The Canter Blues

[Andrea B.]

"The Canter Blues"

Had a lesson last nite…..
Did walk and trot…
Did it right !

And then teacher said 'Canter '…

My aids sounded like banter…
My Corners were cut….
My control ran amuck…
Trotting poles missed….
"Eyes on the pole' teacher hissed…

I've got the canter blues…..
I've got the canter blues……


Yes, obviously part of me has a sense of humor about my cantering issue. But I really do have the canter blues ! Help !

I have been riding for about 11.5 months now. I started cantering around the end of August. Also started some jumping at the same time.

I seem to do quite well with the jumping - instructor's comments are always good. I have no fear about jumping and absolutely I love it !

But, in my mind, I am having heck of a time with the cantering !!
I can sometimes canter around the arena on the right rein okay. But on the left, the horse (Tyger) ALWAYS cuts the corners. I know I have to be more proactive and have to push him out onto the track before he starts to cut in. Last night I had an exercise to do that involved cantering a circle where there was a pole placed at one point on the circumference of the circle. Do you think I could successfully canter the circle and canter over the pole??? NO!!!!! At one point I became indecisive about the circle and Tyger ran off in another direction. I think this happened because there was a jump near the circle and Tyger thought we were to take the route to the jump so I had to work to try convince him otherwise. I was not very convincing. We ended up going neither to the pole on the circle nor to the jump, but somewhere in between. I almost ran over my instructor L. I tossed an turned last night thinking about it. Is it me? Am I just unable to get this canter thing? Does it always take time to get this? I am afraid I may even be convincing myself that I can't do it and it will become a self-fullfilling prophgecy!


I need some tips on cantering,and control while cantering, and how to canter circles. And, I could even use some advice on - what kind of attitude should I approach this with - very serious, or should I try to relax more, have fun, etc. I am not sure. All I know right now is that I feel bad, and unsure about whether or not I will ever get this canter thing down.

All advice is welcomed ! Help !

Andrea

[CLAUDIA]

Oh my goodness!!! If what you said doesn't sound exactly how I feel then I don't know what does! Incredible! Don't despair, you're NOT alone. There's even a horse at the stable where I ride that does fine on the left rein but going to the right he cuts every single corner despite my efforts. Cantering over poles...forget it. So, it appears both Andrea and I need some help on identical issues. :)

Lately I've been doing a little better though, I guess since I can actually get the horse to canter. I do have a little bit of advice I can offer. It's things I've figured out on my own, things my instructor told me, and things one of the better riders at the barn told me.

Don't think about cantering until it's time to canter. Then, when the instructor tells you to canter try not to become all flustered and lose contact with the horse, lean forward, stop driving, etc. When asked to canter gather yourself and the horse. Establish a nice, controlled trot, take a deep breath, relax, and then ask the horse to canter. He can feel you being afraid and it makes him afraid. When you're cantering sit up tall and take long, slow breaths, and try not to stand in the stirrups. Keep your head up and plan where you're going to go before you get there. OH! One thing that really worked for me when the horse would cut the corner was to drive him forward making him go in the direction he chose so that we ended up changing direction. You could do something similar. When the horse tries to take over the situation and succeeds, regain control by choosing a place in the ring and ride to it. It really unnerves me though when I can't keep that horse from cutting the corners. The last time I rode I also noticed that if I applied pressure with my inside leg and sent him forward with the outside leg while placing the inside rein against his neck and opening the outside rein just before reaching the turn in the ring then he wouldn't cut the corner. My instructor said it was like I made a wall against that side of his body so that he couldn't cut the corner.

One more thing...have any of the horses you ride been trained to go from a walk to canter? It helps tremendously if they can.

Good luck! :)

[Andrea B.]

Thank You! Thank You ! Thank You Claudia !

It makes me feel alot better to know that others encounter the same problems as me.

I will take your advice and try to apply it at my lesson this afternoon.

The horse I am riding this afternoon does have an easier canter than Tyger. The real test will be on Monday when I will likely ride Tyger again. I will attempt to apply your advice then too. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thanks and good luck to you!
Please let me know of your progress.

[Andrea B.]

Claudia,

You said:

"The last time I rode I also noticed that if I applied pressure with my inside leg and sent him forward with the outside leg while placing the inside rein against his neck and opening the outside rein just before reaching the turn in the ring then he wouldn't cut the corner. "

I took your advice on Friday. When approaching a corner, I placed my inside hand basically on/at the horses withers, so that the inside rein was against his neck. It seemed to work like a charm.

In fact, I did that anytime I was trying to get him to move laterally. I pushed him from my inside leg to my outside hand, and additionally I placed the inside rein against his neck. It really worked well with this particular horse. I am anxious to try it with Tyger - the horse who I have more difficulty with.

The result of placing the inside rein against the horses neck seemed obvious and I could see that it had the effect of creating a wall. And, together with the pressure from my inside leg (to my ouside hand) he would move away from the wall! So I had him going nice and deep into the corners and could easily get him to move laterally !

Thanks again Claudia!

[CLAUDIA]

You're very welcome!! :)

Isn't it great that we can use this website to work together at overcoming obstacles in our riding? I'm pleased that what I've learned from my instructor in my rather short riding career has helped someone! It really lets me know I'm learning something, so even those occasional "bad" lessons don't get me down too much. My instructor just told me yesterday that I have the tools I need and all I have to do is use them...HA! easier said than done sometimes, right? :)

[~alison~*]

Most definately easier said than done, Claudia!! If your still having troubles, I would suggest working on the lunge a bit, otherwise...if what Claudia said doesn't work (which it should), then ask your instructor, Tyger might be a horse that was trained differentely or something. But, never never never get frusterated. That ALWAYS makes things worse. Just relax, walk for a bit to regain your focus, and try again. Good Luck!

[Medalia]

Canter blues? I love to canter I seem to be the only one that does!! :(. Well, you have to keep immaculatly focused on the task at hand. I have to work really hard to get the horse on the bit, and I'm trying to think ahead, behind and present all at the same time, so naturally I can't always hear my instructors bellows. Well, I can hear them, just not listened to. :)

Just try to think- okay, I have to do this, and I'm not going to quit until It's all done and I'm happy. That's gotta be your attitude through the tough times.

Hope it helped!!

[eden]

Less than a yr is nothing!!!!! Three years later I'm still trying to get it right.

My advice is ride as many diff. horses as poss. Each and every one will feel different, respond differently and teach you something. On some horses I can think the aid and it happens, others I work myself into a sweat and end up like a windmill with all stirrups flying.

One day I know it will all click into place and I will be brill. You too!

[Judith]

This canter business is the Holy Grail, isn't it? Because when it works and you're floating along on a rocking horse canter you feel just so fabulous. (Better than sex, at he risk of starting a long incidental debate!). And then on another horse you fell absolutely terrified and totally out of cotrol. That's my expereince anyway and it's so frustrating. Some horses have less comfortable trots but, unless the horse is really running away in trot, you feel in control and just aware of the differences. But canter can go from fabulous to chaos and leave me feeling totally depressed as if I'm back to square one.

I've come to the conclusion that sitting to the canter and sustaining canter and steering is actually a real skill so not to get depressed but just work away at it. I know I am improving but I try not to be impatient. But my big goal at the moment is to feel about canter as I do about trot. i.e. OK, some horses are nicer to ride than others but I can cope.

It's so good to know there are others struggling. When you see a good rider cantering it looks so effortless. I'm sure we'll get there in the end!

[Andrea B.]

Hi Everyone,

Eden said.....
"I work myself into a sweat and end up like a windmill with all stirrups flying"

As I read this, I get the image in my mind of someone riding and legs and arms going all over - like a windmill !!!

I'm sitting here laughing to myself. I like your comparison - 'like a windmill'. I will think of this the next time I canter to help me relax. Really. It just might help me to lighten up about it.

I had a lesson yesterday. My trot to canter transition is baaaaddd! What happens 8 times out of ten is - I give a nudge with my ouside leg (behind the girth), and then the horse starts to trot faster and faster and I lean forward. I guess I just have to try harder to make myself lean back more (or sit up tall and straight as opposed to forward).

Does anyone have any words of advice on getting a nice transition?

Thanx

[cynthia]

try a little outside rein in addition to the leg aids. this can be veeeerry helpful on lesson schoolhorses that have gotten into the bad habit of not listening to your leg. it's worked like a charm for me in the past.

you might also try to ask for the canter on a circle, while your horse is already listening to you and (hopefully) engaging his hindquarters. then relax, give a little outside rein, ask with your leg, and tell him "Canter".

hope this helps a bit... good luck; you'll get it!

-cyn

[bettina]

I love cantering! I think Medalia and I are the only ones though... weird. Anyway, what I found weird with Andrea's post was that she began cantering & jumping at the same time. Is it just me or does that sound wrong? Before jumping a rider should master all the basic gaits, meaning walk, trot, canter and possibly gallop, before she even goes over a fence. I'm sorry if I sound mean, but your trainer should be shot for starting you over fences and the canter at the same time!!

I have some advice about cutting corners. Do you look where you want to go when you're cantering? If you're so used to your horse suddenly drifting in the corners, you may be subconsciously making your body turn towards the inside since you're anticipating it already. Try and look forward and where you want to go, if you're looking at your horse you'll get confused and he'll get confused, and it's pointless to look at him since he'll obviously always be there. Claudia's advice on the inside leg pressure was good, well-trained horses are taught to move away from leg pressure and your horse was doing that and moving toward the wall.

About the canter blues, you should relax a little more, go with the motion, and ride the canter exactly how you would with the sitting trot. The canter is supposed to be a fun gait, and so just relax! Horses can sense when you get nervous, and they can take advantage of your sudden weakness. When you ride always be relaxed and gentle, but firm. If your horse doesn't listen to you when you want to go over the pole, <b>make</b> him listen to you, use more hand pressure (but don't jerk) and get him to listen. If he doesn't, don't let him get away with it. Halt him immediately and do a reinback to make sure you've got his attention, then try again. Always ride with confidence and don't be indecisive!

Hope I helped! Wow, this post was long. Good luck, and LMK on how your rides are going.

[cynthia]

bettina,

not sure if you noticed this, but andrea was actually talking about *trotting poles*, not fences or jumping anything.

-cynthia

[bettina]

Oh, when she referred to doing really well in jumping I thought she was referring to actual fences.. when I began jumping I would do fences at a trot. Another exercise was cantering to a single trotting pole and counting the distance out loud. I figured that was what she was talking about, and it's still too much to think about when you're just learning how to handle the actual canter. I haven't changed my views, that's for sure!

[cynthia]

yikes, bettina, you're right, i somehow completely missed that part in andrea's post about starting to jump! i noticed her talking about trotting poles, and i guess my brain blocked the rest of it out. oops. :)

yeah, that *is* kind of weird, to start cantering and jumping simultaneously. it does seem like a bit too much to think about all at once.

i dunno, i think i must have done everything all at once when i was little (started taking lessons when i was 10), because i can't for the life of me remember "learning" to canter or jump at a specific time, but i certainly *was* cantering and jumping, not to mention showing! maybe i'm getting too old and i just don't remember, eh?

anyway, sorry again, i saw the part about trotting poles later in andrea's post and must have completely forgotten that she mentioned actual jumping right in the beginning. oops!

andrea, your instructor's nuts, but good for you, taking it in stride (so to speak)! *grin* seriously, though... i wouldn't stress too much about it. i really think "problems" like being uncomfortable or feeling slightly out-of-control in canter are perfectly natural, and it'll just take some time in the saddle for everything to work itself out. don't stress the details right now, just have fun. :)

-cyn

[bettina]

Yeah Cynthia, that's ok. Anyway, Andrea, how are your lessons going? Can you clear things up for us and tell us if you're doing fences or just poles? Hope your canter blues are gone! LMK!

[Andrea B.]

Hi Everyone,

I've been doing poles and jumps. The jumps range from a small x to ... hmmm ... maybe 2 feet. Up until last week, we were ALWAYS approaching the jumps at a trot, NEVER at a canter. We have done some work with a line of two jumps, and in that situation we canter in between the jumps, and after the second jump. I could do that just fine, as it was just for a few strides.

Regarding my canter blues.... I'm glad to say that I believe they are quickly fading away ! I've been riding a different horse in my last 4-5 lessons and cantering is sooooo much easier with this horse. I have no problems at all cantering with him. And I am now cantering in the approach to small jumps and I'm doing fine with that too!

I am now almost convinced that my canter blues exist only with a particular horse. And, it seems that the canter of this horse is considered by all of his riders to be difficult. As well, when I think about it, I haven't had any major problems cantering other horses. So, I think I'm actually doing well with cantering (for my level) and I'm liking it alot !!!!!

The area where I can "get the job done", but I'm not at all very smooth, is the transition up (trot to canter). I'd like to be able to do that better. But I'm happy with my cantering skills now, and I'll continue to work in that area.

And, I'm really, really enjoying my lessons these days. I wish I could ride everyday!!!!!

Bye for now !

Andrea - no longer blue