Canter Critique Please! With vids

[horses4eva888]

I have been riding for a year and a bit and need someone to tell me how to improve my seat in canter if you look at the videos you will see my thumping in the saddle but I can't feel it :confused: How can I help cure this horrible habit or will it come with experience?

http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=6E7FB99D44BB8E06

http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=C565F5E90F33BA00 This one shows what I mean more

[Marmite]

I cant really see too much from the vids, but maybe lengthening your stirrups may help? Sometimes too short stirrups can push you out of the saddle, rather than help you move with the horse. Not sure though. One day it'll just click, and you'll think how was i ever not able to do this :p Your canter doesnt look bad to me though.

[horses4eva888]

Here's a clearer vid where my thumping shows up real bad although it could partly be because I thought I was galloping but I wasn't lol!

http://www.clipshack.com/Clip.aspx?key=5635FC436F4CE37D

[stormy's mum]

try leaning back a tad bit and keeping your knees closed tight aginst the sadlle and your heels down

[horses4eva888]

thanks thats just the critique i was looking for

[Hallmarked]

Sorry couldn't see your videos very clearly but if you bounce in canter you may be very stiff in your hip joints. Let the horse's back swing your hips slightly, do not brace against the movement. When I was learning to canter my RI told me to think of bouncing a giant rubber ball under my seat - to give you an idea of the feeling you need.

Also second what Stormy's Mum said ref leaning back and leg position. If you are tipped forward in canter you will not be able to absorb the movement in your hips and due to biomechanics and you will be tossed out of the saddle every stride.

[joe21]

what can help your canter seat is to canter without stirrups.

That said, only do it under supervision of your instructor.

[iloveshearer]

try leaning back a tad bit and keeping your knees closed tight aginst the sadlle and your heels down

Gripping with your knees will make it worse IMO I think that would push you out of the saddle more, I'd say try and sit deaper in the saddle, with the weight in your heels. I'll second that- riding without stirrups would probably help- however painful :p Im no expert though :o

[horses4eva888]

lol yeah I'll try that although we're starting jumping now so I don't know how canter w/o stirrups will fit into the lesson. Could I "accidentally" lose my stirrups?

[TheHoglet]

push down with your heels and make sure your sitting up straight. before you push your pony on into canter make sure you are siting deep in the saddle. pretend your RI is pushing you down into the saddle and you cant bounce arround :D

hope this helps xxx bex

[ImaLittleBoston]

I cant Identify you from the others O_o WHy all paints? Is t like a piant horse stable were you are? o_O

[horses4eva888]

I'm the one who canters the rest are trotting lol. They're not paints just coloureds and no it isn't just most of the horses we have are but we don't have any coloured ponies

[wanabe]

It looked to me as if you were all cantering. I could spot you, I think, because you *were* bouncing out of the saddle. Didn't look too bad, though. :)

[CurlyWurlyRach]

longer stirrups?
echo trying to push the weight down.

[LindaAd]

I thought you looked fine - in the school ones, if you're the one in front, you only really bounced when the horse started trotting and you were trying to sit as if it was canter ...
In the Majorca one, you were all gone too fast for me to see.
Although I did notice, in the school one, that you trotted faster and faster before going into canter. If you could slow the trot down, so that the horse was
more balanced, sit for a few strides, then ask for a canter, you would probably get a better canter and one that's easier to sit to.

What does your RI say?



Linda

[wanabe]

The one I noticed bouncing a bit in the Majorca vid was the one #6 in line -- was that you? There are nine riders altogether.

BTW, I think you all looked very good riding along in a line in fast canter, like that.

[horses4eva888]

Thanks wanabe the majorca hack was really fun! I was wearing purple I think i'm number 6 not sure tho :confused:

[SarahC]

On the second vid...the horse isn't going into canter when you ask him...instead he is rushing the trot and falling into canter....now this doesn't help you at all so don't be too hard on yourself!

The result of this is that you lean forwards a bit (its a natural thing as your body sort of tries to push him into canter), your hands drop and your arms lock. This all makes you tense and you need to be relaxed through your elbow, hips, knee's and ankles to be able to 'ride' the canter with the horses movement.
As others have said, lean back slightly, particulary on the transition...you need to think of your bottom pushing the horse up hill into the canter rather than your upper body. If you lean forwards, the horse will be unbalanced and it will help him to just rush the trot and fall into canter when his legs can't keep up! Keep your hands raised and elbows bent...in other words, find your position and think whatever happens you are not going to budge. Keep relaxed and let your hips follow the horses movement. Feel the weight through the back of your calves into your heels.

Good luck...I know what a nightmare it can be!!

S

[horses4eva888]

Why isn't my instructor telling me these things? If I don't get a canter she just says "oh good try have another go next time" If I have all these position issues and she says nothing that isn't going to help me improve is it? I shouldn't have to ask ppl on this website for advice in how to improve. Thanks people you've just made me realise how rubbish my instructor is I think I should go somewhere else. Do you agree? Sorry about the rant

[~*sugarlump*~]

lol yeah I'll try that although we're sharting jumping now so I don't know how canter w/o stirrups will fit into the lesson. Could I "accidentally" lose my stirrups?


NO!! never do something like that without supervision, keep your legs like wet blankets around the horses sides. ask your RI to do no stirrup work, out across your point of view. if needs be ask for a private lesson and then you'll probabaly get to do more stuff like that.

i used to bounce alot in the saddle, some ponies have a naturally very bumpy canter.
sometimes you just have to relax abit more, if you tense up then you will bounce alot more.
relax and breathe and try abnd keep your hips open so they move with the horse.:)

[Unbridled]

Maybe you could book a lunge lesson and ask your instructor to let you do it without stirrups? That way you wouldn't have to worry about steering but could just focus on your seat.

[piftisha]

About accidentally losing your stirrups...I had a laugh at that one because I used to have a really bad problem losing my outside stirrup at the canter, and I would immediatly go back to trot to pick it up. Then I gave up trying, and just kept the canter with one stirrup. I don't think it helped me, but don't feel like losing your stirrups is the end of the world, and its good if it happens in case it happens to you in a show environment - then you're ready!

If you do lose your stirrup, or your RI has you do canter w/out stirrups, make sure you're centered, especially on the 20m circles!

But back to the topic- I have a bit of a bounce problem in my canter too, depending on the horse. When the horse's canter is big or bouncy, I tend to try to take more weight on my stirrups and avoid the issue, which makes the bounce worse, rather than sitting down into the saddle, relaxing, and taking some weight out of the stirrups.

Have you tried taking some weight out of the stirrups? That may help. Don't take out enough to lose them altogether, but sitting deeper into the saddle helps. Also, see if you can get a lesson in western tack - you would be surprised how much 10 minutes of canter in a western saddle can correct your position. I was shocked when my RI had me do that!

Sorry this has been so long. I obviously have serious insomnia tonight (job search stressing me out, along with waiting for the California Bar Exam Results!). :rolleyes:

[horses4eva888]

I really want to do a lunge lesson as after reading the comments I feel that the fact i'm depending on the stirrups is making me bounce I had my lesson to day and I was trying to keep all your comments in mind and my instructor did say my position improved! So thanks to all of you!

[drewpoo22]

Try to relax and feel your horse's movement. Your muscles shouldn't be tensed up, don't grip with your knees... and yes no strirrups work would help I'm sure but only if you feel comfortable with it.

[Packhorse12]

IMO you dont look bad at all. I would say try to relax the muscles in your seat as you go into canter and the muscles in the small of your back. let your leg drop long rather than pushing your weight down into the stirrups/heel. If you push down it tends to push your weight up and off the saddle. Keep your thighs and knees relaxed so that you can let your leg drop down long.

Think of your seat moving in a kind of circle, it kind of goes down and forwards and then up and back again so that you think of polishing the seat of the saddle from back to front. Dont actually move in the saddle of course but just THINK of your seat doing that polishing movement. (It helps some people)

Keep at it and it will suddenly all come together (if it hasnt already!)

Packhorse

[alpha1]

One bit that really matters and no one talks about in riding is your knee (I don't know why, because in almost every other sport it is the critical flexion joint). Pushing the heel down really means taking the movement in your knees and this, plus leaning back will let you move your hips with the horse.

LOL

[carrimclaren]

I can't see the videos too great i'm afraid but you don't look like you've got huge problems with it, just the usual relaxing block. I'd try and ask the instructor whether you can do more trotting without stirrup work as this will help get rid of any upward grip motion that you might be tempted to do and will also help with your balance. It will come in time and you probably won't even notice it has happened :)

[sheryl06]

You need to try and relax into the saddle more, from what I can see it looks like your a bit tensed up. I used to do the same thing when I first started too. Also, be careful that you are not gripping with your knees as that can cause it also.

[Rojeth]

Im a bit worried that you are starting to jump, since you dont have your canter down properly yet. You do seem to lean forwards, and therefore the horse falls into canter. Sit up and back for a transition - leaning forwards will give entirely the wrong aids.

I never got my canter 'right' until i had a lunge lesson, and i worked without stirrups then. The idea is to slide your hips in the saddle in a forwards and backwards movement instead of a bounce. Work on your sitting trot more, and also on transitions - lots of trot-canter-trot and walk-canter, with just a few strides of canter before returning to trot. It will make a huge improvement, and after all, jumping is 90% flatwork!

[stormchaser]

I can only echo about no-stirrup work.

Before you can 'accidentally' lose stirrups (by kicking them away which I sometimes do in anticipation of bailing out, so far I've always been able to stay on long enough in canter and slow the horse down), you must canter without stirrups only under your RI's supervision, or better still, on the lunge. You may take a few tumbles in the process which probably will force you to stay on somehow :)

What happens when you take the stirrups away... first of all the stirrups are not there to push you out of a saddle, you are forced to use your entire leg (not just gripping with the calf or knee) and weight for balance, then you also develop a better feel of the horse's movement. You'll start to realise (very fast!) how important a good position and not tensing up is or you'll be, very simply, bounced off!

You can also try walk-canter transitions. I usually do that as I don't bounce all around in trot.

[pattir7]

I'm a little late in my reply... but having first cantered successfully yesterday, this thread caught my eye. I've been in lessons for about 3 years now...cantering on various lesson horses for about 2 years.. it was awful. I was bouncing around all the time...in and out of the saddle...just could not get my lower back into the rhythm...would tense up...and then it was all downhill from there. A few times, however, on a certain horse whose canter was quite difficult for me... I lost my stirrups. At first I panicked...but convinced myself I was still ok... and found that I didn't really need them.

One thing no one has mentioned is that some horses canters are easier than others...some don't have as much movement and are smoother and easier to sit. I don't know if trying another horse is an option here but it is certainly something to consider.

I bought my own horse about 7 months ago and just yesterday cantered on him (on a lunge line!) for the first time. I was terrified at first cause his canter is BIG...I've watched it while working him on the lungeline and it looks downright intimidating (to me!)... I never thought I'd be able to ride it....but it was AWESOME!! For the first time ever, I am sitting (quite comfortably) a canter and moving with it and not scared. Let me tell you, when you do 'get it', it is a RUSH! I can't wait for my next lesson! We will be staying on the lunge line until I am able to achieve the transitions and maintain a canter without aid from my trainer. Right now, she is the one making him GO... I am just working on my seat... a little on the aids, but right now, it is mostly her making him go.

Try another horse if you can... definately work on the lunge line with your instructor... however, that said... I did that with a different horse with more of a cement mixer canter that was also fast... and all the bouncing around at that speed sent all my weight to the outside stirrup and the saddle started sliding sideways until the saddle was completely sideways and I was draped over his neck hanging on for dear life. Technically, I didn't fall off....but it wasn't 'successful' either. I guess all I'm trying to say is that sometimes the centrifugal force of the circle if you are not sitting properly can be harder than cantering straight.

Best of luck! Canter really is a blast once you get it....

[HorseHelen]

Horses4eva888 - whereabouts do you ride in leicester?

[horses4eva888]

Mere Lane Equestrian Centre. why?

[coss]

haven't read them all so apologies if i repeat...
it looks like you are gripping with your knees rather than just sitting bum in the saddle and draping your legs round the horse like a damp tea towel.
try and sit up with a good but relaxed posture and move your bum with the movement of the horse rather than rocking your upper body. hope that doesn' sound too weird.

[HorseHelen]

Sorry, im just being nosey! Was just curious cos I live in Leicester too - not been riding at mere lane, even though its just up the road from me

I keep my horse at Somerby equestrian centre, nr melton mowbray so i go there even tho its a bit far out

[horses4eva888]

o ok i'm thinking on mabye going on a holiday there are they any good? Would be great to meet you if I did go!

[HorseHelen]

Hey, not sure what it would be like as a riding holiday centre cos they dont really have many holidaying clients - so wouldnt be great if you were coming on your own - but its a great riding school ....

got a big indoor and outdoor school, 2 cross country courses, fab hacking, friendly instructors and approx 50 riding school ponies and horses. Will try & do u a virtual hack on saturday and post the photos to show u

Heres the link

www.somerbyequestrian.fsnet.co.uk

[carrimclaren]

Somerby's are great :) I went there a couple of times a long time ago and i found it a lovely place, great facilities and really friendly people. Was too far out for me though, nearly 1 1/2 away :( I rode a lovely chap called fresco and had sue as my teacher.

[HorseHelen]

glad u enjoyed it! fresco is fab - he knows every conceivable dressage move & sue has helped me loads with my own horse recently

ps i just meant that i didnt know what it would be like for holidays cos there wouldnt necessarily be other people on holiday there at the same time .. if that makes sense :)

[horses4eva888]

:D :D yeh i get it thanks i think i'm going riding in New forest now:p :D :D

[Kate F.]

I think the problem is tension in your lower back, legs and knees. Riding is all about balance - and if the balance is right it all works. As soon as you push, grip or tense any part of your body you disturb the balance and destroy the flow. We all have a tendency to try to force our bodies into a "correct" position, and the trick is to find the balance with relaxation so you can move with the horse, rather than trying to hold yourself in position which makes it pretty much impossible to move with the horse.

You could sit up a little straighter - but do this more by drawing your chest up rather than tightening your back. As you draw your chest up, your back flexes, which is fine - this will give you room to absorb the movement. I don't think no stirrup work will help yet, as this will probably just make you tense up more. No stirrups will help deepen the seat and improve the feel when you have already mastered the basic rhythm. At the moment, you'll just tense up as soon as you start to lose your balance so I don't think you're quite there yet.

Pushing your heels down also not good as it tenses your legs. The heels will drop down when the leg relaxes - so try to think more about relaxing your legs and letting your weight flow down to your heels, rather than pushing them down. It might help to think about turning your heels a little away from the sides of the horse - this opens the muscles on the inside of your legs while pushing down tenses them (Try it off the horse, and you'll see what I mean!)

I think your RI is probably just waiting to let you find the balance rather than giving you "do this, do that" instructions, as these often make people even more tense and are therefore counter productive. Why don't you ask her about a lunge lesson to work on this? It may well help to be able to concentrate on the balance without having to worry about keeping the canter going or steering.

Don't worry - I've seen far worse bounces! I'm sure you'll overcome it soon! :)