sitting a big canter

[irishhorse142]

my new mare is 17/17.1hh a lot bigger than i’m used to and she’s got this big show jumper canter and i’m feeling like i’m going round the arena at 100mph but she’s just covering more ground any tips for balance/sitting it in general

 

[fabbydo]

Try cantering out hacking first or on the gallops so you don't have to worry about corners.

 

[Micropony]

How supportive is your saddle? My last horse had a huge canter, and when I bought a saddle with a really deep seat and huge knee blocks it made a massive difference. Even so, it's really easy to grip inadvertently and lose your depth of seat, so experienced eyes on the ground are really helpful!

 

[mossycup]

Breathe.

Relax your pelvis

Consciously relax your lower back/sacrum

Practice bringing the canter in and letting it out again

Grin and bear it - as long as the horse is balanced, fire on round the school until you feel a bit more used to it, and ride it forward - then your normal canter will feel more like normal iykwim

 

[Fred66]

Get some lessons, your instructor will be able to help.