Novice owner/rider needing canter advice please

[Marshmallow29]

I will say at the outset of this post that I am a completely novice owner and rider so, if I make mistakes with terminology, please feel free to laugh and switch to reading a more sensible post

If you want to be kind, however, I will outline the "problem" I had today when riding my daughter's cob.

Basically, I have been having lessons but I am not very good yet (and doubt I ever will be, to be honest) as I've got a wonky pelvis, which give me pain and makes it hard for me to sit completely straight. I do my best with this as I know it is not good for horse and my instructor is helping me with exercises on and off the pony.

So, today I tried cantering and pony just kept on going at a rather brisk pace and I felt as though I was just sitting on top rather than actually riding

I decided that I was going to fall off if I kept on cantering, so after a few laps of the school, I managed to come back to trot and carried on like that before asking for canter again. Once again I felt out of control so kept coming back to trot before I felt confident to have another attempt.

Is this normal for a novice and have you any idea from my description where I was going wrong? I tried trotting on a very long rein in case I was accidentally pulling on the reins but all that achieved was getting the pony to canter around again and not having any steering at all because the reins were so long that they had no effect

If you all tell me I should give up, I am quite willing to do that because pony is lovely and I don't want to spoil her.

 

[brighthair]

did you feel off balance, or just that pony was going too fast?
How is the canter usually?

 

[Mavis Cluttergusset]

How about trying some lunge lessons on a schoolmaster, perhaps your seat isn't very stable which is why you feel precarious?

 

[Ranyhyn]

Don't give up! Just keep at it, provided the horse isn't young or green and you aren't bouncing hell out of its back - Repetition is the key and having someone on the ground will help either and instructor or experienced friend.

 

[Marshmallow29]

It felt as though Chloe (pony) was going too fast but not dangerously fast and in no danger of falling over, or at least I don't think so. She has fallen over once a few months back when daughter first rode her. I was told that she was "motorbiking"

She has never done that again though and is is usually fairly well balanced and good to canter and will slow down or stop if I get unbalanced myself, rather than rushing onwards. My OH was watching me and, although he's not horsey, he has watched our daughter ride for years now, he said that he thought the pony was just going forward and I didn't actually look out of control. I definitely was though

I'm sorry if that wasn't much help

 

[brighthair]

the lunge lessons are a great idea, they really helped my seat. If you're a bit unsure, try just asking for canter in the corner, canter up the long side and back to trot, also canter on a circle can help with the speed!

 

[brighthair]

when they are motorbiking, it's basically that they are leaning in, and not really using the corners - so if you make sure in walk and trot that you really push her out with your inside leg, also make sure not to drop your inside help, that always helps me if they start leaning

 

[Bethie]

Hello, my best advice is if you feel your instructor is knowledgeable and understanding, talk your issues through with her. There are so many different things that could have been happening it isn't possible for someone over the internet to say with any certainty what was happening. Also, what you were feeling and what the instructor was seeing could be totally different things. If you don't feel you can discuss things with your instructor, she might not be the right one for you at this moment in time.

It might help you to have a couple of lessons at a good riding school where they will have horses used to people having their first few canters and less likely to get upset by having someone a little off balance (if that was what was happening) up on top.

Also, with regard to the wonky pelvis, few of us are "straight" in our bodies, especially once we're adults, but things like osteopathy and bowen therapy can help to minimise physical issues and gentle strengthening exercise such as pilates can help to keep you in shape between treatments. You might find this helpful in life generally, not only for the benefit of your riding.

Hope this helps and keep riding!

 

[Marshmallow29]

Thank you everyone

I was really worried posting this in case you all laughed or told me I should never ride again

I will ask my instructor about lunge lessons for next week. I am sure she will be happy to do it because she has actually mentioned it as an option before, now I think about it. I have one lesson a week and I really enjoy it because I get a lot out of it. I think my seat needs to improve a lot in canter and I am impatient to get things right so that I can go out to a show this summer with my daughter.

 

[KitKat_89]

i too am a bit of a novice so dont think i can offer you any real advice (and whats said above sounds quite sensible!) but i will say what has helped me:
when i first went to work for my boss my canter seat was very unstable and i found i was much more comfortable and balanced riding in a forward seat. taking this up either before or after the transition (depending on how the horse would respond ect) and this way i gained confidence and developed a much better forward seat, and the horses got some good canter work done. once i was more comfortable i would work in circles or laps of canter in a full seat, or aim to ride in a full seat and take up forward seat when i felt unsteady again.

i must admit, im still a pretty hopeless rider but this really helped me and i now have a much better canter seat and feel more confident in it.

 

[Bethie]

If you enjoy riding and your horse is happy that is all that matters in reality. If you are really eager to get out competing, try finding out if anyone is running any walk/trot dressage tests locally - as you might expect, you aren't required to canter at all in them, and you will warm up with other people around but do the test on your own so you haven't got to worry about bumping into other horses or upsetting any one else if things don't go quite right.

 

[Marshmallow29]

Thank you Bethie. I was riding in the sand school by myself, not with my instructor teaching me. I've never had any problems like this when she has been there so I've never asked her about it before. She is really nice though and very patient with me and my inept attempts to learn to ride

The other people that she teaches all do dressage and I don't understand half the things they are doing in their lessons.

I think Chloe is very patient and she is very wide and steady so, providing I don't bounce all over her, I think she is probably ideal to learn on, especially if I can learn to sit properly after some lunge lessons.

 

[Marshmallow29]

Thank you Kit_Kat. I have had one lesson where my instructor made me lean forwards right off the saddle.

Bethie - I am very much enjoying riding and Chloe is the best and most patient pony in the world (in my opinion

). If I can't learn to ride on her then I really and truly should give up. I think Chloe is happy. She has her ears forward a lot of the time and she is very affectionate usually.