cantering help

[adanac]

:eek: i have been cantering for a while (around a year) but up until a few lessons ago never felt comfortable cantering (i had problems with keeping my heels down) and i havent been riding for a few week so do u think i will still be as good? also i have trouble sitting the canter and even sitting trot i dont no how to move my hips and absord the motion i normally jus end up perching a little so as not to hurt the horses back but i bounce around alot :( any suggestions on how to sit and absorb the movement especially in cantering or how to keep heels down would help thanx

[galadriel]

Often when you can't keep your heels down, it's because you're gripping with your knees. Unfortunately, a lot of beginner instructors actually *teach* to grip with your knees, so many people think this is the correct way to ride.

Gripping with your knees brings your lower leg forward, your heels up, makes it hard to keep your stirrups, and makes you tense--you bounce instead of sitting to the motion.

It's important to relax your legs. Keep them lightly touching the horse's sides. Don't pull them away (that makes your leg unsteady, makes the leg swing, and also makes you tense up and bounce). With legs that aren't tense and unsteady, it's amazing how much better you can sit to the motion of the horse's back :)

A couple of my articles that might be helpful:
http://lorienstable.com/articles/riding/300-toes/
http://lorienstable.com/articles/riding/500-learning_to_canter/

[SupaTania]

I've only been cantering for a few weeks, but i found that some horses are easier to sit to then others. For example, Taz, although he has a very large stride, is much smoother and easier to sit to at the canter then Mamacita, who is very flat and bouncy in her canter.

also it is much harder to sit to a horse who is on the forehand, then one who is using himself correctly.

My suggestions:

If you're cantering from the trot, those usual few bouncy steps are what tends to throw me off, and make my heel fling upwards, and sometimes causes me to lose a stirrup. Try cantering from the walk, its a much smoother transition and I tend to grip less, since you go from one smooth gait to another.

The sitting trot is my foe as well, I CAN NOT for the life of me, sit it to any horse other then mamasita, and that is only when she is doing her nice western jog. I've been doing lots of no stirrup work, and really learning to relax and sit, but with most horses, I just tend to bounce, alot. I've read articles and they talk about flexing your back, but i can't seem to do it, but then again i'm riding lots of different horses, so don't have much time to accustom myself to only one horse, I have to make adjustments to my riding style depending on the horse I'm riding.

[RustyMary]

Heather Moffet's description of how to sit to the trot is fantastic, and really helped me sort it out (in theory anyway of not always in practice!). I can't make the link, sorry, but look on this website in 'The Kinder Way' (link is over to your right) - she gives a wonderful explanation of how to sit the trot and the canter. It's also in her book 'Enlightened Equitation'. No stirrup work also really helped me, as SupaTania said.

[EquestrianRider]

Often when you can't keep your heels down, it's because you're gripping with your knees. Unfortunately, a lot of beginner instructors actually *teach* to grip with your knees, so many people think this is the correct way to ride.

Gripping with your knees brings your lower leg forward, your heels up, makes it hard to keep your stirrups, and makes you tense--you bounce instead of sitting to the motion.
It's important to relax your legs. Keep them lightly touching the horse's sides. Don't pull them away (that makes your leg unsteady, makes the leg swing, and also makes you tense up and bounce). With legs that aren't tense and unsteady, it's amazing how much better you can sit to the motion of the horse's back :)

A couple of my articles that might be helpful:
http://lorienstable.com/articles/riding/300-toes/
http://lorienstable.com/articles/riding/500-learning_to_canter/

I'd like to correct this point; gripping with your knees sends your lower legs backward, not forward. This explains why the heel naturally comes up, and your upper body tips forward. The reason why it may be difficult for one to keep their stirrups if they are gripping with their knees is due to the fact that the lower leg has slid back, thereby causing the heel to come up. Thus, the stirrup may easily slip off of the foot. :)

[adanac]

yeahh i did canter perfecly n it was soo fun ( im @ camp) YEAH!!!! except i fell off on windy but thats because she unexpectedly turned into the middle of the arena n b4 i could fix mi position she tripped and i slipped rite off

[jenren!!]

One word: Relax :)

Jenny xx

[xLuckibrunette]

You mentioned that you tend to tip forward as to not hurt their backs....well obviously you would not be sitting the canter. It would be more of a 3-point. If you want to sit the canter you have to sit. Sit back, relax, and just work on a steady leg. There is not really any brain science to working on a smooth canter and heels down it just takes practice. Good luck. :)

[Hannah.Horsie]

:eek: i have been cantering for a while (around a year) but up until a few lessons ago never felt comfortable cantering (i had problems with keeping my heels down) and i havent been riding for a few week so do u think i will still be as good? also i have trouble sitting the canter and even sitting trot i dont no how to move my hips and absord the motion i normally jus end up perching a little so as not to hurt the horses back but i bounce around alot :( any suggestions on how to sit and absorb the movement especially in cantering or how to keep heels down would help thanx

i Have egsactly the same problem i find forward seat so much eaiser i am now getting used to absorbing the motion of the canter and find that doing 2 or 3 strides at a time then returning to trot then going again at the next corner is helping with the whole not falling off thing!:o

[nasha]

Hey guys,
I also had a question about cantering. In my old stable they taught me to lean forward when your asking for your canter, but now I'm in a new stable and they tell me not to lean forward cause your putting pressure on the horsese shoulders.

So now I'm confused and I have no idea what's the right way.
Can anyone help thanks.

[wanabe]

nasha, my RI has always said I should LIFT the horse into the canter -- definitely no leaning forward.

Heather Moffett has a good explanation of how to flex the back during sitting trot but I've had absolutely no success in putting it into effect -- everything is happening too fast. :(

[adanac]

4 the canter ( as i just lerned how to do it properly) DO NOT LEAN FOREWARD!!!! i did that and it actually made my horse pick up the rong lead because when you lean forward some people tend 2 lean more on one side (namely the inside) and the horse isnt going 2 life up all of your body weight when an easier way is there. to encourage the horse to canter sit up straight and my instructor told me 2 kind of rock on my seat bones liek you would in the canter and cluck. as for the sitting trot, relax and i found that my back does that almost naturally!:D hope this helps

[nasha]

Yea everyone in my class leaned when they cantered and sometimes their horse would go way to fast and they didn't have balance and they would fall or the horse would trip cause I heard when u lean forward in a canter your putting all the pressure on the horses shoulders, which is not good.

But sitting straight is the right way right. I'm gonna try that, thanks for th help. :)

[dancing-horse]

I had trouble with cantering when I started, but my cantering problem (not being able to sit) only lasted for about half the period that yours has. I no longer have trouble sitting the cantering and absorbing the motion, but I have that problem in the sitting trot.

I have trouble keeping my heels down, and while I don't stretch my heels, perhaps you should try it. I should stretch my heel to improve it and I mean to eventually, but I sooner give the advice than take it. Find a low step or a sidewlk curb and balance on your heels on it in an effort to stretch the muscle. You may feel the tightness of the muscles and soon you will feel it loosening. If you go swimming, stretch your heels after you get out because you swim with your heels up.

there are several things you can do to improve your canter position. Keeping your heels down and your lower leg stable will defintely help to improve the problem. Doing various leg and thigh exercises will also contribute. Do leg lifts and lunges to improve the muscles of your thighs and while mounted ask your instructor if you can try two point with no stirrups. This helped me greatly in my thighs by doing this mounted exercise!

That's all the advice I really have, but remember: sit tall and be confident and try and feel the horses movement.

[nasha]

Hey dancing-horse,

I also tired the heels down on stairs it helped a little out teacher told us to do that a little everyday.

I will also try the exercises that you recommended. Hopefully it'll help, thanks for the advice.

[barbie666]

what i do, mostly whilejumping, is put all your weight down in your heels, so that not only are they down and keeping you in balance, your a bit more anchored in the saddle without gripping with your knees.