How long did it take before you felt relaxed at the canter???

[Scarlett 001]

I certainly know that it is normal for a rider to feel a bit "out of control" when learning to canter. I have researched tips on how to feel more in control etc.

Well, I don't feel completely out of control or terrified at this point, but I still feel a bit tense with the whole canter thing and the speed of it :eek: I am curious to find out how long it has taken other people to feel really comfortable in the canter after you first attempted it (i.e., how long did it take until that out-of-control feeling was no longer there and you felt relatively relaxed). Or if you still feel tense, how long has this been going on for you?!!!

I'm hoping I'm not abnormal in that I've cantered at my new school for about 6 lessons or so and still feel uneasy. I'm guessing that this is probably normal, but I just wish the process could hurry up so I can truly enjoy the canter!!! :D

[Bel]

It took me quite a while to feel right when cantering the normal way after i stoped being a strapper its quite hard to adjust from riseing during the canter to rocking through it. It was not until i had to canter for over an hour twice a day 7 days a week that i got used to it. You really just have to learn to relax while cantering, and don't forget to enjoy it. Its a lovely gait to ride to. The more you do the faster you enjoy.

[RingLass]

I used to ride a somewhat psycho lesson horse (bless his heart - we miss you anyway, ditto) who would dive for the nearest grain bucket if you weren't paying attention - especially at high speeds. So I was terrified for, oh, probably a month before one day it just "clicked." Canter has been my second favorite gait ever since :)

[epcd3000]

I'm just learning how to canter myself! I've been doing it for about 1 1/2 months, practicing my transitions from trot to canter. I'd have to say I'm quite comfrotable in canter.. But my transitions are sad. :p My instructor gave me some insightful information on Saturday though, which boosted my confidence and improved my balance (I was literally almost flying off Boomer!) So next week in my practice ride I'll be improving that. Best of luck to ya!

[Silver1]

my first canter was GREAT, I was totally relaxed and enjoyed it. Note the word 'canter'. The first gait I learned after walk was "Mach-5-gallop-making-the-name-speed-of-light-more-becoming-then-anything-else"

after that, a canter felt VERY controlled. As soon as I get my saddle back, I'm gonna canter again.

[Scarlett 001]

Ahhhh! :eek: So far everyone has felt comfortable in canter really quickly...maybe in still not feeling relaxed after 6 lessons I am more abnormal than I was hoping... :rolleyes:

I am actually a bit concerned here. Ok all you people who took a while to relax in the canter, start sending in those replies to make me feel better! :D

[Waikato Valuta]

I still feel uncomfortable and i've been ridding for 8 years.

Some horses I fell fine with, but my horse is realy out of controle in canter.

It took me ages to learn to canter comfortably in the menage but I was happily cantering and galloping on the trails.

I had some bad experiences with canter when i was first starting to ride so i got a bit scared off.

I fell like canter is an out of control gate on my horse but we are working on it.

I felling fine on most other horses but get a little tense when going into the first few strides of canter on a new horse.

[kirrel]

The first time I cantered on my own, I fell off :o I didnt fall off during the canter though, I was only little, so riding with v.short stirrups on a rather small, very fat little pony called Jingle who had a particularly bouncy trot - I wasnt really in control, just acting as a passanger so he cantered happily to the back of the ride and broke very suddenly into his trot at which point im told i bounced right off!!

Perhaps ask for lunge lessons, to work on feeling relaxed etc without having to concentrate on steering!! Or try work without stirrups at the canter (on the lunge at first) as it really helps your seat, and I found it very helpful when I was younger (although I didnt do it on the lunge but its probably better if you do to start with!).

In fact more recently, the best lesson I had was a private, on a normally troublesome pony, who I rode without reins or stirrups at canter doing lots of excercises and he behaved perfectly - it boosted my confidence a lot, and I felt much more balanced and not at all 'flappy' when giving aids for canter!!!

[horsemad]

Oh no, you are definitely not alone Scarlett! I fell off the very first time I cantered....and continued to fall off quite regularly when learning to canter!

Even now, canter is the one gait that can still worry me. On my own horse, in the school, I'm quite relaxed. But cantering my horse on a hack is a different thing altogether - she tends to get over-excited and takes off with me - so I get scared and panic! And the same thing applies to riding a strange horse - I will be quite happy to walk and trot, but once you mention the 'c' word, I can feel myself getting all tense and worried! And I have been riding on and off for years, and must have had hundreds of lessons!!!

I wonder if the experiences you have when you first start to canter have an effect on whether you think cantering is scary or fun. Since my first canter experiences were so unsuccessful (sounds like you had similar experiences Waikato), I started to equate cantering with falling off. :o So I suppose it is little wonder that my natural reaction was (and still is sometimes, depending on the circumstances) to tense up when I even think about cantering! And of course being tense is the worst thing when you ride, because if you are tense, you bounce, so you feel insecure, which makes you more tense, and then the horse goes faster because you are tense....and so it goes on......

So don't worry Scarlett - I can assure you that not all riders are 100% confident in canter! Anyway, it sounds like you are doing just fine after cantering in only 6 lessons.:D

[AliC]

Hi Scarlett. I'm very nervous when cantering. When I first learnt to canter I kept falling off because the horses were a bit fresh! Consequently I am now very unconfident. The silly thing is though that I am happy to trot over a few jumps (got up to 1 feet 6 inches so far!) It's the cantering that has got me stumped.

Also the horse I ride now is a chunky cob and is very much on the forehand. I tend to lean forward when I try to canter and it makes it very difficult for her to actually get into canter. Once we do get there it's really difficult to keep her going. So I just don't get the chance to really practice.

I'm sure you will become more confident as you have more practice - keep at it, you're doing really well!

PS - Horsemad. I totally agree with your theory, I know I'm so nervous/useless at canter because at the back of my mind every time I think about going into canter I am also thinking "might fall off! might fall off!" thanks to all the bad past experiences. Grr, it's so annoying.

[CarolineH]

Originally posted by Scarlett 001
Ahhhh! :eek: So far everyone has felt comfortable in canter really quickly...maybe in still not feeling relaxed after 6 lessons I am more abnormal than I was hoping... :rolleyes:

I am actually a bit concerned here. Ok all you people who took a while to relax in the canter, start sending in those replies to make me feel better! :D

How about 17 years, does that make you feel better??

I started learning to ride when I was 11, and it wasn't until I got some really good lunge lessons earlier this summer that I felt truly happy and confident up there - I turned 28 in August!

Caroline

[Scarlett 001]

Originally posted by CarolineH
How about 17 years, does that make you feel better??


Now we're talking! :D You have made me most relieved! I hate feeling so tense up there so good to know it just takes time - even up to 17 years!!! ;)

[scout4361]

Cantering for me was my nemesis (hope i spelt that right). i was so terrified of the speed and felt i wouldnt be able to slow the horse down if i needed to. I just couldn't relax enough to go for more than a few strides. I actually felt sick to my stomach every time i was asked to canter. This went on for a year and a half and I always felt like a scaredy-cat and that I was letting my instructor down. I just couldn't get past that hurtle until I left that barn and started somewhere new.

What really helped me was a good, reliable, bomb-proof wonder named Chaps the wonder horse!!! He is so reliable and trustworthy that i can now totally concentrate on my riding and not worry about spooking or out of control gallops toward the barn wall etc!!!! Now that i am no longer afraid of canter i feel i can definitely ride it on Chaps, but I also feel i could manage on another horse if i had too. Do they have any bomb-proofies at your barn??? I think if every new rider had a horse like him we'd all be cantering nooo problem.

good luck!!!!

[ChristianRider]

*thinking back to Sunday's lesson*

I still rise to the canter, but I feel very controlled. However (clears throat) it took me a while:o A few months-sorry for not making you feel better Scarlett-but anyway, is rocking to it something that comes naturally Bel, or is it something that has to be learned? And by the way, how many know how to sit-trot correctly? How long did it take? I just learned it a few weeks ago after battling with it for a year:D

Ok, I've blabbed enough,lol!

[Scarlett 001]

Originally posted by ChristianRider
[BHowever (clears throat) it took me a while:o A few months-sorry for not making you feel better Scarlett-but anyway, is rocking to it something that comes naturally Bel, or is it something that has to be learned? And by the way, how many know how to sit-trot correctly?[/B]

Hey, it's only been 6 weeks or less for me so there is still hope to get that canter thing relaxed within a few months!!! So no worries, you have not made me feel worse - there is still some hope! :)

I went to a riding clinic a few weeks back and the guy videotaped us at all the gaits. Wow! What a great way to assess what you are doing right and wrong. My hip/pelvic motion is actually pretty good at the rising trot, sitting trot and 2-point - but stinks at the canter where I was rigid like a board! Hence why I get tossed about too much and therefore tense up even more. Now, you'd think I could just put into practice what I know - relax, move with the horse and I will feel more relaxed at the canter and solve my problem! :D

[entreat]

My canter changes with the horse.
Cody has a short body, which gives him a bouncy canter that I've only managed to sit to once! But Tarmac (a horse at the trailrides I love) has a canter anyone can sit to - if you don't mind speed, or an occasional sudden stop when she catches up to the instructors horse!! Unfortunatly, she's got a terrible trot, and usually goes for a walk-canter or halt-canter transition!!

Don't stress - you'll get there! I'm deffinately still working on it!

[Waikato Valuta]

I learnt by sitting to the trot. Then rising took me ages to learn as I kept sitting.

I can still sit to the trot on most horse but it realy depends on the horse it took my 2 years to learn to sit trot on my current horse 6 months on the horse beforethat and about 5 min on my friends horse.

If the horse is smooth and steady it is quite easy it's when you get extremally bouncy horses that you find it hard.

It's a bit like canter if you get on a freshly broken or skitz horse and cnater you will soon learn to fear the canter but if you lern on a nice comfortable horse that looks after you then you will learn horse to canter confidently even on the skits horses.

I have yet to experience a nice quiet horse like that but have learnt anyway. it just takes longer and gives you confidence huge whacks from time to time.

[OlavS]

scarlett,
From what I've gathered, there are some new riders that have a natural ability to canter. But they (I should say we) struggle with sitting trot instead! Some have it the other way round.

It also depends on your fear I guess. If you worry about falling off, you could consider getting a body protector, safety stirrups etc - maybe they'll make you relax more. In which case you're more likely to relax and develop a deep seat.

Finally, practicing slowing down to halt might be a good idea - there's nothing more worrying than thinking "will I be able to stop this thing?" when charging through the arena ;)

Best of luck!

Olav

[kelsey]

Have you tried riding with a bucking strap? (It attaches to the two D rings across the front of your saddle and you can hang on to it.)

That is how I learned to canter (after being terrified and too wimpy to try it for months) and I found it very easy. It gave me confidence, which allowed me to relax, and I found myself able to move my body with the motion with no problems. Prior to that, the couple of times that I tried I was so tense that I bounced everywhere.

Plus, if you hold on with your inside hand, it will put your body in the correct position. You can do this on the lunge, if not just remember to leave the inside rein relatively loose so you don't jab your horse in the mouth.

I only needed to hang on for a couple of lessons, then I was fine.

[*Horse*]

Originally posted by epcd3000
I'd have to say I'm quite comfrotable in canter.. But my transitions are sad. :p My instructor gave me some insightful information on Saturday though, which boosted my confidence and improved my balance (I was literally almost flying off Boomer!)


I really like cantering but i'm not so good at the transition from trot to canter coz i usually ride a fast, bouncy little pony, and its hard to do sitting trot.:D

[tbone]

It really depends with each person! :) the first time I cantered it was unplanned and I fell so not my first now days I enjoy the canter and it is my favorite gait as I have learned to sit back and enjoy it! :) I actually like the canter better on big horses!

[Claire Louise]

one of the best ways to feel comfortable doing anything with horses is practice. Maybe you could get some private lessons for the canter make sure you like the horse you are on and he has a smooth canter to start with then just practice. When you are in a private lesson you can canter for slightly longer than in a group when all you are doing is cantering into the back of the ride and thats it till your turn comes round again.:D

[Zantetsuken]

Everyone seemed to be scared at canter at first..I started out on a horse going super fast..But on mistake Ha..And once I stood on on the stirrups while he was galloping..I was afraid of sitting back down to lean back to whoa the fellow but yeah..Took me about a day I guess =] :p

[Alex]

Canter took me FOREVER! hehe
Like Olav said, I was one of the 'other people' - the kind who could sitting and rising trot straight away (first lesson) but who had nightmares with cantering! :) I used to dread it during my lessons. I'd sit there and anticipate the part of the lesson where we'd canter, and every time it was my go, I'd panic.
I finally got over my fears after a couple of canter lessons on the lunge, on a really smooth and gentle old school-horse. I also found that practicing canter while out on hacks actually helped coz I could canter in a straight line for a while. (only do this if you're hacking with someone else and if you're on a horse you can handle!!!)

Can I say though, that NOTHING prepared me for Milly's firey canter! LOL The first canter on her was both terrifying and amazing all in one! :D :D :D

[horsefreak]

Originally posted by Alex
Canter took me FOREVER!

Same here!! Since getting Melody, it has been the first time in ages I have actually sat to a canter and enjoyed it!! Well, not that I didn't enjoy it before, but I now have much more confidence - and if Melody has fuel still in her when we have a canter, I have so much confidence now I will ask her to go - and woweee does she go!!

My friends reckon I've turned from one nervous "Ok, maybe just a little canter" into a "Gallop gallop gallop!" speed merchant!!!

I think its riding books that put you off - they say that beginners usually find the canter easier to sit to than trot - not for me!! For years I was much more comfortable in trot than canter!! I blame it on the books!! Or maybe I'm just weird......... :p :rolleyes:

Ax

[helenc]

I can't really remember to be honest, it was all so long ago & I was just relieved that I didn't have to do quite so much sitting trot, I found that so much more difficult at the time, every rider is different & everyone finds things difficult in their early stages of riding. Don't get ***-heartened!

[Stella2]

I've resurfaced this old thread - hope thats okay :)

I've been riding for two years now. I'm really not bad at many things, but after several traumas whilst trying to master canter in the early days - including coming off twice, I just left it alone and concentrated on improving everything else. Its always been an issue for me though - haunting me!

My own horse was very green when I got him at the end of last July. My instructor has been doing some work with him on cantering in the school. He's coming along, but is still unbalanced and therefore very onward bound and he really isn't happy doing it. On hacks he has been very strong in canter for a couple of very experienced riders who have taken him out (I haven't cantered him out aside from the unasked for short ones!). Therefore, me learning to canter on him seems like a bad idea for both of us, so I have started having some private lessons on a school horse. I've had a couple now. The first my hands became tense and hard - so pulling the horse back. The second - my hands were much better, I was more relaxed and forward thinking. The problem then was that although I felt like I was sitting up, in fact I was tipping forward! So although we got down the long side as we went into the corner my balance was going. The mare I was riding is not forward going at all, so she will quickly drop back from canter and that meant the corner was fine. The disadvantage here is that because she isn't forward going, getting her into, and keeping her in, canter is very difficult and this makes it difficult for me to learn. If I was on the other available horse - more forward going - she wouldn't come straight back from canter when I lose my balance, so there would be greater risk of me coming off which, lets face it, wouldn't do much for me learning either!

Ahhhhhhh ...... damn and blast that gait!

[Equisgurl]

I really wouldnt worry, I've been riding for a year and a half, and only a month or so ago, I finally began feeling comfortable and balanced at canter, now as many said, its the most comfy gait for me, I just sit back, relax and have fun. But it also depends on horses, some are better than others. And now I'm mainly working on starting to canter from a walk, which is going great:D
it will take time, each lesson u will feel a lot of improvement, set goals for yourself and try your best to accomplish them.
good luck~:p

[makebelieve]

I felt nice in the canter the 1st time I did it. The pony was only 12hh, but it was such a fun thing. I have never fallen off in canter, and have been loving every second of it. I do it a different way, in the hunter position at all times. I have tried it the other way though, and have almost fallen off. The normal way of cantering.

[Scarlett 001]

Originally posted by makebelieve
I do it a different way, in the hunter position at all times. I have tried it the other way though, and have almost fallen off. The normal way of cantering.

Is the hunter position half-seat? I am not sure what it is and I am curious.

I actually much prefer cantering in 2-point or half-seat - I have a harder time sitting the canter - but I will keep trying as I want to be able to do it all ways possible.

I have to say since I initiated that thread a few months back I am feeling much better in canter overall. Last week Skeeter acted up when I tried to get him into canter, tossing his head a bit (never done this before and no apparent injury/sore spots we could locate) and resisting. A few months ago it would have unnerved me, but I managed to ride through it and get what I wanted and we got a good canter going.

Come to think of it, I started to relax more when I switched horses from Madonna to Skeeter in January. Madonna was difficult to transition out of the canter to the trot so I also felt like I did not have great control. Also I could not slow things down at the canter if she went too fast. Whereas Skeeter responds to my aids much better and slows down nicely for me and transitions to trot beautifully. Hence I feel more in control - which is a good thing!

[makebelieve]

Well basically, you're cantering in more of a 2pt position. Many people have told me that I will fall if I persist in doing this position, but I have yet to fall cantering.

[Waikato Valuta]

Fall off!!!

What about jumpping you don't fall off then???

That seems like a very silly comment.

It's not correct for dressage but you wont fall of becuase of doing 2-point.

[western]

I think that everybody has that problem so you are not alone. I now am used to it and at least like to canter everytime i ride. It also depends on the type of horse that you have too. And of course their are days that your horse gets excited and tends to give a excited buck but i guess that you have to be ready for that. I just before i canter that i sit low in the seat look forward and let the horse listen and go with the flow and kinda get in contact with the horse and , its like dancing where you have to focus and move with the beat. And if it is not right then always practice. And if you dont feel like it then dont pressure you or your horse to. I just think that i let the horse have fun . Mine he always likes to put his ears back and lets me give him rein and to tell him when , i think that some times he likes to canter.

[*HoRsEtArD*]

oh, it took me ages, i was always losing my confidence in the way i felt in canter- maybe it was because i was on a challanging day the first time i cantered but i find it fun now....

[Stella2]

I have another lesson on the school horse tomorrow. I'm feeling positive. I'm going to try my stirrups up one hole as I think (hope) that I may be less inclined to lean forward then - until I get used to it!!

[Bucephalus]

I've been told the thing about falling in two-point/jumping position before as well!
I agree the position itself when its good and balanced is actually pretty secure - the problem is when you're not balanced and are actually standing up and leaning forward.

I always felt like my stirrups were too long in canter at first. By all means keep them the right length for you to be comfortable and balanced, but sometimes the stirrups just flap about because your legs have come up a bit. It all gets better with practice. A willing school horse with a nice, steady canter is a great way to learn.

[virtuallyhorses]

Gosh which time? :) Riding is such an evolutionary thing. I guess it may have been a month or more from my first canter that I felt I knew what I was doing and happy. Then I learned I was rubbish and relearned how to canter ... all was sweet, life was good .... then I learned how to really canter just recently :) So several years - maybe I'm a slow learner tho' :D

[Stella2]

drat .., drat ...! my lesson was foiled today by the gales. It had to be cancelled. Next week then ...!

[SwiftwindSpirit]

I'm still having troubles with cantering, and I've been having lessons consecutively for about 2 1/2 years. I guess it really does depend on the type of horse you're learning on. The horses I mainly ride charge into canter and really anticipate when it's going to be asked, so that when I do ask for canter they shoot off like a rocket! I feel out of control because the speed is so fast and the horse feels unbalanced.

There have been some times where I'm like "so this is what it's supposed to feel like" but then I get a crazy horse and I become nervous about cantering again. The horse I'm currently riding is very forward going, with heaps of energy and is a bit unbalanced when cantering, and is hard to slow down. I think the initial stage of trying to get the horse from trot to canter is the worst (I think walk to canter is much easier), as I have no idea how the horse is going to react, but when they're in canter I feel a bit better (but sometimes I feel like I'm going to slip off). It really does help if you have a calm, and understanding horse to learn canter on. There is one horse at our stables who is really perfect for beginners and her canter is like sitting on a rocking horse! I guess I'm just nervous about cantering because all my falls have happened while I've been in canter, or there have been times where a horse has taken off with me in full out canter. I must say I have improved over the months, but don't worry you're definately not alone!! :)

I definately think practicing cantering in a safe, enclosed environment is the best. At first just aim for a few strides of canter, then bring the horse back to trot, then aim for one full circle of canter, and then 2 full circles. That's what I use to do and it really helps to become more relaxed. My instructor also told me to lean back a bit when cantering as it puts you more on the verticle (you'll feel like you're leaning too far back, but you are actually sitting up straight), and this really helps to balance in the canter (making it much more comfy and feels more safe).

[entreat]

If you get a chance, try cantering up a slope (not too steep), 'cause you'll feel more balanced. It took me a long while before I could canter with any semblance of confidence on the flat.

Since this thread has started, my confidence has gone up heaps! Mostly due to riding a variety of horses, in lots of settings (public park lands, trail rides, roads, bush). Even yesterday I felt confident enough to lean back more that I usually do (ok, more upright), and it felt great! I now need to work on the trot-canter transition (still leaning over!).

Just keep at it, and you'll get there in the end.

[GingerLily]

I literally just did it today. After nearly 10 years. And I had to force myself to do it!
My pony's lame, and I hate her canter anyway, far too out of control, so I had a lesson on a friend's horse and she's a *menace* to get into right canter. So after I got her in canter right, I breathed a sigh of relief, put my heels and bum down, and gave way! Not as in fell off, just made myself relax (it is relaxing when my instructor's shouting 'well done, lovely canter', as she's usually shouting at me for bad reasons!) It's so much easier to canter when you relax, but it's so hard to get to that stage!
RachelB

[ponypal]

Cntering was one of the first things I learned on a horse!I was about 9 at the oldest.:D

[ponypal]

GingerLily,How old are you?I hate my pony's trot to.Well,she will only canter for about 3 minutes!She is totaly big.I ride my friends horse too.She is old but full of herself when it comes to a canter!
Ponypal

[fluffy]

I have had maybe 20 lessons or so over the last few months, and was quite happy in walk and trot,doing serpentines etc, then I was asked to try canter, although I didn't fall off I just didn't feel in control. I have tried canter 3 times now and each time i've ended up with a painful back, with hindsight most of the backache is down to being tense and still being quite novicey but I sometimes get a sore back due to moving patients at work(started training before the days of the hoist!!) My last 2 lessons I've had backache trotting- Do I need to see a shrink or a Chiropracter!!!!