# Help! I fly off the saddle during a canter



## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

Without a saddle properly fit for your size you are going to have problems as you can't sit or move correctly.
Pony gaits can be tricky to ride even with the right sized saddle.
You should go back to the horses with a saddle that fits you or try riding the pony bareback.


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

I would say it's one of two problems- the saddle doesn't work for you, or your seat is not stable enough to be cantering. 

Particularly if your stirrups are too short, you may be popping yourself out of your too small saddle. Depending on how too short the stirrups are, I would be pretty surprised that a decent instructor would let you ride in ill fitting tack. A saddle being a little snug is one thing, but if the leathers are four holes too short then she should be swapping them out for something that fits. 

The other potential problem? You need to work on your seat before cantering. Having lots of time off from riding and riding a horse with different gaits could have really thrown your seat off. Work on lots of no stirrups work, sitting trot, lunge lessons with no hands if possible. This will help you develop your seat and make riding the canter easier.
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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

you probably will actually feel more secure if you drop the stirrups entirely when you canter. or, get different leathers/irons to put on, ones that can be made longer.


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## Janskee (Nov 16, 2013)

We always swap out the leathers and irons if a saddle has kids stirrups on them. I'm a smaller rider, and sometimes ride in the same saddle as my 10 and 11 year old daughters, but it is very easy to swap out the stirrups for a set that fit me. 

As far as sitting the canter deeper, my trainer has said I sometimes collapse my shoulders too much, which inhibits the movement in my lower back, which is really key to properly sitting the canter. It is important not only to sit back, but also to lift your chest and put your shoulder blades together. This helps free up your lower back to move with the horse.


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

I too think you should try to go without the stirrups. If they are too short, you will lift yourself out of the saddle too easily. Or you are putting too much weight into the stirrups. Try without to see if it helps. 

Another thing is that your body is too stiff and/or sitting forward. A stiff body can't move with the horse. Sitting forward causes your body to be off balanced and put more weight into the stirrups which is the same as they are too short. Try keeping your shoulders a little behind your hips. Also, concentrate on keeping your hips moving with the horse. Sitting back on your rear pockets helps too.
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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

This video helped me:


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## TrailTraveler (Jan 4, 2014)

Maybe I missed it -- but, are you riding English or Western? If you're riding English, invest in some new leathers & irons. If you're riding in a too-small Western saddle, then you might want to consider buying a bareback pad with stirrups. (It's just too darned hard and expensive to fit a saddle to a lesson horse that you don't own.) 

If your instructor feels that your seat is adequate for cantering, then you need to address the inadequate tack. It would also probably improve your confidence to get you in a comfortable, appropriate saddle (or pad).


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

TrailTraveler said:


> Maybe I missed it -- but, are you riding English or Western? If you're riding English, invest in some new leathers & irons. If you're riding in a too-small Western saddle, then you might want to consider buying a bareback pad with stirrups. (It's just too darned hard and expensive to fit a saddle to a lesson horse that you don't own.)
> 
> If your instructor feels that your seat is adequate for cantering, then you need to address the inadequate tack. It would also probably improve your confidence to get you in a comfortable, appropriate saddle (or pad).


Definitely no bareback pad with stirrups. If you already have an over reliance on stirrups then you will definitely sore the horse's back!
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## BeckyB (Apr 3, 2014)

Hello fellow horse lover  Practice your sitting trot as much as you can, and focus on lifting your toes up inside of your boots while your heel is firmly pressing down. Don't feel ashamed if you need to grab onto your horses' mane either while you are cantering to keep from knocking her in the mouth. The more you ride the stronger your seat will get--dropping your stirrups always helps too


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## TrailTraveler (Jan 4, 2014)

DuckDodgers said:


> Definitely no bareback pad with stirrups. If you already have an over reliance on stirrups then you will definitely sore the horse's back!
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


^^ I thought about that, but if I remember correctly, Mavis has had an issue with gripping too tightly with her legs. (I believe that her previous posts were about being thrown by lesson horses, and I think we decided it was because she was over-gripping, causing the horses to bolt.) 

If you take away her stirrups, and she already has a problem with gripping too tightly because she's nervous/lacking confidence, I'm concerned that would exacerbate the problem. Does that make sense?


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Relax your knees. You're bracing against them which is stiffening the entire leg.


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

TrailTraveler said:


> ^^ I thought about that, but if I remember correctly, Mavis has had an issue with gripping too tightly with her legs. (I believe that her previous posts were about being thrown by lesson horses, and I think we decided it was because she was over-gripping, causing the horses to bolt.)
> 
> If you take away her stirrups, and she already has a problem with gripping too tightly because she's nervous/lacking confidence, I'm concerned that would exacerbate the problem. Does that make sense?


Totally makes sense, but that is why she would need a properly fitting saddle. My issue isn't with her specifically using a bareback pad with stirrups, but an issue with the design of the product in general. The rider's entire weight is concentrated down a narrow strip over the horse's back instead of distributed evenly with a tree, or along the rider's butt as it would be without saddle or stirrups. Talk about a huge pressure point!! Saddles are expensive, but if you can't have properly fitting tack for both horse and rider then the pair will both suffer.
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## mavis (Jul 28, 2011)

Thanks for all your replies. I will work on deepening my seat this Wednesday and see how it goes. If my seat improves but I am still flying off the saddle, then they will have to change the saddle or the horse.. 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## bsms (Dec 31, 2010)

I tend to brace in the stirrups. Lengthening my stirrups enough that I couldn't brace against them (but not quite long enough to lose them) helped my canter immediately. YMMV.


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## mavis (Jul 28, 2011)

Thanks for taking the time to reply to a noob like me..

I really want to improve.. i have been riding for three years (with a long break in between), so it's about time!

A friend suggested I take polo lessons.. saying riders are made to canter without stirrups (i haven't tried) and it would be very good for balancing and boosting my confidence as polo ponies are sharper, more intuitive and not easily spooked by another horse running towards them.


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## ecasey (Oct 18, 2013)

Mavis, I used to canter pretty well, but today tried again on a different horse after a 4-month break ... and wow, talk about a disaster. So I totally get where you're coming from.

I'll say that if I had tried to do it without stirrups I would have fallen, no doubt about it. Therefore, I do NOT recommend that you canter without stirrups yet. Trot? Yes, definitely. It helps find your seat/balance which helps with the canter. I used to do a sitting trot without stirrups just fine. Now I'm popcorn, so that's also why my canter sucks.

I'm also like you in that when I go into panic mode, I grip with my legs. Therefore, no stirrups is bad for that too. At least with stirrups on I have something else to put pressure on instead of the horse's sides.

Since we have the same problem, I'm going to share with you what my instructor says we're going to do to fix my issues:

1. Practice stirrupless walking and trotting. A lot. Until I no longer bounce.
2. Practice cantering with a few things in place to help me and the horse that starts going to fast because I'm gripping:

--Another horse stands in the ring in the way of her making more than one time around;
--I open the outside rein to keep her from drifting inside the ring (I also use this one to slow her down, essentially turning her into the fence to slow her down while saying "whoa" and also letting go of the pommel and using that right rein);
--I hold onto the pommel with the inside rein in hand (that rein longer than the outside/open/shorter rein).
--Lean back while focusing on making a scooping motion with my butt in rhythm with the horse.

I hope this helps. For both of us!


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## Rob55 (Mar 6, 2014)

Why would an instructor put a rider in a saddle too small? Aren't we trusting these folks to set us up for success?


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## DuckDodgers (May 28, 2013)

Rob55 said:


> Why would an instructor put a rider in a saddle too small? Aren't we trusting these folks to set us up for success?


No decent instructor would. However, anyone that has been in the horse business for any amount of time will quickly find out that there are plenty of instructors who are just out to make a buck.
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