Canter advice

[Speedo86]

Hi everyone,

I’m a novice adult rider I’ve been riding a couple of times a week for a about 2 years and I competed in my first friendly jump competition at my stables a couple of weeks ago. What I’ve noticed is I really struggle with my position asking for canter on a lazy or young horse. I get all bunched up and pull my legs up. I know it doesn’t help at all and is confusing the poor thing but I do it constantly when trying to be stronger in the leg and don’t always notice. Any advice or exercises? I don’t have this problem at all with no stirrups.

 

[Starzaan]

If I were teaching you I would take your stirrups away and do a LOT of lunging with no stirrups or reins. I would then have you loose in the school working on direct transitions to help you learn how to sharpen up your aids.

you’ll get there! It takes a lot of practice to be able to isolate those muscles correctly. ?

 

[P.forpony]

In simplest mechanical terms lazy horses drag you forward.
As you’re working harder to generate some energy you tip forward. Then you’re on their shoulders so it’s harder for them to go forwards, the vicious cycle has begun!

Stop focusing on your leg. The leg only comes up when the top half tips forward because they’re attached in the middle.

Think about carrying your hands in front of you and making sure your shoulders aren’t migrating forward ahead of your hip bones.
Hands up, shoulders back, and the legs should be much more cooperative and it’s easier for the horse to do what you’re asking ?

Also try not to work so hard...
Easier said than done I know but your legs shouldn’t be falling off by the time you’re done riding, the horse should be listening.
My lazy one gets a voice aid, a gentle squeeze with legs then a firm nudge. 3 clear polite requests.
If she doesn’t go forward from that, she has a firm sharp hand off the reins smack on the bum.
Usually only once or twice in the first 5 mins of a ride is enough to remind her that legs should be listened to. Otherwise you’ll exhaust yourself for every stride.

 

[HazuraJane]

My coach starts me on a large circle, tells me to sit tall, look at the sky and ask for the canter.
Looking at the sky keeps one from hunching over and getting bunched up.

 

[Speedo86]

Thanks for all the advice. I’m riding tomorrow so going to ask for a no stirrups starter (no reins ) and really think about my upper body if I get lazy or young again. I think that upper body tip has nailed it as I do hinge forward massively but was thinking that was because of my legs and not vice versa. I won’t mention the canter to trot/walk transition. I can look graceful on a smart foward horse but that’s to their credit and not mine

 

[HazuraJane]

Thanks for all the advice. I’m riding tomorrow so going to ask for a no stirrups starter (no reins ) and really think about my upper body if I get lazy or young again. I think that upper body tip has nailed it as I do hinge forward massively but was thinking that was because of my legs and not vice versa. I won’t mention the canter to trot/walk transition. I can look graceful on a smart foward horse but that’s to their credit and not mine

Two comments: One - whilst watching a video of a person being trained, the instructor said, "Going faster doesn't cover your mistakes in transition." LOL!!! It's only funny because at the time, for me, it was true. Two: You've got nowhere to go but up. When you realise you're successful in the canter-to-trot/walk transition, it's going to feel like you're on top of the world!!

 

[P.forpony]

Thanks for all the advice. I’m riding tomorrow so going to ask for a no stirrups starter (no reins ) and really think about my upper body if I get lazy or young again. I think that upper body tip has nailed it as I do hinge forward massively but was thinking that was because of my legs and not vice versa. I won’t mention the canter to trot/walk transition. I can look graceful on a smart foward horse but that’s to their credit and not mine

It’s all in figuring out what’s a symptom and what’s a root cause ?

Last tip is to have someone video you. You’re never adjusting quite as much as you think you are.
I have a tendency to fold, hunch the shoulders and stare at the floor. (Bad habits from riding lazy beasts!)
If I think sit up I’m still tipped forward slightly, if I think I’m leaning back a bit I’m about right.
So a video really helps you see what you’re feeling looks like.

Downwards transitions are tricky.
Try and imagine putting two thirds of the horse in front of you so you’re sat behind the forward energy.
Hips open to allow the forward but head up and core firm to stop the catapult effect.

 

[Cloball]

I found after I started riding again after a break I had trouble with canter transitions with stirrups but not without. I found focusing on shoulder back, t*ts up and core engaged helped (the engaging the core keeps me sitting tall and stops me tipping forward). Also watch your elbows as mine fire forwards when I am thinking of an upward transition which then tips me forward as other people have said.

 

[Speedo86]

This is me this morning on young. She’s a ex race (as in she did a single race lol) and she has only been schooled by the professionals for jumping a few months. I see tipping forward and poor hands. Any expert eye tips? I really want to be improving. I feel like I’ve plateaued, in that I can get horses to do most things but am messy and disorganised. If I’m on a horse that knows it’s business I’m ok but that’s obviously not good riding ?

 

[P.forpony]

First things first, congratulations in your quest for constant improvement.

You clearly ride well enough for the riding school to entrust you with something fairly green and that’s a big achievement ?

It’s tricky to see in the photo is that no stirrups?
What I see is just tweaks, your concerns about tipping forward and hands really aren’t huge horrid ones.
It looks as though your core is a little soft allowing you to come forwards, that then makes your arms and hands a bit busy doing some of the work your body should be doing.
If you think about engaging somewhere behind your belly button it will draw you together and create a stronger foundation.
Soften through the elbows and make sure there is no tension from there to the tips of your fingers to quieten the hands.

Make sure your thinking ahead. I do a lot of flapping and flailing in life generally ? but I find actually speaking out loud what I’m about to do makes me much more organised.
eg, sit up, ride the corner, half halt, ride downwards transition in 3,2,1
Also means you can’t cheat so improves your accuracy ?

 

[TheOldTrout]

I find thinking about pushing the horse forward from its quarters helps me to sit up and straight. I also try to get my confidence up by telling myself that I'm Michael Jung / Charlotte Dujardin / Ros Canter riding, though according to my mare it doesn't matter who I tell myself I am, I'm still just a sack of potatoes...

 

[tallyho!]

Very hard for a horse to canter when all your weight is up in front. My mare will eject me if I'm even an inch too far forward... we have all been there though OP do not worry.

The best way I can describe it is to "sit back and enjoy the ride" quite literally but if your horse is slow off the leg then just work on sharpening that up over and over again, once you get a consistent transition actually it's much easier to continue and you get a much better motion and able to maintain it for longer. Just keep that inside leg long and ask, ask, ask until you get it perfected. Reward every try.

Canter in a school is different to canter out in a field I find but even so, get that horse off your leg calmly