# Cantering around circles



## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

Question for you all...I've asked all of my friends this, but they didn't know what they do.

Here's the situation. You are cantering your horse and your going around a curve to get your horse to the other wall in the arena.
What do you do while you are cantering around the curve? Do you just sit there and move with the horse? Lean into the curve (into the middle of the arena)? Do you lean away from the curve (lean to the wall)? Or something else?

I think that I'm throwing Sonny off balance when I canter around the turns, but I was taught to canter on a horse that did motorcycle turns so I HAD to lean away from the turn. But Sonny doesn't do that, so I'm in the habit of leaning away from the turn, but don't know if that's the right way or not.


----------



## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

Vega's canter has always leaned to the inside, and i think that's because of the how the round pen in shaped. The ground anyways. So when i do ride in a circle, i lift up my inside rein, and try to lift her up with my legs. I also try to lean to the outside. 

Doing that has worked as she's not really leaning to the inside at all.


----------



## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

it's not the leaning that I'm really worried. Sonny likes to trip while cantering in circles or turning corners. But he doesn't do it when someone else is riding him, so it's something I'm doing...and I'm trying to figure out what


----------



## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

i know it wasn't about the leaning, but you asked how people ride the turns, so i told.

Have you tried supporting him throughout the turn, like lifting him up with your legs, and making yourself taller?


----------



## tim (Dec 31, 2007)

Try what appy said, and also, it's best to keep your horse as upright as you can. If they are leaning a lot they have developed a habit of dropping their inside shoulder too much. Try to lift the shoulder so you don't have to lean either way. It's not really correct to lean, you should just turn your head and sometimes your shoulders in the direction you're turning.


----------



## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

I will try that, and see what happens. There's still so much stuff I need to work on with Sonny. Thanks Appy


----------



## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

no problem


----------



## brittx6x6 (Mar 4, 2007)

You shouldn't lean at all. What you do is keep your body in the center of the horse. A big thing that people do is drop there inside shoulder which you don't want to do because it is a bad habit. Keep your shoulders even as if you were riding a straight line.


----------



## Harlee rides horses (Jan 13, 2008)

DO NOT LEAN. Move with the horse. If you lean, the horse has to lean in to help you stay in the seat. Just move with the horse.


----------



## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

Always stay centered. Don't lean one way or the other.


----------



## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

i was saying that i *used* to lean because of how Vega cantered, even on a straight line, she'd lean way to the inside. I would lift with my legs and lean to the outside. Not drastically but just a slight lean.


----------



## JustDressageIt (Oct 4, 2007)

appylover31803 said:


> i was saying that i *used* to lean because of how Vega cantered, even on a straight line, she'd lean way to the inside. I would lift with my legs and lean to the outside. Not drastically but just a slight lean.


Sorry if I sounded rude, I was writing regarding the original post, I didn't read down to see what people had said..  Lazy me!


----------



## appylover31803 (Sep 18, 2007)

that's ok JDI.

She had asked how people ride the turns and i was just telling her how i did when i first started to ride Vega. 

But i do agree with everyone, that you shouldn't lean one way or another in a turn. It's kind of like a natural motion. Kind of like when you drive a car, you don't lean one way or another, you just go.


----------



## mayfieldk (Mar 5, 2008)

Like everyone else said, don't lean. Not because it's natural, but if you lean, your horse has to scramble to catch up with your weight. When you go through a turn (or in a circle) make sure the horse doesn't drop his shoulder (makes him feel like he's leaning to the inside) or pop his shoulder out (his head turns, but his body doesn't seem to want to follow!) Depending on how you're riding him, the next part is up to you. Western and HUS quarter horses and paints are taught to support themselves--when they go through a turn, they should hold their shoulders up without help from the rider. In more traditional english and dressage, the rider supports the horse through the turn. (To teach self carriage, you just support-release, then support again to show the horse where he should be, and release again and again and again... fun! lol) To support your horse, make sure you're using leg and rein (and not just rein, because that will teach him to leave his shoulders everywhere you don't want them... lol).
Have fun!


----------



## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

mayfieldk said:


> Like everyone else said, don't lean. Not because it's natural, but if you lean, your horse has to scramble to catch up with your weight. When you go through a turn (or in a circle) make sure the horse doesn't drop his shoulder (makes him feel like he's leaning to the inside) or pop his shoulder out (his head turns, but his body doesn't seem to want to follow!) Depending on how you're riding him, the next part is up to you. Western and HUS quarter horses and paints are taught to support themselves--when they go through a turn, they should hold their shoulders up without help from the rider. In more traditional english and dressage, the rider supports the horse through the turn. (To teach self carriage, you just support-release, then support again to show the horse where he should be, and release again and again and again... fun! lol) To support your horse, make sure you're using leg and rein (and not just rein, because that will teach him to leave his shoulders everywhere you don't want them... lol).
> Have fun!


he is a paint and he does seem to support himself fine, but there is the occasional tripping. I don't know whether it's due to making something on the ground, me, or him. I doubt it's him though.

Ooh, I just realized that the way that he always trips in a canter, he is leading with his leg that has a scar on it. :? maybe that has something to do with it.....
I don't know how he got the scar, but the vet said nothing looked abnormal to it, not did he favor or was it more sensitive than the other hooves

I'll try it the opposite way (clockwise) and see what happens


----------



## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

I'm going to try cantering both ways...first clockwise then the other and see. And if every time I ride counter-clock wise and Sonny trips on a curve. I'll get that leg x-rayed. The vet said it seemed fine and didn't need an x-ray but might as well if he keeps tripping that way.


----------



## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

going in about an hour to ride...I'll let everyone know how it goes


----------



## SonnyWimps (Feb 22, 2008)

well I did not have enough time to canter Sonny around both ways. My trainer was there and was giving a lesson to a particually disabled lady, and she asked if I could help her (mainly just holding the horse still while the lady got on and off) and be there if anything happens.

After that I helped fill all the water buckets, and then had to excersize 3 horses and work with them on their bad habits. By the time it was Sonny's turn, I only had 1.5 hours. It takes me a good 30 minutes to lunge, tack up, and groom...then I had to warm him up a bit, then work on bending and so on...and by the time we were all warmed up, my mom was there to pick me up and Sonny was already sweating...it was a warm day also which didn't help.

So on Sunday if he isn't tired we'll do it. I hate to overwork him due to he's still out of shape and his endurance is terrible.


----------



## regardinghorses (Oct 26, 2007)

If Sonny is having trouble with tripping, it may be because he's too heavy on the forehand. When they get heavy towards the front they sometimes drag their toes. A lot of other posters talked about supporting through the turn to address leaning issues, but you also need to support through the turn to help keep the horse light. 

Also, it can happen if there are uneven spots in the ring. They aren't always noticeable to us, but they are to the horses.


----------

