Canter Basics, how to sit it properly

[Horsekaren]

Really basic question, how did you stop feeling like a passenger?
I know I need to sit deep and keep lose but my body wants to lean forward and cling with my knees and calves every time I go round a corner. How do you distribute your weight to feel secure?
note - I am having lessons

 

[tallyho!]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgUX7Fy6KgI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fbbm_U9MdPc

Here are some good explanations (I'm sure others available).... but I've found these to be most useful at explaining the movement needed.

I've had other teachers explaining almost the same about riding the crest of the wave with your hips and keeping your movement small.

 

[Undecided]

Really basic question, how did you stop feeling like a passenger?
I know I need to sit deep and keep lose but my body wants to lean forward and cling with my knees and calves every time I go round a corner. How do you distribute your weight to feel secure?
note - I am having lessons

Best way I had it explained to me was to imagine going towards a jump. I am terrified of jumping, or the thought of the horse stopping and me flying forwards, so upon imagining that I sit up, wrap my legs around rather than cling with my knees and squeeze the energy from behind into my reins like a tube of toothpaste, surprisingly my horse then stops cantering hollow and 4 time because I'm not bearing down on his back!

 

[Parly]

I learned to ride the good old fashioned 80's council house kid way which was minus any formal lesson, on horses we had no business being anywhere near and minus any tack. When I did eventually start riding with magical tack I instinctively stood up a little when we started to canter but didn't half get some stick for it. Could physically sit in the saddle but it was the most uncomfortable and awkward thing to bounce around like a pebble toad plummeting to its death.

Few years later I was told by a different person not to sit tight cos he said "Loosen up you look like someone rammed a yard brush sideways up your arse... What's that about for Christ sake???!!

Much like the dog people and trainers I've encountered over the years, John was clued up, knowledgable and knew horses more than most. I liked him as a kid and still do now as a grown woman with adult children of my own.

Guess my point is unless you're looking to compete / train or have to ride in a specific way for any reason maybe you don't have to master it? Sure many will already been tapping and ready to argue otherwise but before you do this is purely a preference and from my own experience.

If you're blessed with large lady pillows it's pretty much impossible to sit tight. Even my daughter (size and weight of a dish cloth) can't stand to sit tight and lets out lots of "Wait, what – how do people ride like this?? Just.. How is it physically possible???"

*John later joined the Met Mounted Branch and took part in one of the displays at Olympia so he must have done something right but I'll never forget that loud "YOU LOOK LIKE SOMEONE RAMMED THE YARD BRUSH SIDEWAYS LOOSEN UP AND RELAX WILL YOU??!!" back when I was 7 or 8yrs old

Actually quite curious now to know what the general rule is about standing up and why it's encouraged, discouraged or whatever.

 

[Parly]

One lesson I did learn about the perils of standing up was via John's daft ex-racehorse "Fox"

He set off almost entirely without warning or reason and would gallop flat out for as long as he fancied and stopped for nothing or nobody.

"You know why Fox is taking off don't you? You'e standing up and leaning forward a litte. He's a ex-racer. When you do that on a racer it's a big green light telling them to **** off as fast and far as they can but not to worry... Every experience is an experience. Just remember that one though in future. Don't let your arse leave the leather or lean forward unless you want a good long gallop"

Amazed I lived into my teens :frown3:

 

[cowgirl16]

Is it just on the corners? Sit a little heavier on your outside seatbone.

 

[Damnation]

You have to almost surrender and go with it - strange as that sounds.

You want to imagine that your muscles are like jelly, you want an amount of weight going down the backs of your legs (starting from your shoulders), making you feel a combination of tall, yet supple.

Oh and BREATHE!

It comes with practice

 

[Sugar_and_Spice]

To help while you get the hang of it, hold the saddle with your inside hand and if you feel unsafe pull on it a little, it will keep you in the saddle and stop you bouncing around. Then to corner all you have to do is turn your head to look where you want to go, apply a little pressure with your inside leg on the girth and push your outside rein forwards an inch or two. To further discourage gripping with the knees (if you find you're still doing it even holding the saddle), make a point of opening them outwards away from the saddle a couple of strides before the corner for a few laps, to retrain your mind to the feeling of not gripping.

Another thing is to ensure the horse is actually bending round the corners, because if they're leaning on the inside shoulder and cornering like a motorbike that will make you feel insecure and grip. If the horse is cornering like that it's because they're not supple enough (try asking for a 1/2 circle at the ends of the arena instead of 2 corners and a straight line, until the horse becomes more supple over time) or you're not asking properly for the bend (distinct and definite inside leg aid on the girth to ask for the bend, with the outside leg held firmly slightly behind the girth to stop the quarters swinging out). If you tip forwards and grip with your knees your lower leg probably moves too far back and your heels come up, making your leg aids ineffective/non-existant, leaning on your hands (if you are) will mean the horse can't use his head, it all adds up to him falling onto the forehand and you both having a messy journey round the corner. If you're out of balance yourself it's hard for the horse to maintain his own balance, a well schooled horse will cope much better with a novice rider than a novice horse will.

If you're feeling out of control at the canter it's better to stay on a large circle for now, because you don't have to think about corners versus straight lines then, you just have to maintain your position and aids for the circle.

Check your stirrups are neither too short or too long, both can encourage you to tip forwards when cantering.

 

[Chinchilla]

* "YOU LOOK LIKE SOMEONE RAMMED THE YARD BRUSH SIDEWAYS UP YOUR ARSE... LOOSEN UP AND RELAX WILL YOU??!!"

This is brilliant.

 

[fattylumpkin]

This is always assuming that the horse has a decent enough canter that you can sit it! My ex trotter has a very... special canter.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

If your problem is just/worse on corners, try putting something in the corner (barrel/cone/tyres) to give you something to manoevre round. Keep the obstacle on the inside and you will almost instinctively use your inside leg and outside hand to balance the horse, so that you don't knock into the obstacle. I wouldn't recommend cantering in circles, as I feel that that can unbalance the rider and lead to cantering in spirals, rather than circles. Practice on a mechanical horse could be useful too.