Canter

[vimto92]

Hello there! I have been riding just a little short than a month properly in a lesson and just wonderded when do you think I will move onto canter...it looks fun and lots of people say its fun so I'm anxious about when I'll be doing it :p

[Tangle]

It'll very much depend on your school & instructor. Some seem to have the clients cantering ASAP - within a month :eek:. Others won't let you canter until your trot is nigh on perfect. Which might take years :rolleyes:

Try not to fret too much if you don't canter right away - you're far better off getting your balance in walk/trot so that you can control yourself more easily when you start to canter ;)

[kedwards]

As Tangle mentioned, instructors can vary considerably with regard to their goals before introducing canter. The only way to know is to ask her. Having that conversation can let her know that you are interested and also help you work with her to identify specific goals in your progress.

[RiderGirl]

After you are confident in the sitting and rising trot. Learning to canter is actually easier than the trot.

[hanbrad]

cool i cant wait to do canter im a like you i have had at least a month of lessons and cant wait to canter i fink ill just give it a go and take my instructor for serprise then she might teach me. you no give her a push lol ;)

[vimto92]

LOL I can't cos I can't get the horses/ponies into trot by myself :( I don't think I would do canter by surprise to my instructer anyway......LOL

[raingodz]

I think cantering is a way off yet for me - but I am looking forward too doing it because it will mean I will be getting closer to were I was 15 years ago. I think it depends on the size of the group and weather the RI wants to keep them all at the same level.

We did do trotting poles today which was fun :)

[vimto92]

I've only trotted one pole. How many did you trot? Was it bouncy? I bet LOL.

[vimto92]

Whoops no I haven't........I have walked one pole :p

[raingodz]

We had four poles, but I think the spacing was quite narrow because their are a few shetlands in my class and I had the biggest horse in the group (5' 10" and 12 stone got me that privalidge ;) ), so I managed to kick them every time (thats my excuse and I'm sticking too it :rolleyes: )

We took them at a rising trot so it was not too bouncy. But it made me feel that I was making good progress for lesson 3 :) . I just wish it didn't take me half the length of the school to get to Katy to trot.

[vimto92]

Awww cool....I'm having trouble to start of trot too....hmmm....

[Galiena]

I get to start learning to canter at this week's lesson (my fifth). I'm a little scared. Just a little though. Will probably be really scared at my lesson though.
I think it depends on your ability and your instructor. The girl who I have lessons with just started cantering the week before last, and she has been taking lessons longer than me. Another girl at the stable I take lessons at started cantering around her six lesson (she would've done it sooner, but she was a bit scared). Yet, I've heard from other people, at other places, not cantering for six months.