# Do I ride my fear out, or do I take it slow?



## Volvo (Feb 11, 2019)

Hi everyone. My fear of cantering is back , and it's very strong. The situation didn't go out of control to much extent but I feel like I can't trust myself. 
I like cantering, and I'm better at it than I am at posting the trot. But... I don't know how to stop or slow down from a very fast canter. 
Normally when I want to stop from canter I just think about slowing down, and I am able to, the horse follows.. But I don't know how to stop a very fast canter from my seat cos as I hang on for balance my legs involuntarily tighten around the horse. 
I am two minds now. To practice only trot , in a closed arena , for a few days maybe a week, or till whenever I am comfortable. 

Or to ride my fear out. Go back and try cantering In the same open arena. I'm thinking what if I coddle myself too much and I'll never feel like cantering again. 

My instructor will prefer I ride it out, though he won't object if I ride in the closed arena. 
I can't decide for myself though.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Can you try to avoid going into a too fast canter by using half halts whenever your horse starts to get a little more speedy than you'd like? I mean, be proactive about it, don't wait until he's already going faster than you want. When you feel him even get close to where you are uncomfortable, use half halts. That's what I'd try. Although I hear not every horse is responsive to half halts.


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## Volvo (Feb 11, 2019)

I am not so good at half halts and at faster gaits it's more difficult for me.


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## Hackamore (Mar 28, 2014)

If you don’t ride the canter you will never get confident doing it. An important factor to gaining confidence is having access a very broke & calm horse to practice on. Being able to practice on a horse that has a nice slow lope and is tolerable to beginner riders makes a huge difference with my clients.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Hmm. Could your instructor put you on a lunge line with a horse that responds well to direction from the ground? Practicing in a "safe" environment could get you used to cantering without holding on with your legs. Also one thing that helped me a lot with cantering, to my surprise, was to really think about my core muscles while doing it. Tighten them up to improve your balance and you shouldn't need to hold on with your legs so much. Also, maybe buy a pair of breeches that has that silicone stuff on the butt? I haven't used these, but it seems like they would help you "stick" better, so again you shouldn't need to hold on with your legs so much.

ETA: Also, to build those core muscles, buy a very large size yoga ball and practice sitting on it without any support. I sit cross-legged on mine to make sure my feet don't touch the ground.

ETAA: I keep thinking of more things. You may have already asked your instructor, but could he give you a horse that does not speed up so much at the canter? Then you wouldn't even have to worry about it. They don't all do that.

Wow, and one more thing. Again the instructor has probably already mentioned this, but sit up straight (it might feel like leaning back a little) -- if your weight is forward, it will put more weight on the horse's forehand and he will naturally speed up.


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

What is the difference between riding in a "closed arena" and an "open arena"?

Go find a place outside an arena where you can canter in a straight line, preferably slightly uphill. Then you can focus on riding the canter, and gravity will slow the horse for you. It'll be one thing less on your mind. 

You should be grabbing with your legs, as long as they stay relaxed from the knees down. That's what the kneepads on your saddle are for. Think of it as distributing your weight across your seat and the inside of your thighs - it'll be more comfortable for the horse, too. It's like the difference between carrying a bowling ball in a backpack vs. a sack of rice of equal weight.


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## Volvo (Feb 11, 2019)

Sorry, I guess I should have made an edit . I made a similar post in another thread , left out important detail In this one. I was cantering well, until my horse got excited from seeing his friends in the jumping arena, and he started going really fast, and I panicked and pulled the rein towards me to stop him, but in panic my leg was pressing against him, and I sat forward in trying to pull the reins towards me. So I sped him more. He just kept going, until I remembered to make him turn in smaller circles and finally stop him. 
I am not able to stop while maintaining my balance. And now I'll fear I'll speed him up if pull the reins back to slow down.


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## Volvo (Feb 11, 2019)

mmshiro said:


> What is the difference between riding in a "closed arena" and an "open arena"?


. 
Lol well we have one arena which is used for absolute beginners, it has very high fences so I call it closed. The one where I ride right now it has lower fences, so when I get scared I fear he's going to take me over the fence and keep running.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

It sounds to me like you are in a reinforcing loop of anxiety. I still think cantering on a lunge line with a known safe horse would be your best bet right now. Overlay some of that anxiety with good experiences.


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## Volvo (Feb 11, 2019)

ACinATX said:


> Hmm. Could your instructor put you on a lunge line with a horse that responds well to direction from the ground? Practicing in a "safe" environment could get you used to cantering without holding on with your legs. Also one thing that helped me a lot with cantering, to my surprise, was to really think about my core muscles while doing it. Tighten them up to improve your balance and you shouldn't need to hold on with your legs so much. Also, maybe buy a pair of breeches that has that silicone stuff on the butt? I haven't used these, but it seems like they would help you "stick" better, so again you shouldn't need to hold on with your legs so much.
> 
> ETA: Also, to build those core muscles, buy a very large size yoga ball and practice sitting on it without any support. I sit cross-legged on mine to make sure my feet don't touch the ground.
> 
> ...


I don't want to ask for another horse cos they just gave me this horse some time back. And you know, he usually has a steady and smoothe canter. I don't know, it was today, he got fast. And now it'll be at the back of my mind all the time. 
Once before when I was learning to canter , my friend had come over and he gave me his horse to ride. After not cantering for a while ,he started and would not stop, and this similar thing happened. I couldn't get him to slow down, so I turned him in circles till he did. 


Yeah I've been working on my core for some time now. Do I need to be very strong? Cos I do push ups almost every day, so my core is okayish I guess. But I've added some leg raises and stuff to my routine. 
I try to sit tall and back, today I didn't even realize I got in the forward seat when he went fast. My brain just froze in fear. I'm glad I remembered to turn him in circles. 
I got so scared I blocked out my instructors voice. He was shouting to turn him in and sit back, but I didn't hear a word.


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## Volvo (Feb 11, 2019)

ACinATX said:


> It sounds to me like you are in a reinforcing loop of anxiety. I still think cantering on a lunge line with a known safe horse would be your best bet right now. Overlay some of that anxiety with good experiences.


I don't like cantering on a lunge line, as I tend to fall inwards. Do you think I should canter in the 'closed' arena? So I can relax he won't jump over the fence with me even if he speeds up?


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

Volvo said:


> .
> Lol well we have one arena which is used for absolute beginners, it has very high fences so I call it closed. The one where I ride right now it has lower fences, so when I get scared I fear he's going to take me over the fence and keep running.


Yup, I take back what I said. Take it easy. Your "what-if" mental loops when things get more exciting are not helpful. There is a difference between excitement and anxiety, and you're still firmly in anxiety territory. You are currently not working your edge because you're getting comfortable with what you've been doing...

When we train horses, we always say that a scared horse can't learn, and we consider "flooding" counterproductive in training. I don't see how it should work the opposite way with people.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

You said it was just today that the horse did this? Well, maybe the next time you canter he won't be as fast. But, you need to relax yourself first, tensing up will make it worse.

I think if you are more comfortable in the 'closed' arena, well, the one with the higher fence, then do so. 
I personally think you should practice cantering on a different horse, so you can gain your confidence back...but if you insist on continuing to ride this one, then you just have to get through it. You say you don't like cantering on the lunge line because you fall inwards, why is that? Do you tend to lean to one side?

If riding him in the closed arena is more comfortable for you, then do so. You should definitely practice half-halts. Even practicing them at the trot is a good idea.
Pinching your knees & tensing your body at the canter probably makes him want to go faster. Try humming, and just relax. It helped me.


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## Jolly101 (Jul 2, 2018)

[Skip to the end paragraph if you don't want to read all this]. I've had an anxiety over fences after a bad fall. I could no longer ride horses confidently to jump, especially green horses. I'd also tense and restrict the horse's movement before a jump as you can imagine, but the worst of it was when my vision blurred and I'd start shaking. 

I had to go through testing and part of the test was a jumping course, so I knew that this was something I'd have to overcome. I had tried some things with my instructor, but none of it helped and my anxiety actually became worse. After trying once more on an inexperienced horse (all my instructor had at the time) and notoriously failing my jumping portion, I decided I needed to try a different route. I realized that my instructor didn't have the resources (experienced school horses) available and maybe didn't have the style of teaching I needed at that time either. At this point, my anxiety had escalated to a point where I literally couldn't think about anything at all while looking at the jumps and my fear would take over. 

So, I got in contact with a well known jumping instructor with access to well trained, experienced horses and rode under that trainer for a few months. It was still difficult and I still didn't quite trust this horse to not dump me, but the instructor was tough and pushed me out of my comfort zone every ride. The day before my scheduled test, I actually DID fall off again in the lesson due to a bad foresight of a jumping line. The instructor looked at me and told me that I didn't fall off because of a fluke or because of my position ( something my anxiety fixated on) but because I badly judged the line. Therefore, this was something I could change in any other ride and control. The next day I got on and probably had one of the best rides over a jumping course ever. I went from failing that part of the test to almost full marks in a few months. I remember being able to clearly think, plan ahead and not tense before a jump for the first time in a long time. 

The moral of the story is that I don't think I would have been able to overcome that fear without access to an experienced horse and riding it out. This is simply because I was TOO worried about when whatever green horse I was riding would step wrong, refuse etc and had no room to focus on myself. I needed to ride through It, but there was no way I could do so on a less experienced horse, until I gained my confidence back on an experienced horse. I do not know the level your horse's training is at, but I feel that removing the object of fear (horse running away at canter) and practicing on another horse for a while would be a step in a positive direction. I do not think trying on your own horse is a bad idea though and I guess It would depend on how bad your anxiety is. When your able to confidently canter on another horse, then I'd think you'd be ready to concur cantering on your horse again. 

Another thing that I found helped was the different instructors approach to my situation. My first instructor was extremely positive, but also passive and didn't give me much criticism. That approach may work for some, but It did not work for me. The second instructor mentioned is known for being really tough and sugar coats nothing. Not what you'd normally think helps anxiety, but I found this approach clicked with me. I knew there were things I could improve and knowing them helped reassure me since my position over fences somehow became a fixation for my anxiety. It also gave me something else to think about rather than my anxiety. If I didn't do what the instructor told me, she would yell louder **** and that kind of helped cut through my thoughts. Just something to consider.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Don’t stop cantering, unless you really can’t, last time I had a huge melt down over canter8ng coach said we would walk and trot until I was so bored that I asked to canter!

I would maybe suggest, the ‘safe’ arena, and work on transitions, on a circle, trot, then up to canter, go Quarter circle, back down to trot, get balanced and repeat. The only way to improve, is to practice, go back, read the Julie Goodnight piece on the other thread, really visualize what she is saying.


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## Knave (Dec 16, 2015)

I didn’t read all of the responses, so forgive me if I repeat someone else’s idea. I liked the half-halts suggestion, but I’m not an English rider so I’m not perfect on my lingo for exactly what she’s saying.

So, I wondered this: why not work on transitions? Pick up the lope for three steps and bring it back to a trot. Up and down and up and down until you find yourself carrying that lope for longer. It wouldn’t give the horse time to speed up, and he would be thinking of you not quite knowing what you are going to do next. If you kept him thinking before you even started by walk to trot to stop to back to walk type transitions, then upping to add a lope into it he might stay focused and you might gain confidence in your ability to control him.


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## Volvo (Feb 11, 2019)

Hi. Thanks for your suggestions everyone. Now that my rational brain Is returning back a little, I can say that I trust this horse. Cos he does what I ask him and when he sped up once on seeing his friends go fast, it was my cues that confused him to go more fast , I started cantering him forward like they do just before jumps, but I was doing it out of nervousness, when he sped once on his own mind, i couldn't break his speed cos I panicked . 
He is quick to response and I've improved my sitting trot on him. 

So I'll work on transitions like you all said. I'll work them in the 'safe' arena. I tend to pop out of my saddle a bit when I get from canter to trot. Any advice about that? 

Also I'd just like to know what to do if a horse does runaway with you. It's good to know and keep stuff In mind, even though I barely use it in panic 😛 . I know one method of turning him in circles, is there anything else?


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## Boo Walker (Jul 25, 2012)

I'm not sure what your training / lesson situation is but I think you could really benefit from some pony club or gymkhana type activities. A change of focus and getting your mind geared towards games can get you away from the doom scenario that keeps replaying on your head. Even a simple egg and spoon game at a walk and trot can really improve your riding. Right now you are sitting up there, not riding. Changing from a passive passenger to an active partner will get you past this canter barrier. Learning to feel balanced and at home in the saddle while reaching for flags or keeping an eagle eye on that egg and spoon forces your body to instinctively move with the horse, to meld your body to his. It takes you out of your head.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

Knave said:


> I didn’t read all of the responses, so forgive me if I repeat someone else’s idea. I liked the half-halts suggestion, but I’m not an English rider so I’m not perfect on my lingo for exactly what she’s saying.
> 
> So, I wondered this: why not work on transitions? Pick up the lope for three steps and bring it back to a trot. Up and down and up and down until you find yourself carrying that lope for longer. It wouldn’t give the horse time to speed up, and he would be thinking of you not quite knowing what you are going to do next. If you kept him thinking before you even started by walk to trot to stop to back to walk type transitions, then upping to add a lope into it he might stay focused and you might gain confidence in your ability to control him.


I wanted to suggest this as well. Transitions are GREAT!


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## rmissildine (Feb 1, 2019)

Volvo,
I'm not a horse trainer nor a riding trainer. Actually, I know very little of those professions. However, after reading all the posts, I will add this, that I have learned. 

Whether doing ground work or in the saddle, a horse can sense your fear or anxiousness. This is just something you will have to overcome if you continue to ride. If you get anxious or fearful in the saddle, your brain forgets to allow you to do what you're body has been trained to do. You're body tenses up, you forget to breath, what you've learned goes out the window, along with remaining calm, hence the unwanted cues of tightening the legs, leaning forward, ect...

There are a lot of post's on this forum about that. 



Can't say about a horse running away, except what my wife told me she did as a teen, "sat in the saddle, grinned like a donkey eating briars and laughed until he slowed down"!!! Not the best scenario, but funny anyway...


Good luck,
Roger


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## pasomountain (Dec 19, 2018)

I agree with just trying different things you are comfortable with and work your way back to the scary stuff in as safe an environment as possible. Right now you need some confidence building and before long you'll be ready for the next step. 

I got bucked off a horse at the beginning of a trail ride once and did a face plant in the dirt. Like you mentioned I also forgot what to do and didn't think about turning him or anything--it all happened so fast. I didn't want to ride that horse anymore so traded horses with a more experienced rider. Then I went on down the trail--dirty, scratched, bloody, hurt like heck--felt like my cheekbone was fractured. But I was on a horse I had more confidence in. Just gotta do what you gotta do sometimes. Hopes it works out for you!


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Haven't read replies, but responding to your original post...

I don't think it's a good move to put yourself in a position where you are so out of control & 'tight', to try to get over your fear of it. Sounds like a good recipe for everything going to pot & _confirming_ your fear! That said, you've got to actually canter to get over it, so how to...

I'd get comfortable at a trot first, able to do a fast trot, sitting or rising with an independent seat. You can _grip_ with your thighs, but not _squeeze_. Then start in a controlled environment, asking for the horse to transition into a canter, but ask them to come back down to a trot after not far (say 1/4 arena circumference).


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## Kalraii (Jul 28, 2015)

My horse is huge and bouncy - posting a trot into sitting then canter made transitions horrible. It was suggested by my instructor to "cheat" and just go walk > sitting trot > canter in one go. I found that canter was much more controlled and balanced and it was far easier for me to slow or transition down because my seat was so much more secure to begin with. 



Also she recently galloped off on me and when she stopped after 3 minutes of running for her life I came off. Hurt and bruised but not broken. Honestly... I had maybe a 2 second window to shut her down but I was complacent as she'd never done this before. I wasn't ready... proof you should try to be ready even with the safest horse. Hers was a fear gallop (compared to an excited wanna sprint happy gallop). Frankly... shutting her down may have not even been possible. And once she was galloping I tried every technique I'd prepared and NONE of them worked. Circles down a narrow lane at high speed isn't an option nor is a one rein stop. Pumping pressure on alternate reins, sitting deep, reassuring her... nothing worked. I just kept my butt out the saddle grabbed some mane and kept my head up. I remember thinking to myself "is it safer to stay on or safer to bail?" after a minute of no luck in slowing her I decided it was MUCH safer to try to stay on until I felt I had no other option. If it looked like I would legitimitally crash into a pedestrian I was prepared to crank her and cause a crash at great risk to her and myself but that was my -very last - choice. After some time calming down I got back on her but ONLY because I felt confident enough to do so and had to spend the rest of the way home circling her to stop her running off but I was more prepared second time round. I learned that she can absolutely bomb off if she wants, shes far stronger and capable than I gave her credit for and that even during a scary gallop it's actually not always a good idea to even try to stop once it's already established, where possible of course. >.> I really hope you don't have to experience that but I'm personally working on stopping her at increasing speeds so she learns better balance and bend. If I was out in the open I would have felt 100x more comfortable managing it. I would love to be able to safely get it out of her system and practice going fast. But catch 22 innit? Open spaces makes them wanna run more but it's safer to practice it on!


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## Cedar & Salty (Jul 6, 2018)

My advice is to take advantage of riding at a lesson barn with multiple horses to choose from, and ask for one with a little more whoa than go when learning to canter. Once you get a solid seat and a feel for the transitions, you can go back to your current speedy horse.


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## Volvo (Feb 11, 2019)

So I practiced In the closed arena today. And did mostly sitting trot. 
But I tried cantering a bit, well my instructor said I should just give it a go once. I did for a half circle , but then would loosen all aid as soon as he sped up a little. Then again I tried to hold it longer but would remove my leg as soon as he sped up. He kept falling into trot. That's kinda what I wanted though , I think the instructor saw through me so he didn't press me to do more. 
How much canter practice should I aim for to be comfortable ? Like around a couple of laps of the arena on each rein? 

My trot to canter is fine, acceptable, but my canter to trot is horrible? Should I start posting when the horse falls into trot or should I just try to sit, though sitting it is almost impossible.


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

I've only read the OP and the past like 3 comments so apologies if this has already been covered!

In my experience if you push yourself too far past the limits of your comfort zone you will only set yourself back. Forcing yourself past fear CONFIRMS fear, even if nothing bad happens. Humans are simpler creatures than we think - on a basic, instinctual level, even if we KNOW we're being silly, we still feel fears that have no rational reason, right? Yeah? That's how pushing past fear can actually confirm it. "This felt really awfully scary so I'm even MORE scared now" is how a LOT of us function on a basic level.

HOWEVER. You can't just sit inside your comfort zone all the time either. That shrinks it bit by bit until all of a sudden you're scared to go near horses at all! 

So, find the edge of your comfort zone. Straddle that line. Feel the discomfort. Take one more step.
No farther than that. Just one single step outside. Sit there until it becomes comfortable. Then take a step outside your NEW comfort zone. This is how you grow your comfort zone and become more confident!

Horses, for what it's worth, are much the same. Coddle them and they will be fearful. Terrify them and they won't trust you. Encourage them to handle things one step outside of their comfort zone and they grow.


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## Volvo (Feb 11, 2019)

ACinATX said:


> ETA: Also, to build those core muscles, buy a very large size yoga ball and practice sitting on it without any support. I sit cross-legged on mine to make sure my feet don't touch the ground.


 I tried this today and failed! How do you sit cross legged and balance. I can balance with my feet in front of me, not touching the floor. I can even stand on my knees on the yoga ball, and move my hands a bit(I saw it on YouTube). But I couldn't hold it while criss crossing my legs! 🙂


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## Volvo (Feb 11, 2019)

blue eyed pony said:


> So, find the edge of your comfort zone. Straddle that line. Feel the discomfort. Take one more step.


Well I did take exactly one step today, though I quickly stepped back behind the line . 🙂


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## blue eyed pony (Jun 20, 2011)

Volvo said:


> Well I did take exactly one step today, though I quickly stepped back behind the line . 🙂


One step is still progress and still exciting even if you don't stay there for very long! Next time it won't be as scary!


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## ApuetsoT (Aug 22, 2014)

Canter on the lunge line. If you fall to one side on the lunge line, your balance isn't good enough. So work on that. Once you can canter balanced on the lunge line you will feel so much more confident in your own. You will learn how to feel the motion of the canter and get comfortable with the gait. Remember, the rail of the arena is kind like a big lunge line. Where are they going to go? Majority of horses aren't going to jump out of an arena of their own volition.

Don't think the lunge line is demeaning or means you aren't good enough. I love lunge line lessons. I did 2-3 months of lunge line lessons last year and I've been riding for 15 years and my horse is very steady and schooled. If I could do more now, I would. You can always improve on the lunge line.


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## UnhappyHacker (Dec 30, 2017)

I used to fall off every time I cantered- had some really bad ones too so eventually I got to the point of having panic attacks before my lessons...
all I can say is don't keep doing something your uncomfortable with, without changing something... even if you only canter a few strides, or canter on a different horse for a while so you can work on relaxing and not tensing up...
for me I had to switch horses (rode a horse with a very jerky but flat canter) that wouldn't bolt off with me so often, I even had a couple of gallops on it and that gave me so much more confidence in my riding.
when I eventually did go back to my usual horse ( a school pony ) unfortunately she had gotten much worse- I think now she must have been in pain- as she would dig her heels in and refuse to move, then once you made her move she would walk a few steps before going straight into a very bolty canter... however because I had given my self a break to calm down I didn't reflexively tense up and was actually able to slow her down pretty quickly, where as before I would have fallen as soon as she went off.


I think other peoples advice is probably better than this (I haven't read the entire posts though) but as someone who's anxiety *really* affects my riding there is almost no way for me to acoumplish anything when I'm nervous, so this is just whats helped me out in the past...


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Volvo said:


> I tried this today and failed! How do you sit cross legged and balance. I can balance with my feet in front of me, not touching the floor. I can even stand on my knees on the yoga ball, and move my hands a bit(I saw it on YouTube). But I couldn't hold it while criss crossing my legs! 🙂


I guess I must be using my core muscle a lot. I do wobble quite a bit. I also am doing this while working, and I do have to grab onto my desk every couple of minutes. You could try deflating the ball a little so it wasn't so rolly and also you would have a flatter place to sit. Maybe?


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## loosie (Jun 19, 2008)

Volvo said:


> So I practiced In the closed arena today. And did mostly sitting trot.
> But I tried cantering a bit, well my instructor said I should just give it a go once. I did for a half circle , but then would loosen all aid as soon as he sped up a little. Then again I tried to hold it longer but would remove my leg as soon as he sped up. He kept falling into trot. That's kinda what I wanted though , I think the instructor saw through me so he didn't press me to do more.
> How much canter practice should I aim for to be comfortable ? Like around a couple of laps of the arena on each rein?
> 
> My trot to canter is fine, acceptable, but my canter to trot is horrible? Should I start posting when the horse falls into trot or should I just try to sit, though sitting it is almost impossible.


That sounds good. So you can get practiced at that, then start asking him to keep going longer. But if your canter/trot transition isn't good, then that sounds like the perfect exercise to get good at before asking him for more.

How much practice? Just like your horse - lots of repetition in short, easy stints. And what specifics? Start with what you're comfortable with, and only ask for something not much outside your comfort zone. Don't ask yourself to do too much more than you're happy with, be that speed, length of time, whatever. In that way, you can 'push' your comfort zone further, with smaller chance of going too far & getting into trouble. So you might start with just 1/4 lap of the arena, or even, as you're doing, getting a canter then allowing him back to a trot straight away. Then build it gradually as you feel comfortable.


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## Kalraii (Jul 28, 2015)

Volvo said:


> My trot to canter is fine, acceptable, but my canter to trot is horrible? Should I start posting when the horse falls into trot or should I just try to sit, though sitting it is almost impossible.



Totally normal and personally I was trained to post immediately into trot. To canter > sitting trot requires a more controlled canter for me personally. A little thing I'm doing: get good at timing when to post during the transition. Once my timing/feel is good I will probably only then properly try to transition straight into sitting. If anyone has any advice I'd be interested as well


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## Volvo (Feb 11, 2019)

Kalraii said:


> Volvo said:
> 
> 
> > My trot to canter is fine, acceptable, but my canter to trot is horrible? Should I start posting when the horse falls into trot or should I just try to sit, though sitting it is almost impossible.
> ...


Today I did some cantering without stirrups. A really small circle, and didn't press the horse to do more. When he fell into trot I let him. But I noticed that I was able to transition into trot while sitting much better cos I had not stirrups, I bounced quite less. 
Anyway , I just tried it a few times. It was thrilling. Maybe one day I'll be ready to canter the whole arena without stirrups.


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## Kalraii (Jul 28, 2015)

Volvo said:


> Today I did some cantering without stirrups. A really small circle, and didn't press the horse to do more. When he fell into trot I let him. But I noticed that I was able to transition into trot while sitting much better cos I had not stirrups, I bounced quite less.
> Anyway , I just tried it a few times. It was thrilling. Maybe one day I'll be ready to canter the whole arena without stirrups.



I actually MUCH PREFER riding without stirrups and I think many people would agree your balance is naturally better. Unfortunately I gotta get better at sitting trot because my mare is like a catapult. But in canter I've lost my stirrups a few times due to bouncy transitions and just keep cantering on comfortably even with one foot or both out the stirrups. The trot man. Transitions! The bane of every new rider in my opinion haha XD


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## Vixenkit5 (Aug 18, 2014)

Volvo said:


> Hi everyone. My fear of cantering is back , and it's very strong. The situation didn't go out of control to much extent but I feel like I can't trust myself.
> I like cantering, and I'm better at it than I am at posting the trot. But... I don't know how to stop or slow down from a very fast canter.
> Normally when I want to stop from canter I just think about slowing down, and I am able to, the horse follows.. But I don't know how to stop a very fast canter from my seat cos as I hang on for balance my legs involuntarily tighten around the horse.
> I am two minds now. To practice only trot , in a closed arena , for a few days maybe a week, or till whenever I am comfortable.
> ...


May I suggest a book called Riding Fear Free? It sure helped me! Don’t ever ride over fear! It will show itsel to your horse and eventually cause more issues. Good Luck!


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## Whinnie (Aug 9, 2015)

​


Golden Horse said:


> Don’t stop cantering, unless you really can’t, last time I had a huge melt down over canter8ng coach said we would walk and trot until I was so bored that I asked to canter!
> 
> I would maybe suggest, the ‘safe’ arena, and work on transitions, on a circle, trot, then up to canter, go Quarter circle, back down to trot, get balanced and repeat. The only way to improve, is to practice, go back, read the Julie Goodnight piece on the other thread, really visualize what she is saying.


Absolutely! My canter fears have been alleviated by using the Julie Goodnight method Golden Horse posted (although I thought I had come on that by myself). Don't go into canter to canter canter canter, control it by asking for 4 canter strides and then back to trot, then transition to canter and back to trot. That took the pressure off of me and kept my mare from thinking she was going to go go go because she was waiting for me to transition down. Baby steps.


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## Volvo (Feb 11, 2019)

Whinnie said:


> ​
> 
> 
> Golden Horse said:
> ...


Today's ride I got scared again for no reason. Only that the horse was quick. And I felt that he wanted to canter and not trot much. 
Once that you get the horses cantering a bit do they prefer it over trot? Cos it felt like my horse just wanted to Canter a bit today. But I didn't do it. Cos I didn't feel like. How do you keep the horse doing transitions. I feel that sometimes the horse prefers the trot, and sometimes they'll just like to Canter more and keep going fast to get out of the trot.


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## Whinnie (Aug 9, 2015)

I don't think it is about what the horse prefers. They are supposed to be responding to your cues, not doing what they prefer.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

It's kind of a chicken and egg thing; you have to have a decent enough seat to just ride, and to stay on a horse long enough to attempt to employ the aides to control your horse and get him to make up/down transitions when you want them. But, you also have to have enough skill to handle the reins and know how to make the hrose slow or collect into a more rideable gait when they start going too fast or too rough.


that can be why students are often not allowed to canter a horse for quite a long time; until they CAN control the speed and get transitions , first at trot.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

Whinnie said:


> I don't think it is about what the horse prefers. They are supposed to be responding to your cues, not doing what they prefer.


That's true, of course, but for us beginners a lot of times our cues aren't correct, or are conflicting, or aren't strong enough, or our timing is wrong, or our hands are flopping around so much the horse can't tell what we're trying to do, or whatever, and the horse just does what it wants. To OP, yes, some horses prefer to canter. My daughter's horse is one of them. My pony, on the other hand, prefers to walk, or, ideally, to just stand there and do nothing. I think it would be better for you to be on a horse that preferred to go slower, if that were possible.


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## Volvo (Feb 11, 2019)

Ugh. Today sucked. We went to a bigger arena today cos I thought that I could handle it. But I couldn't even sustain a trot. I don't know. It's strange. He kept falling into a smaller circle. And would just stop. Then wouldn't turn right , his head would turn right but body wouldn't. Don't know who was having a worse day, me or the horse. 
Still. Will keep plodding on.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

It's okay, we all have our days. That's the spirit, keep plodding on! :smile:

Try to be assertive with him. It could be he was having an 'off' day too, it happens...but next ride shall be better!


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## Volvo (Feb 11, 2019)

PoptartShop said:


> It's okay, we all have our days. That's the spirit, keep plodding on! <img style="max-width:100%;" src="http://www.horseforum.com/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Smile" class="inlineimg" />
> 
> Try to be assertive with him. It could be he was having an 'off' day too, it happens...but next ride shall be better!


Thanks 😊


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## Whinnie (Aug 9, 2015)

Volvo said:


> Ugh. Today sucked. We went to a bigger arena today cos I thought that I could handle it. But I couldn't even sustain a trot. I don't know. It's strange. He kept falling into a smaller circle. And would just stop. Then wouldn't turn right , his head would turn right but body wouldn't. Don't know who was having a worse day, me or the horse.
> Still. Will keep plodding on.


Were you trotting and just letting him fade until he stopped or were you feeling him begin to slow and picking him up and cuing him forward?

If this was during a lesson, your instructor should have been advising you how to correct. If he is falling into a smaller circle, he may be dropping his inside shoulder, you may be leaning in a little, or any number of things to cause this. He could be getting confused. That is why one needs to practice, practice, practice! I rode a loooong time before I got rides that were at least 50% good. even today, I consider it a good ride when 75% of the ride went well without something going amiss. Better than 85-90% is a fantastic ride to me! 

Every little glitch that needs correction is opportunity to learn. It is a good thing to have a problem during a ride, understand the problem and be able to correct it.


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## Volvo (Feb 11, 2019)

Whinnie said:


> Volvo said:
> 
> 
> > Ugh. Today sucked. We went to a bigger arena today cos I thought that I could handle it. But I couldn't even sustain a trot. I don't know. It's strange. He kept falling into a smaller circle. And would just stop. Then wouldn't turn right , his head would turn right but body wouldn't. Don't know who was having a worse day, me or the horse.
> ...


I was trying to get him moving but my aids were not working. He would slow down on his own . 
I know how to keep him outside when he falls inward, but applying the leg pressure during trot is hard. And I mostly end up bringing the horse to a walk, when I try to increase my inside leg pressure during a turn. 
Also there is this new instructor who subbing for the Main one for a few days, I don't really like him. I don't have faith in him. I'm waiting for my other instructor to return . I can't get my confidence up with this one, no matter how hard it try.


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## mmshiro (May 3, 2017)

Volvo said:


> but applying the leg pressure during trot is hard.


Oh gosh, yes! That's not a confidence issue, that requires tremendous strength in the hip adductors so you can apply leg pressure separately on each side, as well as coordination to not screw up your posting! That's one of the things that you just have to do to get better at it. If your knees buckled as you jumped off, you did it right!


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## apachetears6 (Jun 7, 2018)

Volvo said:


> Hi everyone. My fear of cantering is back , and it's very strong. The situation didn't go out of control to much extent but I feel like I can't trust myself.
> I like cantering, and I'm better at it than I am at posting the trot. But... I don't know how to stop or slow down from a very fast canter.
> Normally when I want to stop from canter I just think about slowing down, and I am able to, the horse follows.. But I don't know how to stop a very fast canter from my seat cos as I hang on for balance my legs involuntarily tighten around the horse.
> I am two minds now. To practice only trot , in a closed arena , for a few days maybe a week, or till whenever I am comfortable.
> ...



Ride it out, go at your own speed.
Fast or slow as you feel comfortable with.
You will ride it out if you keep riding.


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## EquineeEnthusiast (Jan 31, 2018)

I think you should wait until you feel comfortable. If you're not comfortable and you are worried or nervous, your body is going to get tense. When your body gets tense in the saddle, especially at the canter, it won't be a very enjoyable or comfortable ride for you or your horse. Does your horse have a nice flowy canter or is he rough, fast and/or forward? This could also play a factor in you being ready to canter again. You could work yourself up because you know it's not comfortable. I would just take it day by day. Your horse is going to feel everything you're feeling, so keep that in mind. There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing walk/trot work every ride. If anything, it will help you become a better rider and build strength in your horse.


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