help before tomorrow

[lozhorseluva]

I have a lesson 14th september and my instructors pressurising me to start canter, I want to but I'm scared of the speed. People are saying I'll get used to it, but's thats all fine and good for later but it doesn't really help now.

My horse had changed aswell i has a small pony, now i have a large horse help

[Illusions]

If you don't want to canter, you don't have to.
Take it at your own pace.

Illusions :)

[Jenni]

canter doesnt mean faster than trot. It is a smoother gait and you control the speed. Not all horses get fast as soon as you ask them to canter.

Speak to your instructor and tell them that you are apprehensive (sp). You might find it will be comfier on the larger horse than the small pony.

[smaggi]

canter doesnt mean faster than trot. It is a smoother gait and you control the speed. Not all horses get fast as soon as you ask them to canter.

She's right. My horse has a rough trot and doesn't relax as well as he does when he canters. He loves to canter and it's smoother and not really much faster.

Maybe you should ask your instructor to let you canter on a lunge line the first time. I learned that way. My instructor let me put my hands on the front and back of the saddle while I was on a lunge line. Then he asked the horse to canter once or twice around the circle and then we stopped. We did this and I realized that it wasn't as bad as I thought it was. Then I would hold my hands in the position where the reins would be and do the same thing. I was able to feel the canter without being responsible for controlling the horse.

If you are not ready to canter, then just tell your instructor you would like to get more comfortable at the trot first.

[LMS]

Dear Smaggi, cantering is a big step to take especially if at the same time you've been promoted to a different horse let alone if there is a substantial difference in size!
When I advance my students, I make certain that they are confident, can control the previous gait and are comfortable executing transitions (ex. T/W/T). Speak with your instructor and let her/him know how you feel.
Cantering is easy & exhilirating, the scary part is the trot/canter and canter/trot transitions because it can unsettle your base of support & balance.
Your instructor probably has made the switch to this horse because he's probably better suited for this topic.

Ask if you can watch the others practice the canter first and get comfortable with your new mount first. A good instructor will not pressure you, challenge your abilities yes, but not pressure.


LMS

[spiffyscotty]

in my personal opinion.... cantering is so much smoother then trotting (of course depending on the horse) but i would much rather canter anyday then trot! But if you are not ready dont feel pressured too... but remember it never hurts to try!

[smaggi]

LMS, sorry if anyone misunerstood my comments. I wasn't trying to say that she had to canter if she's not ready. That's why I suggested that she tell her instructor that she would rather stay t the trot if she didn't feel she was ready.

I was very scared to canter the first time and I had people telling me all the time to just try it. I was fortunate to find an instructor who was very sympathetic with my fear and introduced it to me in a way that I felt safe.

I was just saying that sometimes, depending on the horse, the canter is an easier gait to ride. My horse has a rough trot and a smooth canter. We have another horse Snuffy that has a beautiful trot and he has a rough canter.

[LMS]

Terribly sorry about that Smaggi, I meant to direct my comments to lozhorseluva.
I'm new on this site and am still trying to maneuvre around.

Sounds like you have a wonderful instructor! And yes, some horses do have awkward trots but amazing canters. It's also a bonus when the horse is a "push button" horse. For a biginner, it really comes in handy.

TTYL,
LMS