Cantering out on a hack

[majormajor]

Dear fellow riders,

I feel almost too embarrassed to ask this question, but what is the "official" way of cantering on a hack? (Not in the school, out in the fields!)

There is a long story behind the question. I have been riding for about 3 years now, I started riding as an adult (I was nearly 40 then) and fairly soon I got addicted to hacking out. Sure enough, I had had lessons as well, where I learnt how to walk, trot and canter, but I found that going on a hack was far more fun, so basically that's what I do. My local riding school was quite happy to cater for this, so I have had a lot of fun and continue to do so. Also, I must admit I am at best a mediocre rider which does not bother me at all. Treat me as a true enthusiast with very basic skills.

Now we usually have a lovely long canter during the hack. (In fact, the very first time I cantered was on a hack. Boy, it was better than...a lot of things;)) Now it's all very well that in the school you are supposed to sit throughout the canter but I read in my daughter's pony magazine (no joke, seriously) that you are supposed to take a "light seat" position during an extended canter. Great! So what do I do? Well, both. On some horses I ride, it feels quite OK to remain sitting even on an extended canter, although I must admit I feel a bit concerned about the horse's back, so usually halfway through I take up the "light seat" position. On other horses, sitting does not feel right somehow, so I take the light seat position throughout the canter. I am OK with either really but what is it really that I am supposed to do? Sitting seems nicer from the point of view that I feel more "connected" to the horse, whereas my insticts say that the light seat is more comfortable for the horse.

So why don't I ask the riding school? Well, it just seems a bit weird to say "hey ladies, if you don't mind me asking, now that I've been hacking out every week for 3 years, what the heck am I supposed to do while we are cantering?" So I thought I'd ask the question here, taking advantage of the anonymity of the forum. (Or could it be my male ego preventing me asking questions...haha?:D)

I'd be really grateful if you could share your thoughts with me.

Thanks,
MajorMajor

[JustJas]

I always take the light seat in a canter as my horses are very forward going and love to race and it makes stopping easier when I sit back down.
My friend however always sits the canter on her horse.

So I guess which ever works is fine!

[Bobbin]

You do whatever you want to do, on enclosed tracks I get up out the saddle and lean forwards, on more exposed tracks I normally stay seated, other wise she just ****es off with me.

As long as you feel safe and are having fun, who cares.

[Bobbi's_mum]

welcome to the forum by the way!

I tend to take a light seat when out hacking, As far as i know there is no rule! just do what feels confortable for you:D

[jenmac_85]

If Tyler doesnt feel me in the saddle securely he just takes off.

Went for a hack around a field on Wednesday and decided to go for a lovelty canter. It was going really wel until I stood up ever so slightly as my foot had started to ache and Tyler decided this was a sign for gallop so had to get back down quickly lol.

I do tend to lean forward when out on a hack, but it all very much depends on where we are (open or closed area) and who I am with as well as how frisky Tyler is feeling,

Jenny and Tyler
x

[Iron Maiden]

My horse is only 5 so I try to keep the weight off her back when she's cantering, although I used to sit up & keep my weight on my bum with my old horse & pretend I was a cowboy :D I think doing what you're doing sounds just fine!

[SLW]

I keep in a lightseat always when hacking in both trot and canter, especially when working uphill. It helps the horse to relax there back and swing along which will encourage the hindlegs to engage. I also work out of the saddle a lot when warming up in the arena

[Morganna]

I always canter with my bottom hovering over the saddle and a slightly forward seat - it just feels better when I am cantering on a hack and means that when I do sit back in the saddle, that my boy knows that I am about to ask him come down a gear.

[CurlyWurlyRach]

I have to stay sat on my mare - if i lift up then 'Whoosh' she's off!

[KateWooten]

Ooohh - someone needs to arrange to drop Rach and Curly at the bottom of a very, very long grassy hill so she can lift her butt out of the saddle and go Whhhhooooosh !

It'd probably be a day or two before anyone could catch the pair of them again but can you imagine the grin she'd be wearing on the forum for weeks afterwards !!

[Skib]

The rule is there are no rules. Not applying to every rider and every horse.

There is the current practise though. Forty years ago they taught people to canter using forward seat. It was easy and they didn't bounce.
Then it was decided that it was safer for new riders to ride their first canter sitting. Their stirrups were longer, they were taught to move with the horse, it lowered their centre of gravity and they were more stable in the saddle so less likely to fall off.
Sitting put them in a better position to slow the horse down, and may well inhibit the horse from going to fast in the first place.

So at our yard inexperienced riders are not allowed to use forward seat. But you are not in that category.
I was eventually taught by my RI to use forward seat not just to spare the horse, but to reduce stress on my own elderly spine. So I do that now - but I can tell you from experience that if a horse does a massive spook or spin in fast canter, one has much less chance of staying on in forward seat.

I think curly wurly may be right. I let a TB mare go whoosh one time too often. I didn't believe how spooky she'd become, nor that a jumpy mare going whoosh is still jumpy. I do remember (thank you Kate) how at that moment, going fast, in forward seat with the horse chasing the other I was utterly happy.

This is a dilemma not a question. Happiness versus a chance of breaking your neck.

[horseygirl123]

I tend to take forward seat if going for a long canter or uphill so my girl can really stretch out which normally ends up in a full on gallop, which i dont mind really :p

If we are going, say, through a woodland track I'll stay sitting and collect her, so she doesnt always expect to go in top gear all the time.

I do find tho, that if you take forward seat and let them stretch as soon as you go sitting again they do seem to click that they need to slow down a peg, well my mare does anyway :)

[WooHoo2]

Sounds like you're doing fine. Well done for hacking out, and starting at 40, but TBH, i felt bit sad at your post.

You ride because you're having a fantastic time, but it sounds as if you're self concious about yourself and your riding abilities.

Don't knock only "hacking" out, many "experienced" people worry about hacking out, and therefore stick to schooling (much safer).

Relax on your hacks, experiment with your seat and be proud of all that you've achieved so far.

Hope your next hack if lighthearted and fun, with lots of cantering x:)

[majormajor]

Thanks for the advice, fellow riders! It gives me great confidence to draw the conclusion that following my insticts did not lead me badly astray.

It was intersting that lots of you mentioned that changing from a sitting position to a light seat gives the horse a signal to change up a gear. Yes, that's my experience too.

:)