Sitting in canter...

earthisours · #1 16th May 2009, 08:18 PM

I just started the canter 3 lessons ago. We've been doing it in 2 point, but last class, my teacher wanted to do the sitting canter.

>.> I just couldn't do it. First, we tried by having me start in 2 point and slowly slide back. I couldn't at all. After the 4th or so attempt, we just moved on to other stuff. But near the end of the lesson, she wanted to try one last time, except differently. We went from sitting trot straight to canter. I actually managed... except my legs did weird things, lol. But still, felt totally tensed up. I've never tensed up before, nor ever felt so, uh, unsure. Not when I started, not even when my horse spooked or went into canter without asking for the very first time (Before I learned it) nor when I first learned the canter in 2 point.

Any tips?? >.> Or just gonna have to gain some courage?

rgbilyeu · #2 16th May 2009, 08:26 PM

i would fire your instructor, you do not teach canter out of the saddle you teach it sitting deeply in the saddle and with beginners inside hand on a neck strap or the front of the saddle and sliding back while you in canter is a great way to loose balance and pop out the side door

you need to learn canter sitting deep again inside hand on saddle or neck strap or if your balanced enough nothing, and then once you are secure and confident in the canter learn your 2 point aghhh.

seriously your ri sounds dangerous

#3 16th May 2009, 08:28 PM

...

appaloosamare · #4 16th May 2009, 08:29 PM

hey is this english or western ?? or don't they do canter in wester ? excuse blondeness

rgbilyeu · #5 16th May 2009, 08:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tazanne

what the heck is 2 point???

your jump position essentially

appaloosamare · #6 16th May 2009, 08:32 PM

interesting about 2 point being your jump position never ever seen it taught that way or called that ?

#7 16th May 2009, 08:33 PM

...

Gemsluvshorsesx · #8 16th May 2009, 08:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rgbilyeu

i would fire your instructor, you do not teach canter out of the saddle you teach it sitting deeply in the saddle and with beginners inside hand on a neck strap or the front of the saddle and sliding back while you in canter is a great way to loose balance and pop out the side door

you need to learn canter sitting deep again inside hand on saddle or neck strap or if your balanced enough nothing, and then once you are secure and confident in the canter learn your 2 point aghhh.

seriously your ri sounds dangerous

Overseas (think US/Canada) its perfectly normal to teach canter in 2 point, they sometimes learn it first in 2 point and then go on to sitting canter whereas in the UK we always start with sitting.

In answer to earthisours question, the key with sitting canter is to relax as tensing will only make you bounce. Don't hold onto the saddle but lean back slightly if it helps and try to move your hips with the horses movement. It takes a while to get accustomed to the feel and the movement required but practice pays off in the end. The main trick is to relax, i found it so much easier to sit when I let go of the saddle & just went with the horse.

rgbilyeu · #9 16th May 2009, 08:35 PM

yp the us is a big fan of calling a jump position a 2 point (confuses people when i teach in the uk then hit up the states for a week or two and teach a bit out there haha)

rgbilyeu · #10 16th May 2009, 08:36 PM

oh and apologies if my first post came off as rude... just worried for your saftey, and other beginners yoru ri is teaching.

vimto92 · #11 16th May 2009, 08:37 PM

2 point/forward seat are quite different to jumping position. That is how I;ve been taught and that is what I would explain to others in future. Forward seat is what you take up in a fast canter on a hack for example, whereas jumping position is much more exaggerated.

earthisours, I have a brilliant link for you, let me fish it out!

vimto92 · #12 16th May 2009, 08:38 PM

http://lorienstable.com/articles/rid...ing_to_canter/

Keket · #13 16th May 2009, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by appaloosamare

hey is this english or western ?? or don't they do canter in wester ? excuse blondeness

It's a canter, we call it lope. But the OP is definitely talking about English riding. You'd never teach 2-point canter first in western.

That said, I do know of riding schools that teach canter in 2-point first. I don't agree with it. I've seen too many English riders that can't properly sit the canter, because they know they can just get away with 2-point.

Your legs will swing at first. For now you need to learn to absorb the movement with your stomach. Once you do that, you can focus on dropping your weight down through your heels and getting your legs stable. I'd have you always going into canter from sitting trot. I've been cantering in full seat for years, and I'm fine in 2-point in canter, but even I find the transition between the two to be tricky.

earthisours · #14 16th May 2009, 09:20 PM

...you guys scared me. Cause I asked a while ago here if it was okay to start cantering in 2 point (forward seat) and I was told it was normal. X_x

But yeah. I'm from Canada, and we call it two-point... Sorry about the term confusion.

And thanks for the link! Gonna read that through.

Uh... if it makes the majority of you happy, my instructor did say we'll start from sitting trot right away next lesson because I seem to be more comfortable that way, instead of the other way... She said that my horse has an incredibly bouncy trot, and sitting his trot is very difficult so she always starts teaching in the forward seat so we can get used to controlling the horse and the stride in canter.

I don't even know if I bounced or legs swung or whatever. >.> I honestly was too tensed up when I sat. It was like for a stride or so, very short.

#15 16th May 2009, 09:42 PM

I'm taking hunt seat instruction in the U.S. and from what I can tell from the posts of the British members here, hunt seat is a lot more forward than how you ride in the U.K. But then, its a lot more forward than balanced seat equitation here in the U.S. too. I'd prefer to take balanced seat or dressage lessons but those RSs are much harder to get to.

I prefer to sit too but my RI doesn't like my sitting canter (don't know why; it feels fine to me) so she has me do 2-point. Sometimes I steal a sitting trot or sitting canter when she's not looking.

2-point is not nearly as forward as jumping position though.

pferdy · #16 6th Jun 2009, 10:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by earthisours

...you guys scared me. Cause I asked a while ago here if it was okay to start cantering in 2 point (forward seat) and I was told it was normal. X_x

But yeah. I'm from Canada, and we call it two-point... Sorry about the term confusion.

And thanks for the link! Gonna read that through.

Uh... if it makes the majority of you happy, my instructor did say we'll start from sitting trot right away next lesson because I seem to be more comfortable that way, instead of the other way... She said that my horse has an incredibly bouncy trot, and sitting his trot is very difficult so she always starts teaching in the forward seat so we can get used to controlling the horse and the stride in canter.

I don't even know if I bounced or legs swung or whatever. >.> I honestly was too tensed up when I sat. It was like for a stride or so, very short.

I was on a bouncy horse at last lesson and so started with rising trot, and then RI said to have no more than a couple of sitting trots whilst asking for canter - so not enough to bounce me around - worked a treat!