20 metre circle in canter

Debby Riley

Debby Riley

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Dec 1, 2002
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Hi there as some of you may know i have had great problems with my nerves and cantering, but after a few private lessons i am more confident and not scared out my pants to canter but now another problem as reared is ugly head.........

I am finding 20 metre circles in canter very scary and difficult to steer and keep my balance too, poor horse getting mixed signals from me

If it is not one thing it is another eh ?:mad:

Like cantering I WILL MASTER THIS !!! but could do with some tips

I almost managed a 20 metre square not circle today:D I thought it was impressive but my instructor was not so pleased:(

I am determined to do this is you have to be able to canter a 20 metre circle in control, before they will allow me to go on a hack again, going hacking is what i so want to do, lessons are good but i know there is alot more to true riding out there in the real world and not in the manage, so please help me master this and i will be off on a hack before i know it ;)
 
Debbie

I think what you achieved today was a great breakthrough. Imo you have one of those instructors who cannot see the wood for the trees - after all you will progress in small steps (not strides!!!!!). Your instructor is looking for perfection instead of rightfully praising you for steps in the right direction. I wonder where they get their attitude from sometimes - maybe some of them are the kind of people who have never recently tried to accomplish something new so reminded themselves of "the learning curve".

Good luck.

Sandra
 
sorry i think you have the wrong impression about my instructor, she is brillaint and has helped me in so many ways, i think she thought i would do a 20 metre circle with ease after i have been doing so well recently alll thanks to her, the problem was me, not her, not the horse after all i was the one riding the horse, i know riding is all about learning, etc.

I suppose i too thought i should have done better because getting this right means i can go on a hack, there is so much riding on it if you get my drift.

I must be one of the hardest people to teach to ride, not only is there the confidence bit, i was so nervous, and being ampidectrious ( left and right handed) i struggle with left and right, and i have lead the whole group the wrong way many a time, poor instructor she has her work cut out with me, and i only have her to thank for getting me this far.

Sorry this is long but i want to be a good rider, and the poor horse was getting confused today, probably the first time she cantered a 20 metre square ( bless her she was good ) :eek:
 
Debbie

I still think you did very very well and I think you deserved to be told so. It isn't your fault at all, you are clearly doing really well. I don't think you should have to explain why you think you didn't do so well at all - that's my point. Neither, btw, do I think you have a terrible instructor - you know him/her far better than I do after all.

BUT I do know from life's experience (equine or non-equine) that no-one is perfect......so by default your instructor (despite being an insructor) can get it wrong sometimes, that's all I was trying to point out.
 
Steering at all in canter is something to be proud of :) You'll get the circle before you know it. Rounder turns will come quickly once you get the hang of turning AND balancing AND keeping the horse going AND looking where you're going AND ... ;) It's a lot to keep track of, so any turns at all are to be admired!

Progress will come with practice, and since you're (YAY) over the terror of cantering you'll get lots, I'm sure.
 
Crikey Debbie, that was like reading a message written by myself. Can't offer any tips as I am still conquering nerves, grippy reins and getting round the school at a speed I want, not the horse. Just wanted to let you know you are by no means alone. Well done for tackling it, I am still to get there.
 
I agree that it sounds as though you are doing quite well. Although cantering a 20 meter circle might have sounded easy to you, like many things in riding, it can be harder than it may appear. Some horses need a bit more help balancing than others. Once you get comfortable, I'm sure you'll get the hang of it.

By the way, I'm betting you're not a hard person to teach at all. On the contrary, with your willing and eager attitude, your instructor probably looks forward to your lessons.
 
Thank you for all your replies, i now understand that being a perfectionist that i am, i hate getting things wrong, that is just me !!

I think i did well and considering that less than two weeks ago i was terrified of cantering full stop and now i am trying to canter 20 metre circles, i am pushing myself to hard ( always have ), after reading your replies it has made me realise that it is not an easy exercise to do, so i should quit worrying and fretting and laugh and enjoy my attempts.

Thank you.

vjwuk if i can do it you can too, we can only but try and after all every time we ride we learn that bit more, one thing about this forum is that everyone has problems with some aspect of riding and if it was easy then we would get bored, and there would be no NR forum to share our worries, what a boring thought eh

good luck and keep me posted, so next time you are riding think that you are not alone because there are lots of out there with our own challenges to face:D
 
Hi Debby,

Perhaps that's where we go wrong you and I, I am a perfectionist also so perhaps if we could both ease up a bit, we would both get on with the canter a bit better.

I say to my instructor that I know I am not the only one with this canter problem and the nerves thing - but as I am the only one at our school and she's not into computers I think she thinks I 'm a bit insane.

Where do you start your 20 m circle in canter, I find it easier to start it at X and then go on from there - I don't know what anyone else thinks.

Also, Debby I think i owe you an email - will get round to it asap - perhaps next week when I am on my hols!

Lizzy
 
Lizzy Look forward to that e mail:D

As for the 20 metre circle canter i always go from the long side of the school and the try and circle when i get to one end of the school, others make it look so easy:(

Well i have sort of mastered the canter full stop this is just another of ridings challenges, but being a perfectionist with one hell of a stubborn determined streak i will try and try again until one day you never know that 20 square will be a perfect 20 metre circle;)
 
Oh, what price a circle, have hardly managed a square to date! When your begining everybody says "canter's the easiest pace and so comfy", maybe so when your sitting watching. I'm still a novice though and keep trying, it must get better, I'll make it! Its a lot of fun trying anyway.
 
Debby you sound like you are doing well - a decent circle is something to strive for - don't forget this is a movement in dressage tests!! And boy, a circle is a hard thing to get right !! ;)

The best place to practice is at one end of the arena when the surface is in need of harrowing - you should have a nice groove worn in the surface by others - the horse will naturally follow the path of least resistence and then you get to work on your seat and aids a little more easily.

Remember - don't sweat the small stuff - and its ALL small stuff :)
 
Hello I'm new, & had this problem myself a while back.
The way I cured my fear was by riding figure 8's.
I trot them 1st & then trot the middle section & canter the loop~trot the middle (change leg) & canter again.
Did that make sense :(
It's easier to do than explain...!!!!!!
Hope that helped....f.f.
 
I managed a 20 metre circle last night, although it was a bit more on the square side than truly round. Kept Molly down to a slow trott, that takes some doing, got her up to M, then into canter and round to H, turned her in towards X, she dropped back to trott and I got her to M again, back up to canter. Thats 360 degrees, it was'nt very circular but I did it.
 
fair~filly that did make sense may be when i am riding over the weekend i will remember that and give it a go;)

Jonto- thank you for posting your attempt at 20 metre circle too, it has made me happy that i am not the only one struggling, in my next lesson i will think of you following behind me and hopefully the pressure from thinking that if i stuff it up again you will follow will be enough to get that circle instead of square/circle:D
 
When I have my lessons I am often tacked up/mounted first. I really hate it because it means I have to go first and "set" the circle. My husband often has to help me out and overtake me to make a round circle, and this is just at walk!!!! It's difficult to compete with an ex surveyor who's circle's are almost always perfect!!!!

Fair~filly. Yes, we did that exercise for the first time last week. I was chosen to start the exercise and oh my gosh... the first circle (where we had been working) was good, but when I had to do the second loop everything went downhill and my circle was horrible!!! But it was a great exercise though!! Much fun! My instructor said though that she would have to put down cones for me to aim for next time cos my circle was so bad!!! I guess I just got carried away, cantering fun!

Good luck Debby.
 
I like to start the circle at a marker on the track, I can picture then where I should leave and rejoin the track, and ride the curves inbetween. Also keep riding both sides of your horse(it is easy to forget to ride the outside) and don't be tempted to turn your shoulders in, keep them parallel to the horses shoulders. But most of all relax (circles are not easy, I had some real odd shapes today!!), I don't know about you but everything goes pear shaped (literally) for me when I am trying too hard. It's nearly always easier one way than the other depending on your horse's more flexible side and where the door is.

It wouldn't be half so much fun if it was easy now, would it?:D
 
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