Help with canter confidence!!

[XxXAbiXxX]

Hello,
i have only had a few lessons so far and the otherday went into canter for the first time but i felt like i was bouncing around everywhere nd didnt feel in control! i couldnt keep my feet in the stirrups nd lost my footing and fell off the side!! Its really knocked my confidence and am scared to try it agen! afterwards i tried sitting trot but even this felt too fast! Up until this time i had been taught on my own but this time had another rider with me! i was following her when this happened and it felt like my horse was trying to keep up with her and couldnt slow down easily! please has anyone got any tips for staying balanced in canter without bouncing around everywhere, keeping my feet in the stirrups and also how to slow my horse down when i feel shes going too fast for me!!
Thanks x

[nala]

I feel the same way, went into a canter and lost my stirrups and felt very unsafe and felt usless i wish someone would give me some pointers to!!!! good luck anyway and lets hope we get sorted out.

[caroline000]

Hi there

Sorry to hear about your canter problems. It sounds to be that you might not be quite ready yet to canter. You need to be secure in the saddle at sitting and rising trot first and also trotting confidently without stirrups. It would help to have a lesson on the lunge where you are able to concentrate on your position without having to worry about controlling the horse. I often teach people to canter out on a hack first as it's easier to keep your balance in a straight line, horses go into canter more easily and a hill helps to get you in a slightly forward position to be infront of the movement. Once you have mastered this you can learn to canter in a school.

good luck
carrie

[eventer_wannabe]

I remember first learning to canter, it was really daunting but now I love it.

I first cantered with an instructor running beside me but if you don't have access to a mad or fit perosn able to run with you, maybe try it out on a hack with a friend in front of you.
That way the friend and their horse will control the pace so you wont end up too fast, also it is easier to canter in straight lines if you are unbalanced.

Maybe you are not quite ready to canter yet, make sure you are completely comfortable in trot and see if you can up the tempo into a extended/running trot to get used to the speed and bouncing around a bit.
Remember to completely relax into the horse though when cantering but keep a firm seat to allow you to move with the horse.

Once you have got the balance issue sorted I would continue with it on the lunge to get used to the speed and somebody else can then control the horse.
Then add it into hacks or short sessions in the arena to build up your confidence.
I would also try cantering on a really good schoolmaster who will not attempt to speed up or get excited to get your confidence up.

Hope this helps and hasn't made yor eyes go fuzzy due to the large amount of writing

[allnaturalhorses]

well this is an old thread, but for anyone else who reads it;

i'd say the best place to learn to canter is in a lunge lesson. this way the instructor has the control of the horse. that means to won't get unblanced before you even start by actually having to get the horse to canter.

so here is what you actually need to do while actually cantering; if it helps hook your first two fingers of the inside hand under the front of the saddle. do not pull yourself down with your hand and curl your body though. instead use it to help you sit tall and lift the rib cage as this tilts the pelvis into the correct position. by using the inside hand to do this will also help you to not lean in as you can feel yourself doing it more. as you are on a cirlcle your shoulds need to match the angle of bend of the horse's....look where you are going and not down at the floor.

the legs need to be relaxed, the more you grip, the more you bounce, and the leg also lifts at this point causing the loss of stirrups. now what you need to imagine is this.....from your hip you are pusing the top of the thight down to the knee, from the knee you are pushing the leg down, and back towards the horses hocks. this will keep the toe up and the heel down, and stop the leg gripping up. practice this in sitting trot first. keep the lower back relaxed as you need this to flex to the movement of the canter. as with gripping, the more you try to sit 'still' the more you will bounce. the hip has to swing with the movement of the horse.

once you have the movement sorted and can sit to the canter, so that the leg stays relaxed, you can then start to ask for it your self. here's a tip for when you do. ask for it coming out of a corner, but preperation is everything. coming up to the corner make sure you have a good sitting trot, and your leg is relaxed. if the horse is rushing the trot he will not canter so slow it down. this will also help prevent the horse from just rushing off in a faster trot. if he does just run on don't keep kicking and hoping for the best. rebalance the horse, and yourself, and try again.

i would never teach canter in an open space as there is far too much that can go wrong. the potential of a fall, a loose horse, and your own horse to control is a recipe for disaster in my opinion.

Suzanne

[mheal]

Sorry no advice but sooooo glad you asked this, I have lost my confidence in the exact same way. I fell off 4 wks ago and have been on holiday in between. Back to the lessons on Sunday out on a hack and I could not bring my self to do it. I could have cried when we got back (I am 40 yr old back in the saddle). Thanks for posting this now I know it's not just me