# Scared to canter on a hack?! Advice?



## PonyMad (Aug 26, 2010)

Hi,
the pony I have on loan is a right lazy boy in the school. 
I canter him every time I school, and he's normally fine. 

But asoon as we hit grass, he can turn quite foward going.

On a hack, he can buck etc, and the last time I cantered on a hack he spooked and I fell off and he ran away (took me 2 hours to catch him)

Im only a teenager so not totally exsperianced.

Can anyone give me any tips and advice on how to stop him when hes about to buck?

Or just how to keep my confidance up after I fell off.

(Oh and I ride English)



Thank you!


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## mbender (Jul 22, 2009)

Not sure about english but if you can feel when he is going to buck put contact on the bit and make sure he can't put his head down. The other way to stop him is to gently but firmly pull his head to one side and get him to give to you. You will need to practice that while your riding him. Walk, trot and canter. Check to see if all your tack fits him correctly and if maybe he is sore any where.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## myhorseriesen (Nov 11, 2010)

don't know about why but a one reined stop would work nicely. while his is cantering and you feal he is going to buck slide you hand as far down your inside rein and pull it back so it toches your leg don't let off pressure until he stops circling. hope i helped.


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## ErikaLynn (Aug 3, 2010)

When you are cantering try and keep his head up, when you feel him start to lower it, sit back and squeeze him and keep a steady hold on his mouth (don't yank on him) just keep a consistent but firm hold and raise your hands up. Exaggerate it, it will feel really weird, but the higher your hands the harder it is for him to lower his head. It also makes him shorten his stride. If his head is up its harder for him to buck. Also if he does buck, you'll already be sitting back, so it's less likely you'll fall off. Practice that when you are schooling in the arena, so you can get the feel of it before you go out on the grassy areas.


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## melaniewilkes (Oct 30, 2010)

i agree with all the others' advice, but adding to that, if he starts going really quickly and you're a bit scared, you can always slow down to a trot or walk. just to emphasize- lean back!! i was cantering this horse in the arena and he usually keeps his head up really high, and i cantered him in the corner. he did about 2 strides of canter, then put his head down and bucked me off. i wouldn't have fallen off if i hadn't been leaning forward. hope this helps


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## Ktibb (Mar 24, 2010)

I vote for practicing the one rein stop aka emergency break at walk trot and canter. While out on hack, first get him very used to walking, and walking only. YOU don't want him to associate hacking with being a loon. good luck!


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

I would not canter him in the open until you can change his canter tempo at will in the ring 100% of the time. He's taking advantage of you in the fields to ignore you and run through your aids. You just need to establish firm communication within the confines of a ring and hopefully get him to understand the same rules apply outside of the ring.


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## PonyMad (Aug 26, 2010)

he's stopped the bucking now!

But he decides to try and flat out gallop, practically bolting : /
Hrmm.
Thanks for all the advice I've done loads in the school on speeding up his canter and slowing it down and have more control of him,
but he's just a completely different pony out on a hack than in the school : /


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## haleylvsshammy (Jun 29, 2010)

Is your hack area a large, open field? Or at least a place big enough to make a circle? Maybe if you take him out in the open, establish a circle and work him in a walk, trot and canter in both directions. Let him know that just because he's out in the open doesn't mean he gets to be silly and stop listening to you.


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## PonyMad (Aug 26, 2010)

Yeah, thats a good idea! Yeah its a very big field 
Thank you! 
Like do what I do in the school kinda but just out in the field.


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Ah yes, they sure are different in open fields, aren't they? They act like they're about to die if you ask them to go forward in the confines of the ring, but put the same horse in an open field and it's off to the races!! I'm doing the same exercise with the circling thing. I change from trot to canter and back to trot every 1/2 of the circle. Just keep circle huge so you don't accidentally throw yourself off balance. They tend to do those circles very fast until they get the hang of the exercise.


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## PonyMad (Aug 26, 2010)

Ok Im gonna give it ago today! Hopefully it will listen to me and not decide to go galloping off  xx


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