mind and be confident! that way you and the horse can work together to get better and more comfortable with each other! good luck to all you new/old riders! H x x

Dawna, and others with a balance problem. I'm not claiming to be an expert of any kind...in fact, I've never even taken lessons. But I've been riding horses my ENTIRE life and done lots of reading. I always felt insecure when riding in a saddle...I grew up riding bareback and when in a saddle I couldn't really feel the horse under me. It took me a long time to learn to relax and USE THOSE STIRRUPS! The biggest thing to remember is to relax...a tense body has a higher center of gravity than a relaxed one...and a high center of gravity is easy to tip over. What you can do to help relax your body and lower your center of gravity is practice some breathing excersizes. Every time you inhale, let your lower tummy muscles relax and expand a bit and imagine that the air you've inhaled has gone clear down to your belly buton, instead of your lungs. Even imagine that the air is filling up all of your lower body. By visualizing this, your body will naturally begin to relax, your seat will become more secure and your center of gravity will lower. Start this excersize at a standstill, then try it at a relaxed walk on a loose rein and just keep moving up the paces as you become comfortable with it.
The other thing is to remember to use your stirrups for balance and don't cling to the horse with your legs. Clinging will curl you up, lean you forward and cue your horse to move faster. Instead, think of your body and legs as a pyramid. Your feet are the base...wide, low, heavy and sturdy. I think what happens when you're told to put your weight in your heels is this...you concentrate so much on actually putting 'weight' in you heels, that you push your seat up slightly out of the saddle and raising your center of gravity wich (again) inhibits your balance.
I have one more suggestion. When you are working on relaxing and lowering your center...try not to worry TOO much about your riding posture. You have to get comfortable with canter and feel secure about your balance. THEN you can work on sitting up, and proper leg position and all the rest of it without worry or fear.
I highly recommend the book 'Centered Riding' by Sally Swift. It has many, many visualization techniques that 'trick' your body into the correct position without tensing your muscles or overloading your brain!
I REALLY hope this helps some of you, as cantering and galloping can be so exhilerating. My fiance has only recently learned to gallop and he's so much more excited about riding now.