How do YOU introduce a youngster to his/her first canter with rider?

either a field...

or with mine i did it in the school.... pushed her on the lunge and once she knew what voice commands were on the ground - getting on and asking was easier :)

job done :)
 
Taught it on the lunge but would recommend first ridden one is out hacking as you have a straight line there and most schools aren'tt big enough to allow young one to avoid being unbalanced on the corners cos of the unfamiliar weight.

You get a lovely canter out hacking, and a mini motorcycle wall of death in the manège is my experience. It's fine in the manège once they have developed a bit of balance.
 
^^ i agree but my youngster was too stupid to hack out


if she did a fast trot, id pull her up, stop and go again like a rocket - few times and she got the message :)

add a few yeehaww bucks in and we had a blast :D

im doing it all over again next spring :D
 
They know the voice command from lunging so we just build the trot up until they naturally fall into canter (fall probably isn't the right word :o) Luckily our school is pretty big so not to much of problem. This is how I was taught anyhoo and it seems to work :)
 
I always find a nice wide bridleway with an incline or a field with an incline... Always canter uphill to start them off, easier for them to strike off, harder for them to buck if they are going to, although I generally find they take to it well, I don't ask for more than a few strides then bring them back and pat them, working up in amount more and more with every hack, once I'm happy with them I then ask on the flat. I also get off their back for the first few canters then slowly get them used to me sitting in the saddle in canter...

Has always worked well for me and kept them calm and chilled whilst learning the ropes.
 
Usually if they canter on there own on the lunge I say canter and leave them to it for a few strides before saying trot that plants the seed so I can develop a voice command for use in the school on the lunge then ridden
Then my choice is on a hack up hill following a friend or round the edge of my schooling field not on the surface.often I don't plan it the moment just comes.
 
I have frequently done the first canter landing over a small jump, often when starting youngsters I have them popping a very small x pole early on, they are usually more able to pick up the canter as they land and carry on for a few strides without the need to actually ask for it.
They are obviously all different as are peoples facilities and knowing when and how is difficult to define, I rarely think today is the day it should be something that just feels right although if you are not careful it can be left so long the rider then has worries about it.
 
First youngster i did on a hack, it had a paddy and bolted. Second one had a power trot round the field and fell into canter so i just went with it. Only second time under saddle and he was great :-)
 
On a hack getting a tow from a steady horse in front - usually uphill. After a few goes they get it. Horse is always established on the lunge first though.

In the school I normally put a little cross pole up, trot up to it, let them hop over and then ask for canter.
 
Do all the canter work to the voice with no rider on the lunge and then with a rider out on a hack with a schoolmaster companion. Like someone said up hill, short, sweet with a big pat and no fuss. It makes it so they get going off the leg and they want to do it.
 
I cantered my youngster for the first time about a month ago. Like most on here, I faced him up a hill out hacking and it felt right, so asked him forward and off he went.

I've since cantered him out in company with up to two others and he's reliably picking up the pace nicely, cantering really nicely both up hill and on the flat, and coming back down really quietly.

To say I'm delighted with him would be an understatement!! :D
 
For me it's either up a steady incline on a hack, or if in the school I usually have a pole on the ground and encourage them pop over the pole and up in to canter - I use this a lot in early canter work, as I think it helps them learn to push off rather than run into canter.
 
I always canter within the first 5 minutes of riding away, albeit I may do this whilst working on a circle with someone standing in the middle 'pretending' to lunge. Whilst it may be many months down the line before the canter work becomes a regular thing, I think if you put it off too long it becomes a bit of a 'block' and mentally for rider and horse it becomes a 'big thing'.

Get the horse going forwards right from the word go and let them know that it's A-OK to break into canter with plenty of verbal encouragement and then praise.
 
When I used to ride I used to back and bring on a few babies and they were always taught to canter on a hack alongside an older sensible horse. Never had any trouble with any of them apart from the odd fly buck when they were unbalanced and sorting legs out! Nothing nasty and easy to sit too! Never cantered in the school until they had more strength, confidence and balance.
 
Enclosed field is best, we had one which was a part of a bridleway. Long enough stretch to get him a fair few strides, but not long enough for him to bog off. Put him behind a schoolmaster who kept it reasonably steady, asked him, and let him go.

It was a bit all over the place, and rather fast when he did hit it, but we had a big cobby bum to run into at the end if needed :) Uphill would've been even better.
 
Mdonna31 said:
Just boot the dam thing :p
Click to expand...


Yeah, this!! ^^^

Both of mine, took them to the beach with their older/ wiser horse friend. Trot along a bit, then experienced horse canters on ahead and you just let baby go, go ,go!

Worked fine for mine. :D:D:D
 
In a large school he'd been used to the command canter so just said it until he went into canter and made a big fuss. Second time up a slight slope in a field now cantering very well good luck it's such a great feeling your babies first canter
 
The last one I broke in, we did it on the lunge because the owners had done a lot of lunge work with her and she knew the voice command for canter already which made adding the aids so much easier. She was also surprisingly balanced for a rising four year old so I think the groundwork had helped.

I do however agree that most find it easier to have their first canter out on a hack. :)
 
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