Do you canter when you ride and lead?

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poiuytrewq

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Just wondering!
I never had, never really even considered it tbh! I generally find a good hill and trot up it then just work round the roads.
There is a family locally with hunters and they ride out (husband, wife and groom) all riding and leading cantering along verges and flat out up field margins.
It sometimes looks a little uncontrolled!
They are the only people I have ever seen or known to attempt cantering whilst leading.

Do you?
 
I used to years ago with a mother & son only in a field on the farm I worked on. If you ever ride in Windsor Great park you can meet polo grooms riding one leading 4, 2 each side at canter!!
 
I do but they often try and race. It's not so easy as trotting and mine all seem to canter at different speeds. My welshies will prefer to trot and will keep pace with my Irish cob at a fairly smart canter. I would say it's a work in progress for us. I can canter all the kids ponies along side tho.
 
poiuytrewq said:
Just wondering!
I never had, never really even considered it tbh! I generally find a good hill and trot up it then just work round the roads.
There is a family locally with hunters and they ride out (husband, wife and groom) all riding and leading cantering along verges and flat out up field margins.
It sometimes looks a little uncontrolled!
They are the only people I have ever seen or known to attempt cantering whilst leading.

Do you?
Click to expand...

Yes, all the time. The eventers take it in turn to play leading horse (two of them are only 6, but much better behaved than the 10 year old!) I do a lot of my canter work like this, and they are all very mannerly in open fields, especially when the pheasants get up nearly underneath them! I hardly ever ride any of them in a school, all dressage schooling is done on the set a side. I think they are a lot saner because of this.
 
I do too when I take my kids ponies on hacks with me to keep them fit.

It started when I took my daughter hunting on the lead rein. Don't see any difference if she was on or not back then.
 
Ah well, that's Sunday's plan sorted then!
They do tend to try and race but little horse is the trouble and he's usually calmer lad than ridden so might be ok! It would certainly help over winter :)
 
Yes I do. They're pretty good. Just when you go to canter hold the horse you're on so they start cantering steadily. This will give the lead horse time to work out what's going on
 
I would do, if both of mine didn't have such a 'sense of humour'.

Millie likes going fast and Kira like spooking. We're absolutely fine on the lanes trotting along because I can wedge Kira into the hedge, she stops looking for monsters, and then all is well. If we were in open fields I think it would unravel pretty fast! :lol:
 
It depends on the horses that I am riding and leading really. And I always make sure I'm riding the stronger one. I used to have a very strong pony a remember struggling to keep hold of him cantering up a field margin!
 
Oh yes and I once went out with my old boy riding and young one leading. He stopped at every imaginary monster in the hedge so I swapped midway saddle over onto the youngster 😂😂😂
 
If I had suitable horses, I would canter and lead round the gallops. Unfortunately the two ridden ones race each other so I've never felt the urge to try :)

I've cantered and led for short stretches out hunting, when retrieving a spare horse.
 
I've done it with 2 very well behaved hunters and they loved it-especially when going up a good hill. They were also very obedient to the voice which helped to bring them back to trot when I was ready to.
 
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