How do I ride the canter? I ride around with some friends sometimes and they stand in the stirrups and hold the reins in one hand. So, that's how I was taught to ride the canter, but recently somebody told me this was the incorrect way.
Can somebody tell me how to ride the canter? People tell me all the time to learn the rythm of your horse, but I don't quite know how to do that. I need some help.
Answers:
You've had MANY answers on here- hopefully I can help be a little more clear with all the different answers.
Those people that "stand" in the stirups are doing what is called a half-seat or galloping position.
This is mostly done at gaits higher than a canter/lope for western riders; it is used during galloping in Western to free the weight from the horse's back.
A Half-seat is used also to lighten weight, but it is used primarily for English riders (the angles of the body are a little different) when doing cross-country jumping. Hunter/Jumper-style English riders also tend to 'perch' or half-seat when they canter. This is just part of the that discipline to keep as little restriction on the horse's back as possible.
Hunter/Jumper riders and Event riders have SIGNIFICANTLY Shorter stirrups than Western %26 Dressage %26 Saddleseat riders. That is why they can do a "Half seat" or "Galloping Position" much easier.
Dressage riders are like Western riders in many ways- we sit when we canter/lope, we can also sit the trot/jog, and we ride in longer stirups than Hunter/Jumper riders..
With longer stirups, you REALLY have to have a solid and balanced riding position in order to be able to lighten your seat safely.
I'm betting that since you're having trouble sitting the canter, you probably don't have a very balanced seat. It takes lots of time and effort and good instruction to develope a safe and balanced seat.
When you canter, think about keeping your body just a SMIDGE behind the vertical. (If you don't know what that means, think of a straight line from your head, ear, shoulder, hip, and heel. That is a vertical line.) when learning to canter, sometimes we lean forward instinctively. You will want to 'think' about leaning back just a tiny tiny bit. This will offset your instinct to lean forward with your upper body.
Make sure your leg does not swing when you canter. If it does, it means you are pinching at the knee or very tight/tense in the groin. You will want a relaxed and fluid/soft leg.
Pick up your canter, and sink your weight DOWN through your thigh, calf, and finally into your heel. Stretch your heel as far towards the ground as you can. Think of "Toes up, heels down."
As you stretch that leg down and relax into your heel, you should feel your butt stay more firmly near the saddle.
Now Check your leg position. Is your heel WAY in front of your hip? Bring it back under your hip and stretch DOWN through your leg again. (This is just a matter of training those muscles!! It will take some time for that leg to stay relaxed/stretched AND underneath of you.)
Keep your eyes up and looking forward. If you look down, you'll pitch your upper body forward and come off balance.
Remember to keep your shoulders back and a nice straight line through your back- no arch and no roundness. Again, remember that vertical line that runs through your head/shoulder/hip/heel. Keep everything on that line.
NOW! here comes the part I think you're concerned about.
You have to do a sort of "pelvic thrust" to sit the canter. The first few times it may feel forced, but when you relax, it will come naturally and you'll be so comfortable!!
Your butt is in the saddle and everything's lined up... you're goiing to take a huge breath and just relax and allow your pelvis (just the pelvis, not the upper body or lower body. Just your pelvis.) to follow the horse's motions.
It feels like a 1-2-3 motion. You should be able to count the beats of your horse's hooves in your head.
(everyone "Feels" these differently. I can give you my interpretation.)
1- to me, one feels like my pelvis is shoved from the back of the saddle towards teh front- in a rocking motion. My hips stay in the same place, just my pelvic/pubic bone moves.
2- the pubic bone is pointed towards the horse's ears and almost hovers there for a nano-second
3- the horse's gait rocks the pelvis back so the pubic bone is now "on the vertical" and under my hips where it started.
When you're not on horseback, if you stand in place and 'slide' your pubic bone forward 5 inches without moving your belly button/hips, and then bring the pubic bone back under, you will feel the motion to sit the canter.
When you do this, place your hands on your hips so you can feel the movement comes from your lower pubus, not your hip joints.
You can even see/feel that when you're doing this correctly, the belly button tends to dip back towards the spine as your abs contract.
Try this on the ground, several times aday until you find that the motion is so fluid, you can slide the pubic bone forward and then back into place without really concentrating AND your hips barely move!!
In the simplest terms, sitting the canter is the 'sliding' of the pubic bone against the saddle from your original sitting position towards the front of the saddle in time with the horse's gaits.
It is a rocking motion within the hips very similar to a 'dirty dancing pelvic thrust.' (that's how I teach my students and they all say "ooooh!" and get it immediately.) For those of my 'adult' riders, I explain it in different x-rated terms I won't use here, but they, too, suddenly understand the exact motion the pelvis must take to sit the canter. (Hopefully that helped you, too!)
I promise you once you do once or twice, your body learns to "Go with the flow" and you don't have to think about it anymore. You will just instinctively relax the pelvis and move WITH the horse's gait. It is NOT complicated, but learning what the motion is and how to move in time with it, is the hard part. Once you do it the first time, you'll be fine! Just take a deep breath, sit down, and allow your body to feel the 1-2-3- and slide that pubic bone along the length of the saddle in time with the rocking movement of the horse's canter.
I would bet that you're bracing off your stirups and bouncing around. (I did this too before someone taught me the right way to relax into my stirups and let my fanny make contact with the saddle.)
If you feel comfortable, try to drop your stirups a notch or two. I bet that if you lengthen your leg, you will be able to sit in the saddle and you won't brace and bounce around.
As a side note, Unless you ride in a VERY soft bit (such as a rubber snaffle) and you have a horse who is very forgiving, I would encourage you to NOT hang on your reins. It is a horrible habbit and can hurt the horse's mouth. And if you rely on the reins for balance, you are not doing yourself any favors. Holding the reins in one hand is used normally for "Split-reins" just to keep the excess off on one side - usually in Western Equitation. If you have buckled reins, you can use two hands and this will help you ensure your balance is evenly distributed.
I would encourage you to look into lessons where you live. EVERYONE, even olympic level riders, could use some lessons every now and again. And having someone WATCH you ride will hep you understand where your balance problems are! Take a month of lessons with a professional who can see the issues and help correct them immediately. I bet you'll notice a difference! :-)
You should sit the canter. Usually standing while cantering is done only in jumping. A good horse should have a smooth rocking chair canter and it shouldn't be difficult to sit. I have never heard of standing and holding the reins in one hand.
Since you're sayiong "canter" and not lope, i'll assume you're riding english. You should be sitting with your but basically sticking to the saddle and you shouldn't be standing or bouncing around. Holding the reins in 2 hands is proper or else you're "neck reining."It's something you do in western. You usually don't stand up when cantering unless you're jumping(like someone else said)You were taught incorrectly.
Try riding bareback for a while. It is harder to hold on, but you develop a better seat. It will help with a lot more than just your canter.
Best of Luck!
Oh my. Are you friends jockeys? ha ha. No, it is best to sit the canter, put your weight in your stirrups, heels down and go with the beats. Try counting the beats, there are three of them. That always helped me.
you should sit the canter and keep your heels down as much as u can because it will keep you more balanced. some canters can be really hard to sit, so just keep a light seat if it is a hard to sit canter
Well, it all depends on wether you ride English or Western. I ride English, so normally what I do is I go partly into my half-seat without bending over and try to keep contact with the horses mouth. If you are doing equitation, you should try to keep your butt in the saddle while keeping a light seat and also keeping contact with your horses mouth. I don't know how to help you if you ride western, sorry. Hope you figure it out, cantering is really fun.
lol the canter is just a gait of the horse, it has nothing to do about how you hold your reins or anything
just squeeze your outside leg a bit behind the girth and get him going
just go with the flow!
its easy
Think of sitting in a rocking chair or on a rocking horse. You should be sitting back in the saddle, rocking with the rhythm of the horse. You are 'leaning' back as the horse makes contact with the front feet and forward as the rear feet make contact - sort of a 'backwards rocking' in my mind.
i don't care if you're typing or not, but just please use the correct terminology-for everyone's sake.
how your friends ride is incorrect. you should definitely sit while loping your horse. try collecting him or slowing him down a little bit in an effort to smooth out his lope thus making it easier for you to sit.
keep ample weight in your heels and your seat, and also maintain good balance everywhere else. don't lean too far back either. you should try keeping a straight line from your ear to your hip to your heel-for balance and correct body position. if you lean passed this imaginary line, you'll be behind the motion of your horse.
just try to imagine you have a million rocks in your back pockets that hold you down in the saddle.
don't try to sit too rigid though, let your hips still go with your horses motion, but make sure you keep your butt down.
---best wishes.
hhmm... holding the reins with one hand sounds like western which you say you ride.and I have seen alot of ppl in western lean forward and have there rear end up off the seat w/ reins in one hand.when they are doing this they are going faster then a lope or canter...if your western you can use one hand holding the reins typically your left, if your right handed....lean forward asking for lope (canter) then sit back and roll with them..if your not used to it.it could be bumpy till you find your sweet spot just sit deep and try not to go up and come down hard on your horses back..you just have to find that spot keep them going till you get it.. good luck
Bahahaha!
Youve probly had enough info to figure it out, but i was told to act like your banging the saddle
LMFAO
^^
I'm a little confused. Are you riding english in a western saddle? I don't get the reining issue. English = 2 hands, Western = 1 hand.
You may have a few issues here.
1. You need to learn to sit Western gaits. You are most likely stiff and maybe a bit frightened when your horse begins loping/cantering. You're probably bouncing like a basketball. Relax, keep your legs in a U - not a V shpe, heels down, sit up straight, eyes forward, become one with your horse.
2. Or, your horse may have a fast, or bouncy lope/canter, something which can be corrected with proper training (both of you).
3. Don't forget to check all of your tack, and your horse's feet/shoes, as well as his general health. It's very hard for them to concentrate when they're in pain or discomfort.
I agree with the bareback advice. I would recommend that you do it on a lunge line, with the help of another experienced rider or trainer. If that's too slippery for you, bareback pads work well, as long as they don't have stirrups. You'll find your balance.
Doesn't matter if it is called and canter or lope anytime you are not intentionally in a 1/2 seat or 2-point position and are just bouncing around in the saddle you are probably not really sitting on your seat bones but are putting to much pressure in your stirrups or pinching your knee . Simple physics "to every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" Think of trying to envelope your horse almost as if you wanted your feet to meet under his belly. One other hint...when I was learning the posting trot in order to learn what really sitting in the saddle felt like before I was actually able to do it my instructor had me put my hand in the pommel of the saddle and pull my seat into the saddle. You don't ride like this but at least it gives you an idea of what your working towards.
It doesn't matter how many hands you use on the reins. Once you develop your seat and balance, it wont matter. You may need to hold onto the horn at first, but just push yourself back in the saddle and ask for the lope. Keep your butt down. (It's usually easier than sitting a trot/jog) It takes some practice. I agree with whoever said it was a good idea to lope bareback, but if you have trouble maintaining your balance in the saddle, that might be dangerous. Master sitting the lope in the saddle with one hand, then two, then no stirrups. Then perfect your "look". Master being able to sit the lope while still sitting tall in the saddle. When you perfect all this, you are going to make your friends look like total beginners. Not to be mean, but the way they are riding is probably making them look inexperienced, and overall, lke they are not very good riders. Have fun! :-)
I don't ride western but I can tell what we do in English. I also had trouble doing canter because the horse I was riding was a very choppy canterish horse, but what you do is sit the canter and move your waste with the counts! This helped me good luck!
I used to do the same thing. It just takes practice. I always rode this one horse who was hard to get going, and then i rode another horse and really taught me how to sit. try riding a different horse maybe.
You have sit deep in the saddle and if you have to hold the horn. If you need to learn the rhythm of your horses canter it's like the beginning of each stride when you feel the horses front legs taking a leap and hitting the ground it kinda feels like a rocking horse that's pretty much the rhythym. :)
Good Luck!!
..
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western, its called a lope and you sit!! i learned the hard way, when you do barrels you SIT and bend w/the horse, 2 or 1 handed it dont matter!
You sit the canter take some lessens it would be good for u
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