Cantering and falling off.

Method_Acting

Method_Acting

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Aug 12, 2005
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Whenever I canter I fall off. It doesn't matter what horse it is, whether I'm being lunged or not...I fall off. Usually over the poor horse's head! The only time I've cantered successfully for more than a few strides without falling was on a hack.

My lower leg seems to come back, my hands come down and I go flying forwards. Of course the advice would be to keep my lower leg forward but HOW? I don't think about this while it's happening, I'm just anticipating falling off.

PLEASE tell me it won't always be like this? It's making me scared:o

x
 
I've been there, done that and got the T Shirt. So much so that I developed a phobia about canter and just didn't try for a few years (well it makes sense when you come off every time). It was getting a really good instructor who was prepared to spend the time required to really establish me in a good position that did the trick.

So you might want to change your instructor. Whether you do that or not, you need to take all the time needed to establish a good strong leg so that it stays that way automatically, rather than gripping up automatically. Gripping up with the leg is instinctive when we feel unsafe, that makes us unstable, so we fall off and then feel more unsafe, so we grip up etc, etc. What worked for me was doing lots of work in a half seat as when this is done correctly with your legs directly under you, you will have a good solid lower leg and learn what it feels like (in walk and trot) and leg exercises in walk (swinging one leg at a time forward, then back, taking it out to the side, up bent, then pushing it down).

Good luck and remember its not just you, I've been there and I'm sure plenty of other people have to.
 
I would say get an instructor who will be willing to teach you one-on-one on the lunge line. Learning to canter on the lunge first is easiest.

Are you riding in english or western tack? If western, try hanging on to the horn which will let you start to get a feel for the rhythm without panicking. If you ride english, try tying a piece of twine connecting the d-rings that hold a breastplate to the saddle, this will create a nice "oh crap" handle for you to grab hold of if you feel insecure. Also, have someone tie the stirrups with some twine to the girth (not your feet!! just the stirrups) so that if your leg goes to swing in the stirrups, the twine will hold your leg in a more effective place and you can lean on them a bit for security.

Have you ever tried bareback riding. This sounds CRAZY but I learned to canter bareback as a kid and I found it much more natural once I got used to it and your body seems more inclined to not scrunch up in a tiny ball when bareback on a broad, comfy horse. You can really stretch and let your legs hang and feel the horses movement.
 
Hi, it sounds to me that you do what I do when my brain says "Holy crap!" my body basically tries to curl in a ball....so legs go back, heels up, I tip forward and my hands go low! I counter this at the moment by putting my heels down as much as I possbily can and leaning back what feels like a long way, but once the canter is established I don't seem to be leaning back but sitting upright. I can do about 5-6 strides without falling off, my problem is keeping it going as the pony is all too willing to go back to trot! Hope that helps you. :D
 
Hey. My advice: Sit up tall, look FORWARD, and lean back while thinking (My ponytail to horse's tail, My ponytail to horse's tail). While cantering, it feels awkward, but it really helps with balance, and if you look down, you know what they say, "Wherever you look is where you'll go." ;) Also heels down, and breathe. This is what I do when my horse takes off. :p

The cantering is a very comfortable, rhythmic gait, once you get the feel of your horse. Whenever you fall off, calm down, and when you feel up to it, get back on. Good luck. :)
 
MY RI says no-one ever falls off backwards, so 'sit back' solves all problems. At home I looked in the mirror to see how far back I can go - I felt like I was really leaning back, almost horizontal, but actually I was then just sitting up nice and straight! As soon as I lean forward at all everything goes to worms - the trouble is, leaning forward seems like the natural and right thing to do, so I'm still finding this sit back stuff fairly hard, though it's getting better with practice.
 
You are definitely not alone. My daughter when asked by people how her riding was going used to say "I can do walk, trot, canter, splat". This was not helped by pony bucking every time it went into canter.

She has had major issues getting over this but a balance strap attached to the front of the saddle helped a lot. A neck strap caused her to lean forward too much. She has a mantra "sit up, sit up, sit up, that I still see her mumbling now.:D

Cantering on a hack has helped so much, no corners to worry about, and lots of no stirrup work.

Good Luck :D
 
How do you feel at sitting trot? Do you ever try sitting a trot without stirrups?
My one RI was quite conservative about letting us canter. Before she allowed anyone to canter, we had to have a good, stable, sitting trot without stirrups. I think she was looking for a balanced seat, straight back, and the ability to achieve this with a relaxed lower leg. Try the sitting trot with a straight back, and your weight down in your heels, and it should help with your balance while cantering as well as the transition into canter (it may be the movement into the canter is causing you to get unbalanced and then fall off - that was my problem).
 
I too developed a phobia about canter as had a bad fall in very first canter lesson. It has taken me over a year to manger canter and not feel frightened. Up till recently I dreaded the words " right were going to have a canter" in my lesson and it appeared I was terrified cantering one way rather than another. All I can say is keep going at it and the more lessons you have the more secure and confident you will feel
 
If you fall off at canter, I'd say your not prepared for canter yet.

How's your trotting? Can you mantain trot without stirrups? Maybe they're pushing a bit too fast into doing something you're not ready for...
 
Thats what happened to me I wasnt ready for canter and that is why I fell off. So I changed riding schools and had some lunge lessons and concentrated on my sitting and rising trot and my balence and I now know that rushing to learn canter doesnt work if fact it may well knock your confidence
 
I learnt to ride in a sand school and could never master the canter at all. Straights were not too bad but the corners, OMG. So many times I nearly came a cropper. I got to the point where I hated it. I still tense up now when I try a canter in a small paddock.

But let me canter in an open field any day and if I say it myself I'm brilliant. I can really master the feel and get into the smoothness of it all.

So my advice is learn to canter in an open field first and gradually get smaller. If you can experience a beautiful canter in an open field it gives you heaps of confidence, and a real sense of achievement.
 
Funny you should say that chunky because I bought my mare when I fell in love with her at my riding school.

I bought her to her new yard which has a smaller school with a sand floor and that's when I realised just how bad my and Joy's balance was :o

Needless to say we are both having lessons to try and improve so we can deal with the smaller sandschool together. :)
 
Thanks for all the advice :)

I'm almost *certain* that it isn't that I'm being rushed. I've been riding for three years now and I only started learning to canter last year. The RI does everything so slowly, we've done a lot of sitting trot without stirrups and I'm fine, I feel balanced.. I would just ask to not canter for a few lessons, it would be a good idea I think but I need practice. I have a riding assessment for a college course in a couple of weeks and you have to canter. I don't want to fall off there:o

It is weird - I actually feel much less balanced when I'm being lunged, and like I'm not in control of the horse (no reins) even though I'm holding onto the saddle.

I am going to two riding schools at the moment. One for group lessons once a week, and the other for private lessons as often as possible. I have found that it's much easier for me to canter on smaller ponies.

I wish I could learn in a field or something! but I don't think there's anyway that's possible at the minute. More hacks would probably help, but at the new RS I need to learn to canter before I can canter on hacks which I can understand!

I am so so worried about this riding assessment now ahhh:(
 
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Do you hold onto the actual saddle, or do you have one of those straps?
I am wondering if holding onto the saddle could be causing you to tip slightly forward and lose your balance? Also, another thought...what are your knees doing when you move up to canter? Gripping with knees can make you fall forward, too, so maybe do a check to make sure that you lower leg is in contact with the horse, and're not gripping with or falling forward onto your knees.
Can you ask your instructor to pinpoint what is happening with your body? I bet it might be easier to see from the ground.
 
When I started I found that I held onto a strap (sorry don't know the name but it sounds like the ones described above) in front of the saddle and almost leant backwards off it. Almost as if I were doing that bucking bronco at a fairground. According to my sister this turned me from looking like I was about to somersault over the horses shoulder to sitting up straight. Perhaps holding on to something like that would help.
 
I am holding onto the pommel when I'm lunged so that could be part of the reason I'm going forward. maybe I can get a neck strap. I'm not sure what my knees are doing, I'll try and remember next time it happens:o

My riding instructor said that it's more when I'm coming back to trot from canter - my toes go down, my legs come back and I go forward.

I have a group lesson tomorrow, I'll try and remember to:

Lean back, heels down, look forward! I'll see if my mum can record me when she comes next week.

xx
 
Method_Acting said:
I am holding onto the pommel when I'm lunged so that could be part of the reason I'm going forward. maybe I can get a neck strap. I'm not sure what my knees are doing, I'll try and remember next time it happens:o

My riding instructor said that it's more when I'm coming back to trot from canter - my toes go down, my legs come back and I go forward.

I have a group lesson tomorrow, I'll try and remember to:

Lean back, heels down, look forward! I'll see if my mum can record me when she comes next week.

xx
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That again sound similar to one of my problems (I have many!).

I have a problem in keeping my weight stretched through to my heal so that I compensate by raising my heel up and back to keep a contact on the horses side.

If my weight were kept stretched through to my heel then I would have a contact on the horses side with the correct part of my calf meaning that I wouldn't unconciously feel the need to grip with my knees and then raise my heels.
 
The problem I had was that altho everyone kept telling me to get a balance strap or hold on to the pommel, my centre of gravity was blown if I couldnt hold the reins in the correct way!

Could it also be that you are tensing up in canter? Most riders do this when they are learning because cantering is seen as sooo much faster than trotting etc.

In reality, it is a little faster but the rhythum is so much easier to sit to that trot. Once you've had a nice steady canter and you've managed to sit to the rythum you'll see what I mean!

Everyones given good advice, just remember to breathe, look up and heels down!:)

Good luck, you'll get there!
 
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