teaching to canter

[sj_xc_hannah_]

for those who have tought a person to canter before, how did you go about it?

i have been teaching someone to ride for a little while and soon they will be ready to start learning to canter, i'm not really very sure of how to go about it, i have some vage ideas, but i'm not sure. any help would be amazing thanks

 

[mad_egg]

When I was taught I was just told the aids for canter and did it for a few strides at first. Perhaps teach on the lunge first so the rider doesn't have to worry about controlling the horse as well as learning to canter.

The people learning to canter at the stables where I ride always do loads of trotting without stirrups first.

 

[121272MDV]

3 things i was told when having my first canter
1. sit
2. kick
3. cling on

not much help i no and my instructor realised this when i promptly landed on the floor

 

[Cobland]

Local riding stables take the rider to their quiet lane, the instructor is infront, she gets her horse to take a few strides of canter and being a typical riding stable horse, the learners horse will follow suit.

 

[pixie]

We always learnt new gaits when out hacking and usually slightly uphill to make it easier. The horses were well trained and didn't race - so you didn't need to worry too much about aids, just getting the feeling of the gait; it was a good way to learn.

 

[teapot]

We used to run with them

One hand holding pony's head, one hand on their lower leg.

Get the pony trotting, explain to the child that we were going to speed up a bit once they gave a little squeeze/kick for me -most of the ponies were brill in this respect. Get the kid to drop their reins and hold onto the pommel and get them to sit as deep as possible

Sounds really technical but the number of kids who picked up canter so much quicker and easier than trot was surprising. Once they had the idea, we'd let go of their leg; then it would be run with them but not holding on and then finally on their own.

Used to exactly the same out hacking as well in groups of 2

 

[vieshot]

Ive been teaching my boyfriend to ride, i just took him in the school and said sit into the trot at the corner and give a big kick. It worked fine and now he is cantering out on hacks on his own loan horse.

 

[emma69]

Varied depending on the rider, I had my first canter on the lunge, and have taught people this way where the horse is not entirely trustworthy, school not available (e.g. when i have been teaching in an open field) etc, but generally I prefer them to do it themselves. I make sure they are established in sitting trot, explain that the downwards transition may feel bumpy, if they feel insecure they should take their reins into their outside hand, and grab the neckstrap, saddle or mane to steady themselves if they need to. I explain how the horse canters, adn the importance of being on the correct lead, and at this stage explain the best way is to ask for the canter in a corner of coming off a circle,to keep the inside leg on the girth, outside leg behind to encourage the correct bend. I ask them to establish the sitting trot down the long side, and to take the outside leg back and squeeze (on some ponies this may be kick) at the corner, and to keep squeezing, when they are ready to come back to trot, sit deep and a slight check on the outside rein. I normally aim for 4-5 strides round the top end, then back to trot and build up on it.