Afraid to canter...help!

[clafranc]

I am a fairly new rider, I've taken about 10 lessons. I am so afraid to canter. The horse I take lessons on is pretty big, 16.5 h Thoroughbred and I just feel like I am not even close to staying on. We have to practice inside now so we are going in circles and I constantly feel like I"m falling. Then..I pull on the poor boys face and it's all downhill from there. I started cantering holding onto his martingale but that just pulls my shoulders forward and makes matters worse. Why does it look so easy and feel so not.

[Nazdaq]

:eek: you have only had 10 lessons, I would tell your RI to slow down and that you feel like you are going to fall and you would like to work on your balance before cantering. You have to tell them what you want. Perhaps get some lunge lessons in walk and trot to work on your position etc.

I didn't canter for about a year and I am still not cantering independantly, I can only canter one side of the school and my face is like :eek: and I have to work at relaxing. Just take it slower. Hope that helps. :D :D

[clafranc]

You know I think you are right, maybe some lessons w/o stirrups even. It's just so frustrating, I see others and it looks like nothing and I'm all over the place. And he was a racehorse, he has such a long stride and strong propulsion I'm pooping right out of the saddle.

[Mistertron]

A lot of people find - work on the lunge can help. :)

[KAB]

You need to talk to your RI and tell her that you do not feel balanced enough yet to start cantering.

My RI is very good to be honest, I told her from the beginning what my issues were, so in the group she gets everyone doing their bit one at a time and when it came to canter I knew the pressure wasnt on for me to follow.

You must tell her - she will be more understanding, and if she isnt, then she is not a good RI and I would consider looking for another one. But fingers crossed it wont come to that.

[old mare]

I have been just like you for over a year. Today was the first time in a lesson I felt confident. cantered 3 times. my advice would be to have a few private lung lessons. this I did with a brilliant instructor, she improved not only my balance but did wonders for my confidence. keep at it you will be so pleased in the end when you do it right.good luck dont give in

[TheWorldOver!]

I agree with the others saying that you should talk to your RI that you feel uncofortable. Afterall, riding should be enjoyable to you :).

I won't give you advice because I am also new at cantering but I will tell you my recent experience: I started to canter at lesson 6. I had no idea but I guess that's pretty good as cantering usually happens a lot later than 6 lessons (so your 10 lessons isn't a long time). I was looking quite comfortable with walk and trot so my RI asked if I want to canter. I said "sure why not"? It was done while on the lunge line, and she asked me to lean back a bit for balance. When she got the horse to canter, I got so scared, my eyes were wide open and I said a very quiet "oh no" as I was sure I was going to fall. She then immediately brought the horse down to walk and asked me that I actually did well and stayed on the saddle but we can stop if I feel too nervous to continue. I said a big "Oh yeah, I am VERY nervous BUT don't you dare stop" LOL. If I hide behind my fear, I will never take this the right way. So I instantly overcame any fear, and was assured that she would slow down the horse if I showed a hint of instability or fear in my face. It worked! Soon after my first canter I realized that the sense of falling I had at first was not real because usually the body automatically adapts to the motion and balances itself. But again that's my personal experience and viewpoint. The tricky part with me is to know the fine line between using caution and ignoring fear.

I hope you find your pace with cantering at your own time and comfort level when you're ready. :)

[Cobgirl]

Hey you are not alone! I came back to riding after a 40 year gap, I have been riding for almost 6 months at the rate of about 2-3 lessons a week. I can trot, sitting, extended, rising, with and without stirrups and even with my arms folded! But it gets to canter and I freeze and sure enough end up in the dirt. I could canter no problem all those years ago, I even did some jumping, but having such a long break inbetween has shot my nerves.

But you know what, I don't care anymore and I will canter when I am ready. When I have lessons I just concentrate on working on my trotting, I am even going to go over trotting poles without stirrups and arms folded! The day will come when you will canter and I will canter. Until then, just have fun and do what YOU want to do!!

Best of luck!

[Sp1cer]

I used to ride 20 years ago, I never took proper lessons but I used to hack out for miles, do a little jumping and lots of cantering. Then 4 years ago decided I wanted to go back to riding, bought a horse, and shared another which I ended up buying as well. Anyway few weeks before the horse I bought was due to come to his new home I decided to take lessons at a local riding school just as a refresher. I booked a block of 5, by the third I was cantering and loving it, was on a 15'2 cob and she was brilliant, lesson 4 I was put on this wee 14' if not smaller pony whom I was very uncomfortable with (had never ridden anything so small and bouncy) anyway in canter came off, and shattered my kneecap! I couldnt ride for 8 months.

That was 4 years ago just before I got my own boy - and now 4 years later I have only canterted twice by accident and once where I asked but got so tense pulled him back to trot after a few strides. I totally lost my confidence, and the yard I was at was not helping. I have since moved to a new yard few weeks ago and already starting to feel much more confident! but I am not going to put any pressure on myself to canter, when the day comes it will happen :)

[TheWorldOver!]

Hey you are not alone! I came back to riding after a 40 year gap, I have been riding for almost 6 months at the rate of about 2-3 lessons a week. I can trot, sitting, extended, rising, with and without stirrups and even with my arms folded! But it gets to canter and I freeze and sure enough end up in the dirt. I could canter no problem all those years ago, I even did some jumping, but having such a long break inbetween has shot my nerves.

But you know what, I don't care anymore and I will canter when I am ready. When I have lessons I just concentrate on working on my trotting, I am even going to go over trotting poles without stirrups and arms folded! The day will come when you will canter and I will canter. Until then, just have fun and do what YOU want to do!!

Best of luck!


Cobgirl, speaking of riding without stirrups, how do you do it?? One of my RS's students rode her horse without stirrups and I couldn't believe it! How do you rise without pushing against something?? :confused::)

[jUmPingIsLifE]

actually rising is the easiest part. The horses bounce pushes you up, its sitting back down gently that takes all the work

[Cobgirl]

TheWorldOver, the trick is to relax and let your legs down long, putting your weight into the heels. Sit nice and tall, shoulders back and just 'feel' the horse's movement. Once you stiffen up, that is when the bouncing starts.

JumpingIsLife is correct, there should be no exaggerated rising, just a gentle forwards movement with your hips, a bit of 'dirty-dancing' lol! Also to return to the saddle gently, imagine that you have an egg underneath and don't want to break it, visualisation does help!

Getting me to canter has nothing to do with my balance, that is fine. It's just a mental block in my head. I actually start to break out in a sweat if I think too much about it! But I am going out on a hack on Thursday which I am so looking forward to. Lots of road trotting work, but no canter at the moment!!

[kat1]

We all have things we are scared of at first. I have been riding since I could walk but am scared of jumping. I never used to be but for various reasons, I am now. My remedy is, I do not do it!!! Dont force yourself - or let anyone else force you into doing things before you are ready as it takes the enjoyment away. Maybe ask for some lunge lessons to help with your balance in walk and trot and then the canter will come in time x

[clafranc]

I rode when I was younger too and too about 30 years off. I think us more "mature" riders sometime have more fear than the young ones. Thanks for your kind words, I don't feel so frustrated now that I know others have the same sturggles. I'm going to try a slightly smaller horse Friday hoping to ease some of my fears.

[midnightmare]

10 lessons? I'm cantering after about 6 lol
Sorry, I'm no help!

[chunky monkey]

I've just been on youtube and watched videos of people cantering bareback. They make it look so easy. I am still afraid to try bareback canter and I've been riding for a year plus.

If you want to learn canter try cantering in a field first. Its easier than in the RSchool.

[Tasel]

Don't be afraid of cantering... I know that feeling, I felt like that, too!!!! But for me it was mostly because you go into sitting trott first before cantering (at the start - obviously you can also learn walk to canter transitions), and sitting trott is really bouncy and hit all the panic buttons in me but it got better as time passed by, and it's ok now. Canter, compared to that, I think is a dream!!!

You've only had 10 lessons, just be patient. Don't forget to sit back and move with the horse... it's all psychological - bigger horses are actually less bouncy than smaller ones!!!

[Sp1cer]

It definately agree with you about it all being psychological because right now Im very comfortable in sitting trot, trotting without stirrups, I would rather canter into a jump and go over that rather than canter round the school because it was cantering round the school that I had a bad accident few years back where I shattered my kneecap and now the thought of cantering scares me! Id do anything else on a horse just not canter!

[Shire Monster]

As most people have said you work at your pace,if you don't feel ready don't do it. What I would say though is unlike a lot of people on here, as a learner so to speak you've not yet had a bad experience to be scared of, a large part of your fear is probably rooted at 'it looks really fast', yes its faster than trot but in my opinion it is actually more comfortable and easier to sit into, its a much smoother gait. But saying that a lot of people do prefer trot.
I guess what I'm tryin to say is (if you can) go in with an open mind (when you are ready and not before) you may love it you may hate it either way its an experience you'll get ther in the end and probably love it, keep us updated

[clafranc]

You guys really think it's easier to sit than a trot? I can sit a trot easily w/o any fear but a canter and I feel like I'm constantly about to fall off the side.

[Lora]

You guys really think it's easier to sit than a trot? I can sit a trot easily w/o any fear but a canter and I feel like I'm constantly about to fall off the side.

But I bet you once thought trot was scary fast. :) (maybe lesson 1 or 2 though.. but still it's relative)

I had two adult beginners on my charlie, we did a few steps of trot and both belted out a woah! They said it didn't look that fast from the ground. LOL

someday you'll get a nice canter going and nothing will be able to wipe that smile from your face. I agree with the others. If you feel you're moving too fast to canter, you probably are not ready and balanced yet. working without stirrups seemed to help my balance issues tremendously.

I canter without stirrups (mostly because I lose them anyway but that's another battle..LOL) then I realize but do it anyway as I see no harm in it.

[Cobgirl]

You guys really think it's easier to sit than a trot? I can sit a trot easily w/o any fear but a canter and I feel like I'm constantly about to fall off the side.

Me too! I LOVE trotting, any sort, sitting is my favourite and I can do it without stirrups for hours, lol, if the horse lets me! But canter...eeek, the word makes me break out in a cold sweat. Years ago, my last memory of cantering was going through the woods and getting whipped off my horse (who happened to be a 17 hh Hanovarian X and me only 5' 3") during a very robust canter, then about a few months earlier, I had a bad fall when jumping. Since then, I just have no interest in cantering!!

[JerseyRider]

I agree with everyone that you should definitely spend some time cantering on the lunge line. Although, I do have to say that I found it a bit easier to canter off the line because the horse was able to make a larger circle - meaning he didn't bend as much making me feel like I was hanging off one side.

Just like the posting trot, it is something that you will get more secure with the more you practice. Just keep those heels down and sink in your seat bones a bit!

[x.x. Tori .x.x]

Hello. I have rode at my firends house in Ohio every summer just for fun. I now have started professional riding lessons about 8 or 9 weeks ago. See I trotted on the first lesson. I Cantered on my 5th week because he thought I was ready.


Tell your intructor your scared...Just sit tall and pretend your on a swing, trust me I was scared to. Now I can do canter without stirrups. Thats killer...

[Waterhouse]

Cobgirl, speaking of riding without stirrups, how do you do it?? One of my RS's students rode her horse without stirrups and I couldn't believe it! How do you rise without pushing against something?? :confused::)

It may not sound helpful to say that the lads at the Spanish Riding School do their first year without stirrups! When I started i found that when I tensed-up (i.e. got scared) my legs retracted upwards from the stirrups and I lost them. Faced with the choice of staying on or falling off you find deep resources within yourself and it's not as hard as you think. Being lunged without stirrups is very good for you - and sore.

It's all about balance and when you start you don't have it. Practice standing up in the walk and you will start to get there. Instructors rarely teach balancing which is a shame because when you get it - and it doesn't take all that long - its easier for you and easier on the horse.

Good luck!