Accidental Canter :)

[ina.click]

Came back after the holiday for a riding lesson.

After few rounds of rising trot I simply felt my legs giving up on me - I am very skinny and with almost no muscular tonus - and I had the unfortunate idea "I'll just sit here a little to regain my breath and rest".

Well to my surprise I actually started bouncing harder and harder , could not gain any sort of rythm. I guess I also squeezed the poor horse with my legs in my attempt to grip onto something.

So leg gripping + bouncing resulted probably in a very uncomfortable feeling for the horse as well, since she started trotting faster and faster and FASTER , I heard somewhere in the back the voice of my RI "Slow Down!..." and I suddenly realised I am counting 3 beats:

"OMG I'm cantering!"

And which point I blocked out and all I could do is stare at the wooden wall that was approaching really fast. The only coherent thought I had was " I guess I'll fall now. I wonder when."

In the meantime my RI was shouting quite excellent piece of advice which I could practically hear but they were not reaching to my brain :D "Relax! stay calm! lean on your back !"

My cantering experience - which actually took very very little time - ended up with Fatima simply stopping and me hanging on one side, one foot caught somewhere between stirrup and saddle and one reaching for the ground, both my arms around the horse's neck and a very idiot silly scary-happy facial expression.

So anyways, what I learned from today's lesson:

1. If you can't do sitting trot, better not to do it.
2. Fatima is a really good girl, she did not have any attempt to throw me off not even when I was hanging on her side
3. Actually the rocking canter motion was very cool, looking back at that moment.

[Julz]

Well done!!

the best canter is the "accidental" one.. because you are relaxed, and not worrying you will get it right... obviously the sitting trot followed by the gripping of the legs, Fatima thought you were asking her to canter, so she obliged!


Sounds like she looked after you, despite the sticky end.... It can only get better for you!

My niece did this kind of thing when she was riding the old horse I looked after. Niece was built like a stick, and Oldie being 15.2hh was a bit big for her, but they got on ok... she'd has an issue of loosing her confidence but had had a few lessons at a nearby riding school, on a much smaller pony.. but it did the trick, and she came back to Oldie and said she wanted to jump him...

so, off she went and was cantering into a small upright.. legged him hard and he thought she was asking him to jump.. so he did.. about a metre from the jump, and quite litterally stretched over it, pulling her out the saddle... she was up his neck, arms round his head, legs round the bottom of his neck, but he looked after her, landing with his head up, in canter and brought himself back to a walk, before lowering his head so she could dismount!!

This is them together

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e341/j1c/Alex-1.jpg

[LillyPutt]

Thats such a sweet story Julz :)

At least now you know that cantering is a nice motion. I always find the anticipation of doing something new on the horse worse than actually doing it. Good for you!!

[ina.click]

She did look after me indeed, she stood there without moving an inch while I was literally hanging only on her neck heh :) Usually when I have to mount she is fussing a bit around, but this time did not move at all and considering my legs were out of stirrups and I was on one of her sides instead of in the saddle, almost she could have simply shaked her neck to get me down, but she did not :)

[scribbler]

Gosh your keen! I hate to canter rather gallop:)

[Julz]

She sounds like a good horse.... with a heart of gold!!

[jroz]

I wouldn't worry about the sitting trot too much...when it's THAT fast, it can be hard to sit to! That is why most people learn to canter from a walk, because the transition is smoother that a speedy trot.

Maybe your RI can put you on the lunge, so you can practice the feel of goingi into it, and what it feels like sitting it. :)

My first "accidental" canter happened on my friends 17H TB. I was at a walk, in the corner of the arena when some snow broke free on the roof and slid off. The noise spooked him, and we took off! I lost one stirrup, and flew forwards onto his neck, and thought for sure I was going to come off! But I regained my balance and got him to stop once we got to the next corner.

[IrishDQ]

sounds fun except for falling off at the end lol.
sitting to a fast trot is pretty much impossible, but sitting to a nice slow/collected trot is much more comfy and is less effort than rising trot depending on how bouncy or smooth the horse is. good luck with your cantering! :D

[Joannanb]

Simmilar story. Just had my 3 lesson doing rising trot on a Darcy that had quite a bouncy trot, so had dificulties to keep the rythm. Thought better to sit and try again but instead Darsy started going faster. I was cantering :)! I was not scared as I thought I will be (after reading on this forum about accidental canter I was waiting when it happen to me). Was only thinking to keep the balance, as didn't want to scare my kids that were watching me falling off. I sat tall and he stoped almost without using reins.
I love Darcy he was such a gentelmen!
I did it! I kept my balance and even my instructor said, I was realy good. We cantered twice and both times it was my fault, he misunderstood my commands. Could not stop smiling to myself for a whole day. Now I know, that there is nothing to be scared of, at least till my first fall ;).
Can't wait to be allowed to canter.

[ina.click]

Hey Joanna :) congratulations on the accidental canter. Sadly I did not keep my balance, but I did not fall either (well I was hanging onto a strap, dunno if that counts)

So you did not fall yet either? Isn't it a bit annoying? I wish I would fall one day to get rid of the "I hope I wont fall now" stress but it seems there are minimum chances, calm horse, only trot, safe area and eagle-eye riding instructor :)