Help Me With Canter And About Correct Lead Please!

[Nerosvh]

Hello.

I have been riding for about a year. I am getting comfortable riding, but I have tons of riding skills that I need to work on more.

The most I am having trouble with is cantering. My instructor always tell me to sit back and kick the outside let to ask for canter, but for some reason, I always get the wrong lead when cantering! I don't understand how to ask for the correct lead canter eventhogh my instructer teaches me! Some one help me please! I am so confused...

[sophie33]

I am as novicey as you so not the best person to ask, but I have been taught to slide my outside leg back, but to kick with my inside leg. When I accidentally kick with the outside I get the wrong lead!
I know that the aid for canter is taught differently in different schools, but it might be worth double checking with teacher!

[iloveshearer]

Inside leg squeezing on the girth and outside leg just slightly back when you ask for canter. Are you asking for canter in a corner? This definately helps! Try working on getting your horse to bend round your inside leg in trot then when you ask for canter ask for a slight inwards bend. Hope this helps :)

[carthorse]

Canter aids seem to vary from horse to horse for some reason :confused:. I've ridden horses that use inside leg on the girth outside leg behind (what I was taught as a child, ones that use outside leg behind the girth only & others that are just inside leg on the girth (my own horse prefers this, it semed to make more sense to him as a youngster so the aid stuck). Which is right? In my opinion whatever works!

Whatever aid you use there's a bit more to it than kick :eek: though I appreciate RS horses can become a bit numb from so many riders. To get the correct lead you need inside bend which is why iloveshearer suggests asking in a corner. You also need to warn the horse what's coming so get that trot balanced, active, go sitting for a few strides, get the correct bend through the entire body then ask with whatever aid the horse is used to :)

The problem I find with using the outside leg only to ask is that the horse can take the wrong bend & the rider may accidently shift their weight to the outside, both of which will unbalance the horse & make it harder to get the correct lead. Moving the leg away to give a kick can also put the rider of balance as well as startling the horse so he takes any lead in an attempt to get going quickly - when you start riding sharper horses this may cause problems :eek: :D

I was just about to type more but then realised I've rambled on too much already - sorry :o ! Probably the main things are good trot, ask in the corner so you've got more inside bend & try using inside leg as well as outside. Good luck, it'll come!

[NoviceNic]

I bet your bottom dollar that the trot is rushed and you need to sit back more as well. Oh and it helps if you can bring the horses head in a bit as well. Also novicey at explaining things but I try. :rolleyes:

[horseXgirl_]

To get the right lead your horse has to be slightly bent to the inside. It is best to ask in a corner, as then you have a natural bend. You should use your inside leg as a 'pole' for your horse to bend around; squeeze him with your inside leg and 'sponge' with your inside rein (give little squeezes to encourage him to bend to the inside). Then, ideally in a corner, slide your outside leg back like you have been doing and ask for a canter. Don't be looking down all the while to see if you have the right lead either, as this can throw your horse off balance. Get someone on the ground to tell you if have it or not, if you can't feel it of course. Hope I could be of some help :).

[Bay Mare]

Novice Nic has an excellent point. The canter starts with the trot (or thewalk if you're doing walk to canter). You must make sure that the trot is balanced, rhythmical and steady and that the horse isn't pulling itself along, jogging or running.

Have a look at some articles on canter:

http://www.newrider.com/Kinder_Way/The_Paces/canter.html
http://www.enlightenedequitation.com/public/library_canter.html
http://www.enlightenedequitation.com/public/library_absorbmovement1.html
http://www.enlightenedequitation.com/public/library_absorbmovement2.html

[stephanie bay]

Don't be looking down all the while to see if you have the right lead either.

this is a good point - when I was a child I was guilty of this - I was told to look over my outside shoulder when asking for canter - worked for me!

[Mehitabel]

has anyone ever told you *why* you use the outside leg?

the leg sequence of the hrose in canter is
-outside hind leg
-diagonal pair (inside hind and outside fore)
-inside foreleg.

so you use the outaide leg, slightly further back, to say to the horse 'strike off with that leg, please'.

to let the horse change the leg sequence easily, as novicenic says, you need a good trot, it needs to be steady but powerful. if you're running and you want to start skipping, it's easier to do from a jog than a flat-out sprint.

so there must be a definite difference for the horse between saying 'trot faster' and 'go into canter' - hence the outside leg back.

there are plenty of things that could be gong wrong - quality of trot, horse bent the wrong way and looking to the outside (this makes it hard to strike off with the outside hind leg as there is more weight on the inside of the bend), you tipping your weight to one side, which again makes it hard.

if the horse only goes wrong in one direction, then his stiffness will ahve a part in it - if it is consistently wrong in both directions, then it is something you are doing. your ionstructor should really be the one pinpointing why it is happening though, as it is impossible really to say without seeing you ride.

[Trewsers]

I think it does vary for some reason with each horse, as Joe will take a bit more persuading to canter - leg behind girth jobby, but Storm will canter on voice command - you only have to sit up and go to sitting trot and say the word....

[ImaLittleBoston]

So what your saying, is you've been Counter Cantering, Im just learnig this myself, My aunt has been teaching me.
canter - - Bend your horse to the inside, Move you outside leg back, and urge the on, I beleive you have to squeeze with both legs, but only moving the outside leg off the cinch area. and putting pressure on with outside leg, makes his fron inside take off first, well really, a Back leg takes off first, but you get my point I hope.
counter canter - you do basically the same thing but bending the head to the outside, and apply pressure with your inside, telling him to take off on the outside front first?

Am I right?

[wanabe]

there are plenty of things that could be gong wrong - quality of trot, horse bent the wrong way and looking to the outside (this makes it hard to strike off with the outside hind leg as there is more weight on the inside of the bend), you tipping your weight to one side, ...

Mehitabel, does this mean you want the weight on the outside rear? Why would this make striking off on it easier?

What about the aid that someone said they were taught of looking at the outside rear leg? That seems to me it would get the weight on that hoof and also keep you from leaning forward?

[Mehitabel]

no - if the horse is looking to the outside, the inside of the bend is the outside of the school!

so if you are going clockwise - the horse must be bent right to be correct. if it is looking out, it is bent left, and then will find it hard to strike off with the right hind as it is on the inside of the bend.

[wanabe]

I meant (and I think they meant) that the rider was to look at the outside rear leg. Horse bent to the inside. Horse looking to the inside.

[Mehitabel]

in that case i am confused as to why you quoted that bit of my post, about the horse being bent the wrong way - that is what i was clarifying.

what the rider looking to the outside does is the same as having the outaside leg back - it advances the inside of the pelvis, which is what actually makes the difference. as you look over your left shoulder, your right seatbone will go forwards.

[wanabe]

Okay, I think I see my confusion. So the weight should properly be off the outside rear?

1) The horse is supposed to be bent to the inside
2) The horse is supposed to be looking to the inside
3) Weight off the outside rear
4) Horse strikes off on the outside rear

Is number 3 correct?

[Mehitabel]

the bend is the important bit - the horse can strike off with its weight on the outside rear. it can't strike off easily on the leg on the inside of the bend - especially if your weight is also to the inside. it needs to suddenly support all its weight on that hind leg, as the rest of the legs come into the air to change leg sequence, so that is easier if the leg is on the outside of the bend.

if the weight is to the inside (yours and the horse's) you get falling in - and they can't do anything useful when they're falling in. so when you have 1 and 2 wrong, and you add your weight to the outside of the school (the inside of the bend) you are stuffed. if you have 1 and 2 correct, then you cna have your weight on the outside and that is fine.

[wanabe]

Not to beat a dead horse. :eek: -- but where is it preferred to have the weight?

[Mehitabel]

either centrally, or slightly to the outside. if it is to the inside, the horse can't lift its front end enough to do the change in leg sequence - the 'jump' into canter as the front end comes up.
http://historicalfact.com/~es/pony%20pictures/petalcantersmaller.jpg

in this pic, imagine if my weight were on the inside - the lifting of the shoulder and the 'uphillness' would be lost, and the canter wouldn't be so free and active. see how much of her weight is on her outside hind leg - the fetlock is really bent as it is the only leg on the floor - she is about to touch down with her diagonal pair. that lift of the rest of the body is possible because i am not weighting her forehand - and particularly her inside front quarter.

so what will really hinder the horse is leaning forward and tipping in tothe inside. anything else is copable-with, central or *slightly* to the outside is easiest. excessively outside-and-back will hinder the initial step.

[wanabe]

Thanks!! That's a big help! :)

[wanabe]

Oh, I just remembered that my RI wants me to pull the outside rein back, so the horse isn't allowed to look in, although it's bent inward. I've read enough of these "how to canter" posts to know that, that is the way some teach -- and their horses are trained. But, can you explain their possible reasoning?

[LindaAd]

I'm totally confused by this now ... I understand that if your weight's to the inside the horse can't lift the diagonal, but how can he strike off with the outside hind if he's also taking all your weight on it?

I understand that you're supposed to twist your hips so the inside one is further forward - that way you're mirroring the horse, but are your shoulders supposed to go the same way? I remember an instructor telling me to hold onto the saddle with my inside hand when I was having trouble cantering, and that seemed to twist my shoulders to the outside . It worked.


I also know that I'm much better cantering on the right rein, whichever the horse's favourite is, because I'm stronger on the right, so on the left rein I tend to collapse inwards - I suppose that puts my weight on the inside again?


But I still feel as if I want to bring my outside shoulder forward, so that I'm riding on the circle, the way I would do in walk or trot.

As I said, I'm very confused.

Linda

:confused: :confused: :confused:

[entreat]

how can he strike off with the outside hind if he's also taking all your weight on it?
As I imagine it, he's bringing that under as part of the trot anyway, but the applied leg aid, you are asking him to bring it under more. But instead of thinking that you are dropping you weight onto that leg, I think more about freeing up the inside and allowing the rise. So simply: weight back & to outisde more releases the front end, and it's the leg aid that encourages the strike of the hind.

I understand that you're supposed to twist your hips so the inside one is further forward - that way you're mirroring the horse, but are your shoulders supposed to go the same way? I remember an instructor telling me to hold onto the saddle with my inside hand when I was having trouble cantering, and that seemed to twist my shoulders to the outside . It worked.

what does your weight do when you twist your shoulders to the outside? it slightly drops it to your outside seatbone, and frees the inside one allowing the movement of inside fore giving the lift required.

Is that any clearer... I'm not sure i helped any!