Cantering...?

Question

last year i started riding again after a four year break, in that year i practicaly started all over again, i also learnt to canter again, now i can canter easily, but ive devolped a very annoying habbit,- for me. i give and take with my reins (but really obiously and over the top) ive watched myself on a video cantering and i look really stupid because im pushing my hands forward. when i try not to do it, it feels like the horse's head is pulling me down because i keep my hands still.

this habbit is really annoying me, but my instructor has said nothing about it, when shes useally the type to pick out every little thing i do wrong. help me??

Answer 1

don't keep your hands still, and if it feels like the horse is pulling you down loosen your reins a bit and keep your shouders back opening up your chest... you want your arms to be like elastic, giving and taking naturally, but not too much. ask your trainer about it too.

Answer 2

I would not say this was a habbit, it is good for the horses mouth if you give and take with the reins instead of hanging onto its mouth. If your horses head pulls you down sit further back into the saddle.

Answer 3

looking at videos is a really good idea, try keeping your butt glued, if you could call it that, to the sattle, dependin g on what kind of saddle you use, if its a western, try holding on to the horn until you learn to keep them centered above the horn...good luck..i had the sammee problem

Answer 4

And when you asked your isntructor about it she said......?

Answer 5

You should always give and take with the reins with the motion of the horse, however, you feel that your movement is suddenly extreme.  Is this on a single horse or all the horses you have ridden recently?  It could be that the horse on which you've noticed the problem is heavy on the forehand and in the bridle, motoring around the ring.  Have you spoken with your instructor about this?  I am hesitant to say this problem is normal, but if your instructor has not noticed or commented then perhaps what you are doing is correct, I cannot say without seeing you ride, but your instructor can't help you understand if she doesn't know you have questions.  Since the only explanation I can come up with is that the horse is heavy on the forehand the most simple solution is to get the horse to pick up it's front end.  You can do this by practicing transitions: walk to halt to walk to trot to walk to halt to walk to trot to walk to halt to reverse to walk to canter.  And etc... the reverse is the key element, a proper reverse asks a horse to gather it's hind end under itself, creating proper carriage and lightness of the front end.  Talk to  your instructor and see if she can help you with this, but also realize that there are bad riding instructors in the world and a nit picky instructor that misses an obvious flaw could just end up confusing you more.  I have been here, I nearly had my seat ruined in college by a careless, sloppy instructor, she messed with my head by telling me conflicting information and nearly drove me from riding.  Luckily that summer I went on to become certified as a riding instructor myself and the clinician I worked with was a wonder, she truly set me straight, reminding me that I was a good rider and to trust my instinct, I didn't need someone else to tell me I was riding well, just the horse.  I continue to take lessons to further my knowledge, I feel that everyone can still learn, but I avoid those people that nit pick and offer conflicting advice.  Good luck.

Answer 6

You do want your hands to give and take a little so holding them perfectly still isn't what you want to do.  If you're worried that you're doing too much, push your nuckles into the horse's neck and let your hands move with the neck.  That way, your hands can't go too far but you're still giving and taking on the horse's mouth.  You can also wrap your fingers around a little bit of mane.  Your hands should stay as part of the horse, then your body moves back and forth.  That's why it seems like your hands are moving... because they're moving away from you, but in relation to the horse, they stay pretty much in the same place.

You can also express your concerns to your instructor and she'll tell you if it's something you need to fix and what you need to do to fix it.