Can't breath when I canter

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sovi

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Has any one got any ideas how I can over come a habit I have not breathing when I canter when schooling, please?I have tried pilates( not when cantering!), singing and trying to relax but still fail! Thanks if you reply!!
 
Ideally you need to relax & make a conscious effort to breathe. Set up a rhythm in you breathing & breathe in rhythm with your canter. Hopefully you'll eventually just breathe normally.
 
Just talk! I have a bad habit of holding my breath when jumping so am now made to chat when coming upto a fence.

While it works, unfortunately what sometimes comes out over the bigger fence would be better left unsaid!
 
It's something I had to really consciously practice when I started having lessons on a very tense horse. It really made a difference to us both. I take a deep breath and exhale on halts especially. To start it will be a conscious effort but it becomes automatic with practice. Try doing it in time with the horses stride..1-2- breathe. And slow down the inhale and exhale.
 
I used to do this, then I had some lessons and my trainer used to shout at me to breath whenever I cantered, now I'm fine. Maybe ask a friend to do that for you. :)
 
When showjumping I used to do this and found forcing my self to breath in for 2 canter strides and out for 3 (or however many you feel comfortable with) helped me to get into a rhythm and now it just comes naturally and I managed to train myself out of it. It was tricky at first but stick at it and just relax :)
 
My instructor used to get me to sing songs, it does work. I still start singing if i my boy gets a bit spooky on a hack, stops me tensing up. Mind you i must look like a right nutter
 
^^ me too. :) one horse I sing Camptown Lady to. My friend who owns the cob I share once saw a psychic and was told that he likes me singing to him. He gets 'Hey fatty bum bum , sweet sugar dumpling :D :D maybe I should be singing " theyre coming to take me away , ha ha he he :rolleyes:
 
TrasaM said:
^^ me too. :) one horse I sing Camptown Lady to. My friend who owns the cob I share once saw a psychic and was told that he likes me singing to him. He gets 'Hey fatty bum bum , sweet sugar dumpling :D :D maybe I should be singing " theyre coming to take me away , ha ha he he :rolleyes:[/QUOTE

Chuckle:D
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I usually sing "I need a dollar, dollar, dollar is what I need"! But I could be as easily singing copacanana. I make up the words to suit whatever horse I'm on.

I really did have to learn to sing when galloping horses. The first few times I breezed the person on the other horse had to talk to me and say breathe Terri. The first race I rode I must have held my breath the entire race. I went to get off and fell completely to the ground. Legs like jelly and nothing seemed to work. My valet said, you're gonna have to learn to breath while riding you know.

I also suffer from anxiety too and have had to learn tricks to keep everything flowing. I think you may be a bit anxious and anticipating things a bit too much. Let it go. Don't worry how you look. Let things go a bit and don't try too hard to make it work. I know easier said than done but it is conditioning yourself.

Terri
 
Try saying the days of the week out loud. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, not only will you have to take a breathe between days but it will help to keep the canter steady, one stride is a day.
 
I tried that but my mare started to recognise the song and spooked even more. I will try a different song. I sang this

Aunty Mary had a canary up the leg of her draws
when she f--ted it departed to a round of applause
 
Is it just cantering? I found I held my breath all the time, driving, riding, at work, then I'd get really tense and anxious. I also was a chest breather, keeping my tummy pulled in all the time as my core was very strong. I started trying to retrain my breathing at night, lying on my back and making my tummy rise up and down with each breath. It helps me feel less anxious in general as I'm getting more oxygen with each breath and my heart rate doesn't have to rise to compensate. I now breathe much deeper and have transferred it to my riding where I am much more relaxed.
 
I count - one, two, three, one, two, three and so on as working on rhythm at the moment (works going up to and after jump too as that's when I stop breathing!)
 
KatPT said:
Is it just cantering? I found I held my breath all the time, driving, riding, at work, then I'd get really tense and anxious. I also was a chest breather, keeping my tummy pulled in all the time as my core was very strong. I started trying to retrain my breathing at night, lying on my back and making my tummy rise up and down with each breath. It helps me feel less anxious in general as I'm getting more oxygen with each breath and my heart rate doesn't have to rise to compensate. I now breathe much deeper and have transferred it to my riding where I am much more relaxed.
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Thanks That applies to me too. If I really concentrate when doing something I do just that. Brilliant.
 
Try counting the rhythm of the paces out loud, it can also help the horse to regulate tempo and I often do it when lungeing. If too hard to count I say a three syllable word like 'cantering, cantering, cantering -in your head while breathing in- cantering, cantering...'
 
Can't quote but KatPT has it exactly right. Breathe through your stomach not your your chest. It relaxes you more and being less tense will relax your horse more. Also '1-2-3 in 1-2-3 out' (think of it like 3 time in music) in time with your horses canter.
 
A caveat with the singing - sometimes you have to pay attention to what's coming out your mouth. I was listening to Doug Anthony Allstars on my way to the stables and found myself singing I **** Dogs while cantering round the school. Which was also being used by a ten-year-old...
 
mandwhy said:
Try counting the rhythm of the paces out loud, it can also help the horse to regulate tempo and I often do it when lungeing. If too hard to count I say a three syllable word like 'cantering, cantering, cantering -in your head while breathing in- cantering, cantering...'
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Nice one
 
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