Cantering and steering

[Trixie]

I've managed to overcome my fear of cantering (after I was bucked off recently) and I'm happily cantering in a class of about five adult riders. We've been doing serpentines and figures of eight in walk and trot and last week I was asked to canter a figure of eight. Now, I know that the mare I ride doesn't tend to do flying changes, so I worked it all out beforehand and told the instructor I would put in a couple of paces in trot as I changed the rein in the middle of the eight. So far, so good. Popped into canter across the top of the school on a bend to get the correct lead, did most of the top of the eight, then used my legs to cut diagonally down the school to reach my first change of lead. Snag was that my legs might have been asking for this, but my horse wanted to stay on the track and catch up with the back of the ride. I started from scratch again and the same thing happened. So I tried organising things so that if she didn't come diagonally across the school, she would meet the ride heading straight for her. Guess what? She went straight again, snuck past them on the inside, then realised that, although she was at the end of the ride, she was facing the wrong way and speeding away from them! Up came her head and faster went her legs, trying to catch up with the end of the ride she could no longer see and met them head on again. This time, she passed them on the inside, but I managed to get her wide enough to loop at the top end of the school, change the lead (still in canter, I think the turn was tight, she did it herself, really) and we joined on to the back of the ride again. Instructor then asked "What the dickens was that?" to which I replied "Haven't a clue, but whatever it was I'm not doing it again!"

Can anyone give me advice on how to turn her off the track in canter, when all she wants to do is go straight and catch up with the rest of the ride? I tried everything - outside leg on, inside leg off, opened inside rein, gave outside rein, both legs on, turning my body, eventually pulling her head onto my inside boot and she still went straight!!! I didn't do all of the above at the same time - I sort of escalated our warfare in stages. Please help!

[Em 1]

Well done for overcoming your fear of cantering!

One question - have you mastered cantering 20m circles yet? 'Correct' figures of eight are actually two 20m circles touching over X (in a 40m arena) not an egg timer shape as many instructors seem to teach. This may help because the turn isn't so sharp so you can almost 'nudge' the horse off the track gradually rather than having to yank them onto a diagonal.

You are also quite right to use trot to change the rein - you should not be being asked to do flying changes yet (although sometimes the horse doesn't seem to understand this and throws one in anyway!).

It is really hard to pursuade school horses that leaving the ride is not going to put them in the hands of a horse eating monster! You basically have to be more determined than the horse.

I tried everything - outside leg on, inside leg off, opened inside rein, gave outside rein, both legs on, turning my body, eventually pulling her head onto my inside boot and she still went straight!!!

Definitely keep the outside leg on (kick if necessary). Pulling the head round will usually mean you end up going straight along the track with the horse's head on sideways! You need to use masses of leg and a little hand to guide.

If you carry a crop hold it in the outside hand. Don't take your inside leg off but keep it quiet against the horse's side - this may be what you mean. Hold or open inside rein whilst maintaining consistent contact of the outside rein - by giving it you are making it easier for her to stick to the track. By opening inside rein you are saying ' look, inside comfortable, outside difficult'. In theory the horse will choose easy and circle (assuming they have read the books too).

I didn't do all of the above at the same time - I sort of escalated our warfare in stages.

This may be your problem. You do have to do all these things at once or the horse will spot the gap and go for it!

Instructor then asked "What the dickens was that?"

Did your instructor say anything more useful than this?

Anyway, hope this has been some help and good luck. If all else fails maybe you could get a row of friends along the long side to shove your horse away from the ride;)

[galadriel]

Maintain contact on your outside rein. Unless you're making a very tight turn, the horse doesn't need to turn his head much. Giving your outside rein provides the horse with an opportunity to pop the shoulder, ignore the direction of his neck, and go whereever he wants to.

This shouldn't be just at canter; this should be all of the time. Your reins may be longer or shorter depending on what you're doing, but you should always have a good contact on the outside rein. If you're a little less certain at canter, and you're not sure what your legs are doing, that might make more of an opportunity for the horse to ignore your inside rein, particularly if you're really giving with the outside.

When you go to circle, maintain contact on both reins. Before you actually get to the area where you'd like to leave the rail, pull/release with the inside rein to tell the horse he should be turning to the inside, but don't ask for exaggerated neck movements. He really doesn't need to turn his head way in to make a turn. Your pull-release, on a sensitive horse, can be as minor as opening and closing the fingers of your hand (like squeezing a sponge). On a horse who's not listening, of course, it would be a little more than that.

So before you really want to turn, you're giving the horse an opportunity to realize that he's going to turn. Put your inside leg on his side, at the girth, to keep him from turning right away.

When you do get to where you want to turn, put your outside leg back and press with it to ask him to actually turn off the rail. Keep inside leg at the girth and outside leg back through the turn; apply one or the other if the horse drifts. If he tries to drift to the inside, apply your inside leg to prevent it. If he tries to drift to the outside, apply your outside leg to prevent it.


http://www.galadriel.shaftnet.org/horses/figure-eight.png
When you go to change directions, continue to maintain your rein contact. You will first go *straight* (not diagonally) at the meeting of the two circles in the figure eight. You'll ask the horse to straighten out by bringing your outside leg forward and ceasing to ask with the inside rein. (With your description, you may also wish to ask the horse to trot at this time.)

You will then begin to ask the horse to flex in the other direction, by pulling/releasing with the NEW inside rein. You will put the NEW inside leg on to prevent the horse from circling before you are ready. You will probably also go ahead and ask for the new canter lead. This is where you would ask for a flying change, if you were planning to use one.

Then you will put your NEW outside leg back to ask the horse to turn, and apply it as necessary to get the horse onto the new circle. At that point you will leave both legs where they are (again) and apply inside or outside leg as needed to maintain your circle (again). To straighten out and return to the rail you'll use the same aids as you used at the meeting of the two circles.

[Trixie]

.....Em 1 and Galadriel. Didn't get a chance to try this out today cos I was riding a different mare who tends to panic and shoot off in canter into a flat-out gallop, so I avoided canter totally.

Riding this mare has been an eye-opener for me! At the start I had to consciously keep my leg off or I got unwanted trots. She moved forward with just a touch from my lower leg, no squeezing at all. Even in trot I had to put in small circles to slow her down. Did 20, 10 and five metre circles, leg yield, shoulder in and pirrouette - little me, doing a pirrouette! Granted, it wasn't very good, but its the first time I've tried. I've never tried shoulder in either and it was so easy!!! Leg yield - well, what can I say? I came down the three quarter line and gave her 30 metres to get 5 metres across. She was across in about four paces!!! Not only that, but she stayed straight as a die. Managed it all with and without stirrups and in walk and trot. Boy, am I a happy puppy!!:D

To cap it all, none of the rest of the group turned up today so I had a one hour private lesson. I learned so much today and I feel so much more confident. All I failed on was cantering, but that was my own choice. Because I knew I wouldn't be cantering, I was much more relaxed. I used my upper body to ask for turns and spirals in and out. Surprisingly, her head began to come down towards the end without me asking because she was becoming more relaxed as well. Next stop - cantering 20 metre circles with her, if I get the chance, or even figures of eight. Whoopeee!:)

[coverblown]

Cantering a figure of 8....... that's two circles......... and she expects me (!) to do this??

Of course I wanted to have a go, but the (adorable) riding school horse I always ride has a problem with correct lead on the right rein, so as soon as I got on to the second circle, it was "wrong!, wrong lead, back to trot.

It was so frustrating and makes me think, just what is the point

[Trixie]

I used to ride a horse that always struck off on the wrong lead on the right rein. The solution was to canter him once on the left rein for every two times on the right rein. Also I made sure that I asked for canter on the right rein on a smaller circle than I did on the left. This meant he had to strike off on the correct lead and I kept the circle smaller to keep him on the correct lead - he could do flying changes to the wrong lead very well!! This helped him to gain a bit more strength and bend on the right rein and it got easier after that. Once he was confident that he could do it without falling over he would give you the lead you asked for. It was just a matter of getting him a bit fitter and gently convincing him that he COULD do it!

[Trixie]

Today I rode the same mare as last week, the one I was scared to canter. Today I cantered her!!!!! Yes, she's difficult to stop, yes, she goes very fast, but she turns when you ask!! I ended up all over the school with her, but every single turn she did I had asked for - well I had to really, it was either that or hit the wall. Thing was, I got the impression that she was eager to go and that's why she got too fast, rather than anxious or scared. I couldn't believe how easy she was to steer! A slight shift in my weight, a leg slightly back, very little inside rein if at all, and she went exactly where I asked.

The non-turning mare was also there and her rider coudn't get her to canter in a 20 metre circle, she stuck to the track, just like she did with me. So, tonight I'm feeling on top of the world.

To make my life almost perfect, I'm off work next week and have booked two private lessons on this speedy mare, hoping to crack this charging canter and get her more calm and settled and maybe even collected. I just wish she wouldn't bite:rolleyes:

[shirley]

Just read this post and it is so timely for my progression too. I am just about starting to canter in the school and as for steering - well how about all over the place. But after reading this I got on my boy and we actually got cantering down one long side and round the top and he stayed on the outside track - RESULT or what!!! Now we will just pick it up bit by bit and 20 m circles here we come and then figures of 8.
Thank you guys, and I didn't even post the initial post!!!