# Confidence issues at the canter?



## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

I'm still a bit scared when it comes time to canter. I've been riding . about 17 years or so. but, I don't canter enough to make it real ho-hum. the more you do it, the easier it gets.


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## OTTBLordy (Sep 4, 2015)

I had this exact problem for years, and this sounds insane but what helped me get over it was cantering without stirrups. The reason I was so nervous all the time is I thought I was going to fall off if the horse went too fast because I was never trustworthy of my own seat ability. A few times in a lesson I lost my stirrup because I (as you) would hunch forward when I got nervous, squeeze my legs and accidentally draw my legs up and out of the stirrups....I'd always be scared to death, but my instincts would kick in and I'd slow the horse down and regain my stirrup.

Therefore...my advice to you is to tell your trainer it scares you. Ask them if you can practice your seat for a while. Practice riding without stirrups at each gate, and learning to trust your own seat. Practice putting your feet back in the stirrups without looking at a walk, and then at a trot until you can do it well at a trot. I was honest with my trainer about being afraid of cantering, and that's what she had me do was ride without stirrups for a couple weeks.

Have no fear! You'll get comfortable and it'll get better


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## LoveTheSaddlebreds (Jul 9, 2009)

I had a nasty fall early on in my riding and it set my cantering waaaay back. I was so nervous to do anything faster than a trot. Eventually, I got over my fear somewhat enough to start cantering, but I was terrified whenever I had to do it in lessons, especially in a group. Don't worry, the more you do it, the easier it'll become. I got over my fear immediately when I bought my first horse, and since then, I've had better confidence. You'll work through it, just breath.


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## Tihannah (Apr 7, 2015)

I can totally relate. I've just started canter work with my trainer and I repeatedly lose confidence in my ability and let my horse go off course or slow down. I find myself anticipating a trip or fall or going off balance, and then chicken out and let my horse slow down, which she will instantly do if I don't push her on.

Like someone else said, I always feel like we're going faster than we actually are. Then I go back and watch the video, and we're actually doing a nice, slow, even canter. When I watch others, it looks so easy, and I think, "Why can't I do that??" Lol.

I refuse to give up though and I know that the more I practice, the more confident I will become.


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

The more you ride, the more tools you have in your "horseriding toolbox" (a fun way to say experience, lol), it will get easier, then will almost become a non-issue. Everyone who rides, will become "unhorsed", if they don't, they are not riding that much, HOWEVER, don't dwell on it and it's not going to happen when you canter either. I had a real mental block about jumping, I had visions of my horse stumbling or come screeching to a halt and I would fall and become paralyzed. It almost ruined the fun of jumping my horse, so I had to put it out of my thoughts and just enjoy jumping, and man oh man, IT'S FUN!!!


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## Horsef (May 1, 2014)

I'm also scared of cantering, after 2 years of lessons. I never fell off in a canter, but I fell off at least 20 times in a trot and I fell off TWICE of a stationary horse (clearly, I'm not very talented). I'm not scared of trotting or just sitting on a stationary horse. I think it boils down to the amount of time we spend doing a certain activity. After an x number of hours our brain gets used to it.


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## phoenix (Jun 7, 2010)

I completely understand. My horse was a bucking, cross cantering fool and my fear of cantering him was paralyzing; I had to get over it though, to train my horse to canter without bucking, wihout cross cantering, if I was scared he would buck so I had to not be scared. Breathing evenly helps, singing to yourself helps, it relaxes you so you don't tense up.

Ask your trainer if you can have some lunge line lessons at the trot and canter. Ask specifically to work on your seat at sitting trot, posting trot without stirrups and at canter. It'll take the pressure off you to steer and you'll have your hands free. My old instructor would ask me to sit at the canter and do different things with my arms, it helps a lot to straighten your back out and get you sitting tall and deep into the saddle again. Plus, the trainer can control the speed of the horse.


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## Zexious (Aug 2, 2013)

^This was going to be my suggestion!

Though it is difficult to do, try to sit back and 'evaluate' your fear. Is it a "I'm uncomfortable" type of thing or a "I'm going to die" type of thing? Try to push yourself, regardless of your level. If it's toward the more terrified end of the spectrum, do indeed ask for a lunge lesson or two. If you're just a bit uncomfortable or something similar, try to push yourself to working without stirrups. Do as much as you can every time, and it will get better.

Best of luck!


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## Kristyjog (Nov 11, 2013)

My son has the same problem and he's a great rider and has been taking weekly lessons for two years plus riding at home. Every time the trainer or we ask for a canter he tenses up, leans forward and gets nervous. The best thing the trainer has him do is drop his stirrups. He then naturally sits back and finds his seat. My son is nervous and safety patrol by nature so its all in his head. I'm hoping he'll eventually get over it. He is a great rider and will be aging out of the walk/trot classes this year so I'm hoping he finds his confidence.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Gossalyn (Sep 12, 2013)

This suggestion probably won't be feasible, but I was/am a nervous rider. Although I've been at it for 3 years, and started jumping 2 times (for a period of several months) - I always returned to flat where I felt more confident.

I would be at lessons earlier this year and trainer would say "ok ask for Canter" and then 5 minutes later I'm still walking, adjusting my reins and legs trying to find the perfect moment to ask - the true issue being that i'm chicken and anticipating wayyyy to much.

The only thing that cured me of this was riding A LOT. on trust worthy, confidence builders. If you're unable to do that... I like the lunge lessons idea. At least you know the trainer can control the horse and you just have to worry about getting comfortable.

It sounds like you might have a horse that is slightly forward (likes to go) - maybe there is another lazier horse where you know they prefer to go as slow as you'll let them. The kind of horse that even if you ask them to canter probably will try and refuse at first... Horses like this are always happy to slow down and it doesn't take much. (and despite always having to remind them go forward, can be great, safe horses to learn on).


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## Whinnie (Aug 9, 2015)

Ha, waresbear, you are right about becoming unhorsed being relative to how much riding you do, at least in my case. I started riding 5 days a week last year and have made 3 unscheduled dismounts in that time.


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## FlecksOfGold12 (Nov 9, 2014)

I love to canter. However, I used to be a scared to canter as well. The way I got over my fear was probably the most scary sounding way. It's just to let the horse canter. After about a lap you might start to relax and adjust to the speed. If they canter when you don't want them to, bring them back to the trot. Then just slowly go into the canter when you are ready. It will seem really fast at first but you just have to remember to relax and steer your horse and you will be okay. I hope this will help you!:runninghorse2:


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## rideprosperously (Nov 19, 2015)

I was born with fear of heights, it used to affect my riding greatly, so I went to a professional hypnotherapist for an hour session. I did not ride right after hypnosis and I assumed that it did not work, but then I bought some British Horse Society Hyposis CDs for Nervous Riders (Hacking) and Jumping. I listened to them for days and weeks, for some strange reason all feelings of insecurity on a horse is gone regardless of activity, even jumping. I haven't ridden much, not even for a year, only a little bit over half a year. I am not at all afraid when I canter, and I even tried galloping, on different horses that I do not own. I think not being afraid does not mean better riding, I still bounce involuntarily while cantering, and was told that my seat was not good, it's just that I fell twice and am still riding regularly, after every fall I went to 1-hour acupuncture and massage sessions and they fixed my injuries. I lost that feeling of fear on horseback. I kept asking for faster and more spirited horses. Maybe it's my personality craving excitement that overrides the fear that I used to have. My instructors judged me ready to canter long before I actually started cantering in the arena, but strangely enough I had already cantered when hacking. If you really feel insecure, you can balance one or both of your hands on the mane (or the neckstrap or saddle). If you keep practicing, you will eventually overcome that feeling of insecurity, I think.


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## AnnaGrace199 (Sep 22, 2015)

You can maybe try to associate the canter with something fun and enjoyable. For example, go on a trail ride and canter along side of your friends and try to enjoy it and have fun. That when when you do it in the ring the canter has a good memory. (gosh I sound like those horsemanship book  )


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## Back2Horseback (Mar 21, 2012)

Oh do I "feel your pain"! I have ridden off and on throughout much of my life, and as a youth, though I LOVED the IDEA of riding, I recall now how much I was pretty terrified of so many things I was required to DO while ACTUALLY RIDING, (but still loved it, if that makes any sense?)! 

The funny thing was that WHILE riding, I'd get terribly antsy just walking and ALWAYS wanted to do more...(I was a little tiny person then, with lots of ability to be flexible and just go with the motion of almost any horse...I was 4'2" and probably 75# soaking wet until junior high school when I grew to the TOWERING 5'1" I am today, hahaha...had a few jumping accidents as a youth as well, but was not afraid of falling...at that time, I'm really not sure WHAT I WAS afraid of...it definitely was not a fear of falling off though...

Anyway, I still get antsy to do more while at walk and trot, and as an adult, I am FAR from relaxed, which leads to being far less flexible and thus my seat has done everything but become better, haha...yet once I ask for canter, I too still get ALL UP IN MY HEAD & boom! Terrified! Always have, & it still ISN'T due to fear of falling, I believe now that it is related to a sense of not being in CONTROL...like, somehow now that horse and I are moving faster, I'm not the one in control? (Same reason my husband LOATHES taking long car rides with me, especially in bad weather! I literally try to control his driving from the passenger seat...fun for him!)...

I remind myself, and my advise for you as well--is to force yourself if necessary-- to just SIT BACK lightly on your butt, make sure you're legs are aligned beneath you with your heels sunk down as low as you can sink 'em, & just try to FEEL THE RHYTHM of the horse (sometimes it helps to count out..."1-2-3, 1-2-3", etc...as your feel the footfalls of the horse and the motion, try to ride it with motion of the horse, being very aware of what he feels like under you; enough to let your hips and all of your parts "go with" the horse's movements, though still maintaining core strength, so as not to become a total noodle!). 

As another poster mentioned, one thing I'll too often conjure up in my mind that causes the fear to ramp up is the image of horse tripping and HIM going down, AND that makes me feel like, "I MUST remain balanced or I'll cause this horse to trip and fall and hurt himself and have to be put down because I WAS too tense in the seat, arghhhh!!!" SOOOO, don't think THAT! (Perhaps should have left that piece out?) 

No seriously, when I start thinking these crazy, overly dramatic horrible scenarios, I stop myself IMMEDIATELY AND REMIND MYSELF, "I am NOT in control of where this horse places his next step. I AM in control of ensuring he is on the correct lead, that I'm not pulling on his face due to MY fear, because THOSE things could cause him to become more unbalanced and trip. My 140lbs are NOT going to tip over a 1200lb horse. He has no history of falls, he had his hooves done routinely, (they are the correct length) so there is no reason to ASSUME something should happen. I need to tune everything out, FEEL this horse beneath me, listen to his steps, remember to steer (a little, ha!) and trust that we will be okay, because if not, I'll not likely know far in advance anyway, and there is very little I can do to control an accidental trip on his part!"

I don't know if this was terribly helpful or terribly hurtful, (hoping it was helpful!?) & unsure how long the fear will last for you (or myself!), but one positive is that I am quite aware that it is definitely one of those "this is worse in my head than in reality" things, IMO. Hopefully you will find the same to be true in time!


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## rideprosperously (Nov 19, 2015)

I used to be a bit nervous when the horse canters because it felt bouncy, I held the mane for security initially. Soon I no longer have to do that, it turned out to be groundless fear.


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