Is it wrong for me not to canter??

L

lilym

Guest
I can't canter......never have been able to well, so I have stopped doing it, I do have lessons but only in walk and trot, so why do instructors try to make me canter, even though I have told them I can't do it and don't like it anyway????
 
Interesting, as cantering is normally easier than trotting
cool.gif
.

I can't canter Dizz at the moment - her movement is too big and powerful and I'm not up to it, but I enjoy cantering Little Cob and Big Cob.

Have you tried cantering out on a hack, in a nice straight line? Not to say you have to do it, just that you might enjoy it
cool.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
Interesting, as cantering is normally easier than trotting
cool.gif
.

I can't canter Dizz at the moment - her movement is too big and powerful and I'm not up to it, but I enjoy cantering Little Cob and Big Cob.

Have you tried cantering out on a hack, in a nice straight line? Not to say you have to do it, just that you might enjoy it
cool.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Not likely!!!! I only walk on hacks!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Interesting, as cantering is normally easier than trotting
cool.gif
.

I can't canter Dizz at the moment - her movement is too big and powerful and I'm not up to it, but I enjoy cantering Little Cob and Big Cob.

Have you tried cantering out on a hack, in a nice straight line? Not to say you have to do it, just that you might enjoy it
cool.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Not likely!!!! I only walk on hacks!!

[/ QUOTE ]

Fair 'nuff
smile.gif
. In that case, as above, get an instructor who understands 'I no canter, I no want to canter'.
cool.gif
 
My Husband is like this, he does it very occaisionally and only in a school. As a bloke preferring trot is alien to most instructors but as long as it keeps him happy then does it matter?

What do you want to do with your horseriding? When I schooled in portugal I was only allowed to walk, until I was competent and then the same with trot, this made cantering a fair distance away, so maybe this isn't a bad thing? Maybe in this country we canter before we can trot properly???? Contriversal (sp?)
shocked.gif
I know!!!
 
It certainly wont hurt you horse, so no worries on that count!! Nevertheless I'm going to guess that the huge majority of people on here wiill think you are missing out by electing not to do it, so will offer some sound advice on how to get your head around it
grin.gif
 
I can see how some horses action or misbehaviour could put you off. Its not wrong to stick with what you are happy with,only it could be a bit limiting. It would worry me that someone who avoided canter could inadvertantly get a nasty scare from a horse that thinks canter is fun(even with no malice on the horses part.
 
No not at all - horse riding is about fun, and you should only do what you enjoy, it may well be that in time you want to give it another go, and if not it really doesnt matter - just have fun, and yes, maybe look at getting another instructor who understands this...
 
Not at all. I have a friend who we only walk on hacks out with. OH only walks and trots when we go out, if I want to go faster I have to go out on my own, but we all enjoy what we do
 
I have 2 friends who will only walk and maybe a little trot if forced but they get by and have no desire to canter. But i do think its a good thing to do occasionally in case 1 day horse sets off without being asked
 
I didn't canter for years, I was quite happy to walk and trot, and I left a couple of riding schools because I got so annoyed at being constantly pressured to canter (to the extent where one instructor threw handfuls of surface rubber at the horse to try and make it canter while I was clinging on repeating "NO, I don't want to!" over and over...). Eventually, I found a horse I really trusted and one day I just decided I'd quite like to have a go after all, and that was that... but if people had carried on trying to force me into it I'd probably still be walking and trotting now! It's a hobby, after all - you do it for fun, so you shouldn't feel pressured to do something you don't want to.
 
Is it you or your horse which is the problem, I cantered pretty well on anything I got on, until I got his lordship, I didn't canter him before I bought him, but that is another story, my first canter on him resulted in a broken collar bone for me, anyway to cut a long story short, it took a couple of years for me to canter him properly after that, I thought it was me, but my daughter did explain to me that it wasn't me that couldn't canter, it was that I couldn't canter "him", anyway after a couple of years we cantered fine, but it can take a long time.

Nothing is written in stone except your gravestone, so if you dont canter it doesn't matter, if you want to you will "eventually" if you work at it, only really matters to "you" and nobody else, cantering is normally easier than trotting.
Good luck.
 
I rarely get to canter, but I enjoy doing it.
For years and years I scared myself stupid over cantering, it ruined the fun of riding. But I always pushed myself to do it. I didnt feel safe taking a horse out hacking without being competant at canter.
You dont need to canter, stick to walk and trot if that is what you enjoy. But for safety reasons a lesson or two to simply remind you of the canter might be a good idea just incase you were ever on board something that decided it was time to canter
tongue.gif
 
Do what you enjoy, it is your horse and you pay for the pleasure of owning said animal, so if walking and trotting is what you enjoy stick to it and find a new instructor, but explain over the phone you only want to walk and trot.
Most importantly enjoy
 
[ QUOTE ]
I can't canter......never have been able to well, so I have stopped doing it, I do have lessons but only in walk and trot, so why do instructors try to make me canter, even though I have told them I can't do it and don't like it anyway????

[/ QUOTE ]

There is absolutely no law that says you have to canter...if you don't want to then don't
cool.gif
 
I was terrified the first time I cantered. I was supposed to be doing sitting trot without stirrups but the horse, a very kindly but forward going shire, thought I was asking for canter and off she went. The faster she went the firmer I gripped so the faster she went...you get the picture!!! I didn't fall off and she did eventually stop, but this did put me off canter for some time. I prefer cantering on hacks because there are less corners. I don't like corners.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top