cantering problems )):

[fullstop]

my instructor's always mad at me because of my cantering mistakes. i really do try to stick to her instructions, but after the sitting trot, my legs naturally become ' stiff ' ? i dont know how to describe it, its just wierd ? i simply cant get myself to bring my leg back behind the girth to give the horse a nudge, into canter. i hope you guys could help me with my problem ? and, to get a horse into canter, always use the outside leg right ? i get confused really easily |: i'l really appreciate your help ! ;)

[cvb]

I think the first thing to work on is your preparation for the trot...

is your sitting trot generally a problem or just when you know you are going to canter ? You need to keep back and hips relaxed so you can go with the flow :p

By the way, as an alternative, you can actually ask for canter from a rising trot - but you have to be a lot more co-ordinated. However, if you find this helps with your stiff leg problem, it may be worth a try ?

What tends to happen is that when we are first taught canter we are taught to take outside leg back and ask with that. Its a clear aid. But remember that the leg doesn't have to go miles back, only an inch or so - so perhaps you are trying too hard ?!

We also tend to do it quite slowly and stage by stage i.e. go sitting, move legs, now nudge. As you advance, this gets quicker and can turn into asking for canter by moving the outside leg back

At some stage, many of us come across the idea that instead of asking with outside leg, you nudge up and in with inside leg instead. This is often on a more advanced horse where swinging your outside leg back could result in quarters in etc etc.

But it might be worth trying, ie "assume the position" (Inside leg on the girth, outside leg slightly behind) and then nudge up and in with inside leg.

Also remember that the aids to ask for canter are not necessarily the same for keeping canter - especially on a more trained and/or sensitive horse. If you keep outside leg on, you are asking them to yield away from that leg, and thigns go very wonky.

I appreciate I may have just confused you even more - but a simplistic answer would not necessarily help.

[fullstop]

cvb :
hey ! thanks a whooole lot :D you sounded really neat talking the way you did. ;) lol. lets see, im fine doing sitting trot, its only the part where we have to move on to canter ? gosh, im hopeless at that. hopefully, i'll get to try your method during the next lesson ? yeah, thanks again ! :p

[Bay Mare]

Is the horse running on when you start to ask for canter? This could be why the sitting trot is going to pieces (been there, got the t-shirt). The trot needs to be active but not running away or jogging. Try some half halts before you ask for canter, if your horse starts to run then bring him/her back and try again. I had a tendency to just keep on trying to ask for canter whilst bouncing up and down like a mad thing ..... it took a while for me to realise that it WASN'T bad to bring the horse back to a decent trot and start again. In fact this happened to me on my recent riding assessment and I was praised for not panicking and just calming her down and trying again for canter once I was in control of trot ..... I passed despite thinking that I'd screwed it up :eek:

[cvb]

mmmm - we all tend to think of canter as a change of speed rather than a change of gait. But in some cases canter can be slower e.g. a collected canter can cover less ground than a medium or extended trot ;)

If you think instead that you are simply asking the horse to change the order it uses its legs, but with no extra speed - would that help ? Often a less trained less supple horse does need enough 'oomph' to make the change, but if they go too fast they (and you) get unbalanced and it actually becomes more difficult again.

So it might help to think of your aids simply saying "now use outside hind to canter" rather than "now go up a gear".

[fullstop]

Originally posted by Bay Mare
I passed despite thinking that I'd screwed it up :eek:


well, i didnt think you screwed up, infact, i thought you did great ! ;)




Originally posted by cvb
So it might help to think of your aids simply saying "now use outside hind to canter" rather than "now go up a gear".


point taken ! :D thanks !

[cvb]

So it might help to think of your aids simply saying "now use outside hind to canter" rather than "now go up a gear".

just to say that this one really sunk in for me when I had the pleasure of sitting on an advanced schoolmaster. If you wriggled too much you got a flying change :D Cos he took the leg aid as an instruction and just followed it :cool:

First time it happened I didn't even realise I'd asked :rolleyes: but then it made me realise how sensitive he was. Never had a feeling like it since but its really something to hold as a vision... :sigh:

[fullstop]

Originally posted by cvb
Never had a feeling like it since but its really something to hold as a vision... :sigh:
well, was that a sad sigh or a ' wondering' sigh ? anyways, you must have really enjoyed it huh ? cool...;)

ohwells, how exactly do i soften my back ? can someone explain to me how please ? it'd really be nice ! :D

[cvb]

more of a "wistful" sign :)

softening your back - while you are sitting reading this, tense your back up - all of it, lock it solid, now hold for a few seconds - feel and be aware of the tension......

.....

... now release and let the tension go.

In both cases you are sitting - and your "position" shouldn't have changed much between the two - but in one you have tension and in the other you don't !

"softening" your back (for me anyway) is a deliberate letting go of tension.

Another example would be if you get a chance to play with a physio ball. Sit on it - get a friend to move it beneath you - randomly and unpredictable. Do this with "tense" back and do it with "released" back - you should find it easier to follow the movement with the released back. Thats about accepting the movement rather than trying too hard or trying to "control" it.

does that help ?

[fullstop]

a wistful one huh ? lol :D
i can sorta picture the image in my mind. so when you soften your back, you tend to go with the flow better , is that right ? does that help with your balance too ? cos i cant really balance when im doing sitting trot w/o stirrups :o anyways, YES ! it does help a whole lot ! :D thanks ;)

[cvb]

Originally posted by fullstop
a wistful one huh ? lol :D
i can sorta picture the image in my mind. so when you soften your back, you tend to go with the flow better , is that right ? does that help with your balance too ? cos i cant really balance when im doing sitting trot w/o stirrups :o anyways, YES ! it does help a whole lot ! :D thanks ;)

Yes it does help you go with the flow, and it does help with balance. It will also help the horse cope with your (moving) weight better :D

If you're the kind of person who likes books, you might want to check out "Centered Riding" by Sally Swift - I use her images a lot, and found that the idea of being "centered" is a general help whatever sport you're doing.:)

[Bay Mare]

Originally posted by cvb
just to say that this one really sunk in for me when I had the pleasure of sitting on an advanced schoolmaster. If you wriggled too much you got a flying change :D Cos he took the leg aid as an instruction and just followed it :cool:

First time it happened I didn't even realise I'd asked :rolleyes: but then it made me realise how sensitive he was. Never had a feeling like it since but its really something to hold as a vision... :sigh:

LOL, my first flying change was a result of my flapping legs too! Took me quite by surprise :D

[fullstop]

Originally posted by cvb
If you're the kind of person who likes books, you might want to check out "Centered Riding" by Sally Swift - I use her images a lot, and found that the idea of being "centered" is a general help whatever sport you're doing.:)

im not a huge fan of books, but, i'll do anything to improve my riding ! :D thanks, i'll try to look out for that book ;) gosh, THANKS SOSOSO MUCH ! :D