I would like to know if there is anything I need to know before going and learning canter? Like position, how short a rein to give him/her, posture. Etc. Anything will be appreciated. Thanks :D
Answers:
Hi, when preparing to canter you shorten the reins slightly from what they would be at trot as the horses overall frame is shorter in canter then trot. However many instructors when teaching canter on the lunge may ask you to put your reins into one hand and to hold the pommel of the saddle or a neck-strap with the other, this is to help you find your balance and deepen your seat without affecting the horses mouth.
If you have the reins held normally, try and relax your elbows and allow them to follow the horses movement. this will prevent you being jerked forward and allow the horse to move naturally without hindrance.
As I have never seen you ride I do not know what your position is like, but basic tips I would advise are to try not to tip forward in the transition from trot to canter/canter to trot. sit tall and look ahead.
When in canter relax your seat, keep your hips mobile and try not to tense up, easier said than done I know but the more you let your hips move - and i don't mean start thrusting- but letting them move with the horse the more comfortable it will feel and you will be more in balance with the horse.
Good luck, I hope this helped a little
i have been cantoring for a while. about the reins they should be just a tad bit looser then what they are when trotting! posture is very important too! to keep ur balance you need to sit up straight and try not to bounce around alot! move with the flow of your horses back! if you don't then it will be hard to have good balance and it will hurt the horses back!
if you need to e-mail me it is horsebackluver@yahoo.com
hope this helped!
~hannah
The proper canter depends on what style of riding you are doing. I ride and show dressage and have been for several years. But before you ask for the canter you are supposed to shorten your reins more than what they were at the trot because you need to shorten their frame because you want to keep them balanced when you ask for the canter. Your outside leg should stay slightly back because this encourages the horse to step under itself with its hind outside leg. Then move your inside leg forward, like you are stepping up onto a curb on the sidewalk, and at the same time you step up you gently squeeze. When you ask for the canter you want to keep your shoulders back and good posture, because if you lean forward this will cause the horse to fall onto the forehand. Keep your hands steady to balance the horse, do not give them forward. And most of all, listen to what your trainer tells you. Good luck, hope it goes well!
Hey there. Cantering is a AWSOME gait its one of my favourites... when you first learn it you will probably be taught to sit deep and the jus means elbows in and shoulders back and make sure your back is striast and ALWAYS no matter what look up NEVER down. let you hands and elbows follow the motion of the horses head and give with them. Have Fun! And Be Safe and ALWAYS Wear a helmet
Cantering is soooo Fun! I canter my horse around my backyard bareback! Anyways, before you canter you must sit very deep in the saddle. ALWAYS wear a helmet %26 keep your reins short because if your horse takes off, you'll need to give clear signals to the bit. Good Luck %26 have FUN!
OK well I ride Hunt Seat. You will shorten your reins a little before you canter. Make sure you keep your back straight and try not to work too much through your middle. You always press the outside leg into your horses side to ask them to canter because you want to opposite lead. You'll need to hold him with your reins then push him up with your outside leg. It helps to kiss as well. I could get much more elaborate in my description, but its your trainers job to tell you this, and there is no need to get ahead of your instructor.
i have known how to canter for along time. and well just lean forward like a jocky and kind of hold the reins a little bit shorter than u normaly do and hold the reins down underneith the saddle horn.then pull back when u want the horse to stop.
Well it all depends on wiether you ride english or western
English-
Sit up or get in 2 point position
heels back
toes forward
reins in both hands on your horses sholder/mane
when cantering stay in pattern with the horse you have to find there rythem
*always make sure your reins are tight (well not always it depends wiether the horse id long rein or sgort rein)
to losen your rein's take your left hand and pull at the reins which are in your right hand that will losen them, then do it the opposite right to left
Western-
Make sure you toes point forward toward the front of the horse
sit up don't slouch
when cantering stay in pattern with the horse you have to find there rythem
TRUST YOUR HORSE! they can tell weither you are scared or don't trust them!!
If you're riding in equitation I have some pointers. If western, I have no idea and hunt seat I could help a little on.
Equitation: remember to keep you heels down, keep a vertical line from your heels to your hip to your shoulders, remember to sit down as much as you can, keep an arch in your back and keep your shoulders back, and keep your legs still,grip with your calf and eyes up.
Hunt seat: same thing as above just remember to keep your fanny out of the saddle rather than sitting down.
The canter is a pace of three time, like a waltz, and the back of the horse should come up under the rider, so that each stride feels like a little jump.
Very often, riding school horses are not schooled so that their hindlegs act to push them forward from behind- instead, the horse just pulls himself along with his front legs, and his back flips up and down, making it difficult for the rider to sit to. Again, the more the rider bounces, the more the horse will stiffen up his back. It is very uncomfortable for him, and is often the primary cause of why so many horses are reluctant to canter, and why beginner riders find it so difficult to maintain the canter. Horses that are sensitive and more forward going by nature, tend to react by running off and speeding up.
It is the rider's lower back that must absorb the canter movement, not the upper body by 'rowing' the shoulders back and forth, as if rowing a boat. Not only does the latter look ugly, the seatbones are pushed down concavely against the horse's back, which is trying to come up convexly under the rider, if the canter is not to be flat and lifeless. 'Rowing' with the shoulders also makes the seat heavy, and 'squashes' the canter, making it very much more difficult for the horse to lift and round his back under the rider.
So how do we absorb the movement of the canter? Sit on a stool, place your hands on your hipbones, so that you can feel, and flex your back in, and straighten the spine, now move the hipbones forward and back to upright together, not separately, (as in trot), at least at this stage in your riding career, and in the smooth, (call out loud again) one, two three, one, two, three, time of the canter.
Allowing the lower back to absorb the movement in this way does not prevent the horse from raising his back. The seatbones acting as a pivot, merely mirror the rise and fall of the horse's back, allowing the canter to rise up under the rider's seat, and not restricting the back of the horse. The rider also appears to remain very still in the saddle, which is so much more pleasing to the eye, than all of this obtrusive upper body movement that is so often seen in canter, and a darn sight more comfortable for both parties!
Check out this link for helpful hints:
http://lorienstable.com/articles/riding/...
Sit deep in the saddle and put you hands waist high but always forward motion. Its smoother than a trot and way more funner.
Its my favorite gait, to bad my horse doesnt like it, lol.
Good luck
P.S. Thats western style
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment