Balance in canter & spooking

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jessikaGinger

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so, after being advised by all the lovely H+H'ers to canter in a straight line on a hack to help the ginger ones balance i have begun to do so however i have a couple of questions...

Should i be up off her back (like a jockey) or should i try sit to it (my balance isn't great either)

Also she becomes spooky in canter where as she never looks at a thing in walk or trot.. any suggestions how i can stay on when she dives out of the way of a horse murdering leaf :rolleyes:
 
It can help the horses balance to be up off her back but it won't help you with your balance if u need to practice.. My horse always looks at things in canter, we normally swerve or leap dark tufts of grass!! Lol.. The trick is thighs, thighs & more thighs.. You need you toes pointing forward to ensure your thigh is tight against the saddle,, if ur standing & she suddenly spooks your more likely to come off than If your sitting the canter.
 
jessikaGinger said:
so, after being advised by all the lovely H+H'ers to canter in a straight line on a hack to help the ginger ones balance i have begun to do so however i have a couple of questions...

Should i be up off her back (like a jockey) or should i try sit to it (my balance isn't great either)

Also she becomes spooky in canter where as she never looks at a thing in walk or trot.. any suggestions how i can stay on when she dives out of the way of a horse murdering leaf :rolleyes:
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I sit up a bit, and if spooks expected have my hands on the neck strap, more cantering, less spooking, but keep your legs on.
 
Sit up, bottom under, shoulders back and look up- as always ABORT THE FOETAL POSITION! toes forward, heels down, lower leg slightly forwards. This should make your leg hug round the horse and release your knee thus keeping your weight lower down.

Relax your lower back and exagerate your seat movements- you almost want to thrust (think bump and grind!) your seat along with the horse. Also a suede and gel seat pad will help you stick to the saddle and act like a sticky pad to help you out if you do start to slide!

I would go against keeping your thigh on as this could make you pin your knee against the saddle which makes your heels rise, brings your weight up and can make you pitch forwards and make you unstable.

Keep it slow. if it gets too fast and unbalanced come back to trot for a few strides, then back up to canter again.

Also- Lunge lessons!
 
Had the same problem - I had to really get to grips with my balance (and always sit deep, with pressure on the stirrups). We just did very short canters, and gradually he settled down into the rhythm. Take it very slow, relax yourself, balance the horse with your legs (hence deep seat) and with the reins on a good contact, and close to the neck.

edit - the spooking was a big issue for us too - and I'd come off the side door, lol. The method I've described has stopped that - reins short and on the neck, and really grip with your legs. If something looks too shocking to canter past, I turn his head the other way and sing to distract him. He has almost grown out of this habit now.

Hope that helps you - it worked for us after a few months.
 
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Thanks for the advice guys :)
Luckily she wears a martingale so fingers through that will be a start
Her canter is a bit fast but I assume this is due to her being green and unbalanced
Should I concentrate on cantering up hill or on the flat? Unfortunately we don't have great off road hacking
 
very short canters uphill to start with (literally a few paces).

on the flat, I would also do a few strides, then back to trot, then canter a few strides, then back to trot. Gradually increase the canter.

Forgot to say that I also bridged the reins, and found this a terrific help - holding a neck strap kind of pulled me down, but the bridged reins gave me balance and held him in tight. xx
 
I seem to find it more comfortable to sit in canter and just let my hips take the 'bounce'. But when going into a gallop I find it easier getting up out of the saddle a little and just grab a tuft of mane - this personally really works for me and I feel more 'safe'.

We all have different ways of riding but its what works for you.
 
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