cantering

[lovehorses:)]

hi all
i have been riding for around about 7/8months now (have to say love it :) ) i have been told that my sitting trot/rising trot are both good and that i have a good position and was just wondering how long it took before some of your were cantering it looks really fun ....lol
thanks:)

[vimto92]

Erm Started riding in July/August as a complete beginner! Chnaged riding schools after 2/3 months. And then started cantering just after Christmas. It is fun yep. It won't be long now chick.:)

[raingodz]

I returned to riding in September after a 15 year gap and went western trekking and cantered in late October then did cantering in my lesson in November - but I am still working on it now :rolleyes:

Having my first canter while western trekking was great, I didn't need to worry about steering or anything like that, and the western saddles have a huge pommel to hold onto. so by the time I did it in my lesson I was not worried by the difference in speed.

[Purple Hugs]

Hi and welcome! :D

I started riding as a beginner in August. Have had weekly lessons since (with the exception of a month off for a non-riding related injury).

Am also loving it!

Am about to embark on cantering.. did an accidental one yesterday. Am working on transitions tomorrow I think, but then on to cantering.

I'm sure we'll be fine, and soon get used to the additional speed. I guess it's like having been nervous of trotting at first.. only not as bumpy from what I gather! :p

Have a chat with your RI and i'm sure they'll let you know their plan, as often they do things differently from other schools.

Good luck and Enjoy! ;)

[wanabe]

Third lesson -- so 2 weeks and 1 day! :) To compensate, I've done very little sitting trot.

[Tarlor]

On my first ever lesson. I was riding a brown pony called Sally and she decided to canter. It took me by surprise but since then I never looked back.

[lovehorses:)]

thanks everyone!! ive changed riding schools now 'coz they kept ringing and cancelling my lessons!!!!(annoying as i look forward to them) :rolleyes: , so went to another riding school today and have a lesson booked on wednesday can't wait its such a good place, they have an indoor school and also hacking (which my previous school didnt) and its set in countryside:D :D spoke to the woman there and she said theyll have me progressing into canter(and more :) ) in no time:D
xx

[Purple Hugs]

Great stuff!

Key thing is different schools work different ways, and different people learn at different levels! ;)

Good luck :D

[Method_Acting]

I was riding 10 or 11 months before cantering, although the riding school horses kind of dont wanna canter, so it was only for a few strides:o

[cazzarotti]

We did lots of work without stirrups before we started cantering. Have you done any yet?

[Myah_FV]

It took me about5/6 month to canter if you means for english riding.now for western about half a year.:D

[Rob26]

Cantered on the lunge in my 6th and 7th lesson.. and yesterday.. my ninth (I think) cantered off the lunge on both reins.. it's so much fun!

I too had worked without stirrups first.. it does wonders!

[XwonderX]

I've been riding for about 9 - 10 months. I'm not sure exactly when I started cantering but I know it's been a while. A couple of months I suppose. It is definately fun but it's taking me a while to figure out how to relax and go with the motion. It's my automatic response to stand in my stirrups.

[LCQH]

Well, my first lessons it took me a year (I started at age three, cantered at age 5. Well, lope - it was western). I left there because they quit giving lessons. I did come back years later to board my mare until they sold the farm.

My second set of lessons I cantered the first day. Again, western. I only left there because my pony was sold. I'm going to try some lessons there since my mare's out of commission and my gelding's too far away.

My third set, I cantered within the first week. It was Western. I quit because I wanted to try English.

My fourth set at the same place as the third, I cantered in the first month. It was English. I quit because 1. I didn't really like the instructor and 2. She divorced her husband and left. Now at the same barn (years after lessons there) they host a theraputic horsemanship where I volunteer weekly and they let me ride their horses both English and Western.

My fifth set I never cantered and I was there for a few months. The TB I was riding had gone lame so they put me on a mule that I had absolutely no control over. They just let me go and he wouldn't pay any attention to my cues. I broke my collarbone on him. It was English. I will never return there again, I did not get along with the mule and did not feel as if I were making progress. Other people have worked out fine, but I just didn't get along.

My sixth set I cantered in the second lesson. It was English.

My seventh set I cantered the first day and jumped a small crossrail. Jumping two feet by the next lesson. Hunter/Jumper lessons. I had to quit them due to my mare being pregnant and being afraid of her horses. I fell off one of her horses due to being so nervous. But, this one was one of my favorite instructors. When the foal comes I'll ask for her assistance when it comes time to train it for riding.

Yeah, I've gone through a lot of instructors from age 3 to 16, not all by choice. I'm glad I did as now I have heard many different opinions on different subjects and think I've learned more than I could've with just one person.


Good luck with cantering - it's a lot of fun once you get used to it. Don't be upset if you're wobbly at first, it's like that for everyone. Once you get past it, it's a blast!

[JamesJackson]

I was cantering before I started lessons... As an assessment exercise before lessons I went out on a hack at my first RS, whilst my seat / lower leg / general theory wasn't developed at all, I could quite happily do rising trot, and as the ground was good we had a canter too. Great fun :D But cantering in a (hopefully) controled, balanced maner in the school - that was about my 5th lesson I think.

[oscars_grl]

i had my 1st lesson 10 years ago and on my 2nd day riding i moved from beginners to intermediate (there was no novice) and so i had to canter on my sencond day of riding...was soooo much fun!!! you'll enjoy it once you get used to sitting deep in the saddle and not bounce around like i did at first.

[palmerlover52]

i trotted after 2 years!!! the riding school i went to was absoloute, er, "poo" so i changed, my first lesson they said can you canter, and the second she said "the word" the horse cantered! and i could do it! i guess i did a lot of work on sitting tort so it was OK. But looking back on it now, i guess i was terrible!! Bouncing about all over the place. But now i'm pretty good, apart from a habit of leaning too far back and forward when i want to go faster. i have NO idea why i do that lol. I thikn you'll be ready, so try having your insructor run along side, so you can concentrate on staying on at first!! Or try a lunging lesson. i heard these can really help. PS>it seems incredibly (sp?) fast at first, but if you get someone to video, it will look a fair speed! Plus with the videoing thing, you can see what went wrong, to improve. Ie. bad leg position, leaning in/out/back/forward, pulling on the mouth blah blah blah lol