Canter and trot help!!! Tips anyone?

[couger_creek_rider]

Hi. I started lessons about a month ago. The trainer says I'm a really good rider with a few things to work on. We've done quite a bit of trotting and just started to canter this past sesson. My question is once you have them at a trot or canter, how do you get them to STAY there? My horse allways goes for a little while then goes back to a walk or trot and once they get to that point I can't get them to go any faster unless I stop them and then start over!

If you have and tips or suggestions, PLEASE post.




Thanks alot and Happy Valentines.

Skylar

[aniukas]

i sure know what you mean! i used to have the same problem. however, it all comes with the time spent in the saddle. if you are, let's say, on a lungeline (or not), some horses get into the habit of stopping on a certain part in the circle once they find out that the rider doesn't really object (even if he/she does object, just doesn't know how fix the situation! :). that's why you should NEVER let the horse stop/slow down if you don't want him to, otherwise he'll take advantage of you and act just like you have described. the thing is: when you feel you horse's pace slowing down a bit, IMMEDIATELY give him a lttle squeeze (did i spell that right??) with your calfs as if you were giving the halt->walk or walk->trot aid (the same for canter). if he doesn't listen, you can give him a little tap of a crop or whip. when you're constantly driving him, he has no time to think about stopping or being stubborn. he's busy obeying the aids! just remember - don't let him get away with anything! i hope this helped! just be consistent - you'll soon give these aids automatically! good luck!

[horselover]

I just wanted to stress that it is important to squeeze when you feel the horse start slowing down. you really have to pay attention to the motion. And I don't mean when the horse obviously slows down; I mean when you feel a very subtle change in "gears" as the horse begins to think about slowing down. If you do it at this time, it is much more effective.

[Showjumper]

I'm really into TTEAM (Tellington Touch Equine Awareness Method) and I've discovered that when you're riding, you can anticipate the movements of the horse from his ears, and resistance form his mouth. For example, if he's thinking, "I'm bored. I'm going to slow down now!" his ears will flick back to make sure you're not going to forcefully object to his misbehaviour. The second you see his ears flickering round to judge what you're doing, tighten your legs. Of course, you have to be constantly aware of his ears as some horses, when working hard, constantly hard their ears turned towards the rider, and this isn't a sign of misbehaviour at all.

An easier method is to focus on contact through the reins. If the contact drops, and the horse knows he won't meet much resistance from the rider, he'll happily slow down. If there's too much contact, he's likely to tense through the poll and back and speed up in retaliation. Both of these are what you don't want to happen. A soft contact, maintained at all times, is going to be far more useful than constant dropping and collecting of the reins.

Hope I've helped!!! :)

[Maci]

It is important, no matter what pace you are at, to squeeze your legs if you feel the horse slowing down. Use you voice for an extra touch of encouragement! A crop is also good to have, but REMEMBER, it is not there to replace your leg aids, just assist them. Just give little taps on the hindquarters.
Keep them going also by keeping your seat light, and make sure it goes with the trot or canter movement. Same with your hands- in canter, let them follow the horses head and in trot, keep them steady at a reasonable height.

Another thing to add for canter- after you've given the cues to canter, don't move your leg from behind the girth right away, keep it there for a while to show the horse you really DO want him in a canter.

Maci :)

[fudge]

same problem as I've recently learnt to correct. I developed a terrible habit of lifting my legs away from the horses sides before squeezing him on and it looked awful as well as being a terrible waste of energy.

it's clicked now though as I've learnt to just squeeze gently keeping my legs against the girth, keeps the canter going and looks much more elegant.

now my only canter problem is leaning forward when asking for the transition to canter and I'm working on it, any tips ?

fudge

[horselover]

That is exactly what I was doing when I started cantering in an english saddle. I never did it in a western one, but for some reason I did in an english. I think it's because if your horse does not smoothly move into a canter, you want to be ready for it, so instead of sitting deep, I would lean forward to try to balance and compensate for the sudden forward motion. A westren saddle is much more secure than an english one, and I think that the sudden lack of that security made me feel wierd and strange, like I was missing something.

It really came with conscious effort for me. I had to think about it whenever I asked for the canter. I made myself sit back. It was hard at first, but then i realized that it made the transition so much better. leaning forward kept causing the horse to pick up the wrong lead because i was unbalancing him.

I wish that i could give better advice, but it just came with work and practice for me. I concentrated hard on not changing my seat position just because I was asking for the canter. It will come- just work at it.

[Tammy]

I do that, too, fudge. It is one of my worst habits and really hard to break. Like horselover says...practice and more practice. I have to deliberately think "sit up straight, chin up, shoulders back" every single time. Really really annoying! The difference in my horse's response is amazing, though, when I don't lean forward.

[fudge]

Glad to hear it's a common problem. Like most things in riding it will just take practice so when I go this afternoon I'll aim to concentrate!

It's so hard trying to remember everything at once, I long for the day when I don't have to think about it and I can just do it!!!

I've also noticed that like you horselover, the horse tends to take the wrong lead leg too often, this must be due to me leaning!

thanks for the advice

fudge

[diamond]

I had a post called 'Scared to Canter' there were lots of useful replies - have a look.

Good luck - keep at it

[floppy]

to keep a hrose going you have to keep using your leg aids...yoru legs arent there to just dangle and do nothing..you have to keep the impulsion going and if the horse slows down make sure you squeeze him to keep going!

[Somethingroyal]

not so far back I had the exact same problem. All I can say is what other people will probably say. Just keep your leg on. Dont "clamp" it, but every time you rise from the saddle (at trot), squeeze, and in the canter, just keep you leg at the horses side, gently applying pressure on a reagular rhythem: ONE two three ONE two three...

[Jodie]

Hey,

I have been taught that when trotting every time you sit squeze with your inside leg (using an active leg) and have found all you really have to do is bend your inside leg slighty and it taps the horses side and keeps him/her going. Also when cantering as everyone has said keep contact through squeezing tho also not only push with your legs but your push with your seat like your trying to make the swing go higher you push with your hips every stride. I ride a very stubborn horse and cant just sit there you have to push her every single stride with legs and seat at every pace it hard to get used to and is annoying but it works.

Jodie

[Somethingroyal]

Ive always been told not to shove or push at the horse in any gait. I may be wrong, but wouldnt that irritate the horse to have someone always pusing at his back?

[floppy]

those of you leaners have to be careful because there seems to be a slight difference of opinon going aroudn as to how to ride or mayeb it is just their way of tryig to explain it ... so i think really its best to go to your instructor and ask him/her...every school has a slightly different way of riding and if you ride at that school they expect you to ride the way their horses are educated and they are educated..and basically if you not happy find a new school..

as for rising trot you actually squeeze the horse normally when sitting back down in the saddle...makes it easier..
and you do this contiously..everytiem you sit you squeeze...and then release as you rise..and you will find that the movements as you get better are less obvious to people watching. Remember always keep heals down...and in canter you also have to keep applying the aids and if you can try adn use your seat to urge the hrose forward...ALL THIS WILL COME IN TIME...give yourself a chance...Dont forget the instructor is there to help adn teach you..dont be afraid to ask...to get answer to your problems you have to ask a question first....everyone here is willing to help...but if i were you i would ask you instructor :)

[Tina J]

Something more experienced regular riders often forget, is that when you are learning and still developing your muscles, riding correctly at trot and canter is very tiring indeed. I think that the commonest problem that beginners have is simply staying relaxed and swinging with the movement, which sounds simple, but actually requires quite a bit of control of muscles that aren't normally used! To go right back to cougar creek rider's original question, try to figure out if the horse stops or slows down because you are getting tired and tensing your thigh muscles. Tensing your thighs actually resists the horses movement and tells him to slow down, but if you are getting tired trying to push the horse on, you will probably find that you do it without realising - and then you are sending conflicting messages to the horse! The answer is partly getting fitter with more time in the saddle, and partly to allow yourself breaks at different paces. It is better to come away with the memory in your mind and muscles of a few short, correct canters, than to think that you have to be tense and pushing all the time, and ending up exhausted. Jodie's description of the push being like a swing is a good one, as long as you can get the image in your mind of pushing without tensing those thigh muscles. Have fun!

[Cathy Reynolds]

c-c-r - try riding at trot with no stirrups (you will then learn how to leg-hug the horse pretty quick). Do some downward transitions without stirrups. If nervy - and with only one month under the belt you have every right to be! - do it on a lunge. And then try no stirrups and no reins on the lunge - you'll then be able to concentrate on body position, seat etc.

I'm pretty amazed you have been encouraged into canter after only a month, I must say. Sit as though you were leaning back - you'll probably then get told you're sitting upright!

And who am I to give advice - I'm still chickening out of cantering round the end of the school

[Somethingroyal]

Actually, Tina J is right. One of the hardest things to do at the canter is relax and sit to it. And the best place to go for this type of help would be your instructor. As for squeezing when rising vs. sitting, I always squeeze as I rise because i find that it makes for easier trot to canter transitions, and that is just how my horse works best, although I can see that it can be done either way, and squeezing while sitting seems like it would be easier.

[JumperGirl]

When I canter and the horse starts slowing down, my instructor tells me to keep her going with my outside leg. It works for me.
Hope it helps :)

[Maci]

To keep him going in a canter, when you give him the cues, don't move your outside leg back to its original position. Instead, leave it behind the girth, and nudge it to let the horse know you're serious and to encourage him to keep cantering.

Maci :)