why all the cantering worry & not galloping??

[angel advocate]

I was just wondering why does all the messages revolve around fear of cantering and not galloping?? I was just wondering that, dont think i am being not understanding when i first started to canter i was scared poopless..I am a new rider and it was quite the scare i am ok now i think i am still learning but i am past the fear and that is the hardest part but i was wondering i thought i would see alot more fearful messages about galloping..Is it not harder and even more scary than a canter? I have not galloped as of yet but i can just imagine it must be really scary..I was surprised thats all that i didnt find more messages about that..is it that mmost people here havent done it or is it that once you can get past the fear of canter you can gallop no problem...Once you find your proper seat in canter can u galloip no problem? Also is galloping in a english saddle the same as in a western saddle? I know the english saddle has no horn and must be harder but is the seating the same? Anyways i was just wondering everyone seems so spooked at the canter but i havent heard to much about the gallop ( But i do understand the fear ive been there ) I was also thinking it was because riding schools take along time to pass by each step I never tookk lessons and i have been riding daily for 2 months but now i can canter ok..( Some horse friends taught me to ride and i know own my own horse) I would love to gallop but i am scared that it is way scarier than the canter but i am getting good at that.........oh and by the way i too did bounce alot when i was learning to canter etc. i couldnt find the right movemenet they say move your hips, sit deep.

anyways can someone tell me about this canter vs. galloping thing i would love to know why everyone is not more spooked by that......hope to hear from ya.....


[Edited by Sarah on 18th Aug 2000 at 10:01 AM]

 

[Rebecca]

I haven't galloped very often at all, but we had a fantastic gallop on the last day of the riding holiday I went on, and I found it surprisingly easy. It was somehow much easier to balance poised out of the saddle, and the four-time gait seemed smoother than canter.

But I think also that most people don't get much chance to gallop. Obviously you can't do it in a school because there's not much space, and riding stables like to keep hacks to a controlled canter for obvious reasons. Also, I don't know mcuh about this, but doesn't a horse have to be quite fit to gallop at all? Plus you need to have a trustworthy stretch of ground. So maybe people just don't get so much opportunity to do it.

Rebecca

 

[Mossy]

A proper gallop is not at all scary BUT you are right. You do need a good stretch of ground and a trustworthy horse! you also need a very good stable seat as galloping is not difficult. Sitting an unexpected shy when you are out of the saddle and going full tilt is! It also hurts like heck when you hit the ground at that speed, and a horse enjoying a burn up may not be as willing to stop as usual.

 

[Anna**]

I agree with all these replys. Not many people get to gallop much, you need a lot of ground because you cover it fast.

Also you don't have time to worry about it like a canter. It is a much easier gait because you are out of the saddle and you don't have to try to sit with the horse.

Although one problem is that horses do like a good gallop and if there is more than one of you they tend not to like to stop. And by the way if you fall like I did on an emergency stop it does hurt.

Galloping is a great experience and you just go with the flow. You go at such a speed that your too busy enjoying yourself to worry about falling. I remember my first gallop to this day. Me and my friend just went for it, our horses ended up racing each other and we could hardly turn them let alone stop. At first we were laughing away at our speed and then we both went quiet when we realised we couldn't stop. This was abit irresponsible because one of the horses had been in training to be a racehorse and also we both hadn't had them that long - so be responsible. But it was so great we loved every minute. Just take a tip and make sure you have a lot of ground and a safe horse.

You will love it, I'm sure when you eventually get round to it. But as always don't try it until you feel comfortable.

 

[Allie]

Every time I hear people say gallop is easier because you are out of the saddle, I am a bit amazed. We never stand up in the stirrups for galloping...if you don't do it for cantering, why would you do it for galloping? The gallop is actually easier to sit to in my opinion than canter is. When you transition from canter to gallop, if you stay sitting down it basically just feels like an extension of the stride, at a faster speed. Wonderful fun, but I really don't understand the resoning behind encouraging people to stand up in their stirrups to gallop...

Allie

 

[fionahogg]

When riding english it is 'traditional' to go into sort of your jumping seat when galloping. I think the reason for this is because it takes the weight off your horse's back and therefore he should find it easier to carry you for longer distances without tiring. When riding at a cross-country gallop over fences the horse will tire quicker so taking the weight off his back just helps him a bit. But when riding english in show hunter/working hunter classes when you have to do a short gallop in the individual show you stay seated in the saddle.

 

[Nancy]

We ride western and stay seated at the gallop. It's been the biggest "rush" of my life. However, the horses do get in the race mode and there have been times that it would have been hard to stop them in an emergency. I don't think that it is any harder to sit the gallop than the canter, at least for me. The horse I ride has a beautiful smooth stride at any gait. But the fear level really kicks up a few notches at a full blast gallop. When first starting down the trail all I can think of are all the things that might go wrong...tripping, a bird watcher coming out of the woods on to the trail, a helicopter flying too low, etc. but a few seconds into the run I find that my riding concentration sharpens and the thrill kicks in and it becomes the joy of my life. The one and only fall I ever had was not at a gallop, but at a walk! Don't be reckless, know your horse, know the trail, and your riding ability before "picking up the pace".

 

[Allie]

don't mean to be controversial, but if standing up takes the weight off the horses back and makes him tire slower, then why not stand up when cantering or trotting? I don't know when you would ever be galloping for a long enough time that your weight would become a factor...and if you are galloping that long of a time, hopefully your horse is conditioned enough to handle it. I personally don't think standing up would affect weight distribution a whole lot, except maybe to concentrate it on a smaller area, which I would think would be more uncomfortable. If the saddle fits, the weight is still going to be evenly distributed, if it doesn't, it is all going to be concentrated on the areas that already have too much pressure, making the saddle fit even more painful. Just my opinion...

Allie

 

[holly-wood]

Hi Allie, I just wanted to mention:

you keep saying "standing up in the stirrups" - you actually don't stand. It's really your knees that are supporting your weight, you can achieve a two-point position with out even using stirrups (or at least you can if your legs are strong enough - mine aren't yet!). I've been taught that you do this to take your weight off the horses back (notice how race horses are ridden).

I take it you ride western. I actually do a bit of both - but English is my first love. The first time I ever galloped, it was not on purpose - I was out hacking with two friends and the horses all spooked from a loud noise. Wow, did my fat little pony ever put on a good burst of speed! He kept up with my friends thoroughbred! The thing I noticed the most (after getting over my initial shock) was the difference in the way his back felt under the saddle - you could really feel all the muscles come into play and his back stretch way out. You really don't feel it through a western saddle - with English you can really feel the horse a lot more. It seemed really natural at the time to go into a forward seat. The added benefit of this is when it's time to stop, you put your weight back down into the saddle and the change in weight and restriction to the horses back helps you to slow down, or at least signals to him that you want to (hopefully he agrees )

As far as why you don't ride in two point all the time? Try it sometime - without stirrups - yowch! Maybe the horse wouldn't tire out but you sure would! Different gaits are ridden different ways - ways that make sense for that gait - ways that have developed over centuries. Walking with a backpack on isn't too bad - but would you try running a marathon with it on? You can walk and trot with your weight on his back, you CAN gallop that way too, but it is way more strenuous (like running with a backpack) - so taking the weight off the muscles that are working just makes sense.

As far as weight distribution and saddle fit - again, look at how race horses are ridden. Tiny light saddle and all the weight way forward off the horses back. It developed that way for a reason.

 

[Allie]

Actually, I ride bareback the majority of the time, and when I do use a saddle it is an english AP saddle.

You're butt's off the saddle right? That's what I mean by standing up in your stirrups. I used to take jumping lessons, and was required to ride several laps of the arena in two-point postition, as well as post with no stirrups...makes your legs ache at first, but in the end you are better off for it.

As for racehorses, their saddle are situated slightly behind the withers, in the same position as other english saddles, they are just not as long. When the jockeys crouch on the saddle, it concentrates all their weight on a very small area just behind the withers, which they wouldn't be able to do comfortbaly for the horses if they were going to be riding for more than 5-10 minutes. They crouch in that position to be streamlined more than to take the weight off the horse's back. The saddles developed tiny for the same reasons the rider rides in that position...more streamlined and less weight means the horse can run faster.

The back muscles are not the muscles that power the horses. They are supportive muscles for the rib cage and back structure, so two-point does not take the weight off of the working muscles. The reason you can feel the back muscles move is because the horse has to extend his body to extend his stride, the same as with the canter. The muscles are stretching and contracting as the horse moves, but not really powering anything.

This kind of reminds me of the disagreement between western/english philosiphies as to whether or not riders should post. English philosphy says you should post because it takes the weight off the inside hind foot on circles and frees up the horses stride. Western philosophy says no, and the horses have no problems with trotting or circling.

It is really just an opinion, and I don't think either way is necessarily correct, and certainly neither is going to hurt the horse.

Allie